240 Cross-party Lawmakers from 19 European Countries Urge their Governments to Protect

240 Cross-party Lawmakers from 19 European Countries Urge their Governments to Protect
Europe from Iran’s State Terrorism

48 members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords took the lead in the initiative

The International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran and the British Committee
for Iran Freedom (BCFIF) issued a statement urging the UK and EU member states to reconsider their
policy on Iran and do more to protect Europe from Iran’s state terrorism following the trial of an
Iranian diplomat in Belgium on charges of terrorism last week.

The first session of the hearing was held on Friday 27 November 2020, during which the prosecutor
presented his case against the four defendants including an Iranian regime’s diplomat. They are
charged with plot to bomb the Free Iran gathering on 30 June 2018, in Villepinte, in the suburb of
Paris. Several British Parliamentarians were also attending the international event.

240 lawmakers from 19 different European countries support the statement.

The initiative by Parliamentarians representing a wide spectrum of political tendencies, stressed:

“apart from the judicial process, which is independently underway in Belgium, we believe it is time
to reconsider dealing with the Iranian state terrorism”.

“Considering the Iranian regime’s use of diplomatic cover to carry out terrorist acts, the necessary
practical warnings should be given to Tehran, such as the closure of its embassies and the expulsion
of its ambassadors and diplomats”, the cross-party European lawmakers said in their statement.

They added, “in accordance with the Declaration of the European Union of 29 April 1997, Tehran’s
intelligence agents, using the cover of diplomats, journalists, businessmen, etc., should be expelled,
and the regime’s religious and cultural front institutions in Europe which serve as terrorist and
fundamentalist centres should be closed.”

The European lawmakers also called on the UK, EU and its member states to make continued
relations with Iran contingent upon the necessary guarantees from the Iranian regime to put an end to
its terrorist acts on European soil. The lawmakers also ask European governments to alter their failed
policy on Iran in favour of a coordinated firm policy that prioritises pressure on the regime and
accountability for regime leaders.

They warned that the regime in Iran seeks to eliminate its opponents even on European soil through
terrorism.

“Since 2018 parallel with growing anti-government protests inside Iran, there has been an alarming
surge in Iran state-sponsored terrorist plots in Europe targeting Iranian activists and dissidents on
European soil, in particular members and supporters of Iran’s pro-democracy opposition coalition,
the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran
(PMOI/MEK)”, European lawmakers stressed.

In this regard, the statement highlights two foiled bomb plots against the NCRI gathering in Paris in
June 2018 and a gathering of the PMOI in Albania in April same year, which targeted the opposition
leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, along with several hundred international and European political figures
as well as tens of thousands of Iranians attending these events.

The co-president of the International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran, Bob
Blackman MP, who is also a civil party to the trial Belgium, said: “Today we stand with the NCRI
President-elect Mrs Maryam Rajavi and call on the UK and the European Governments to proscribe
the entire IRGC and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry as terrorist organisations because these paramilitary
institutions are critical to the regime’s internal repression and export of terrorism and must be denied
funds and resources.”

The European lawmakers applauded the decisions by France, Albania and other European countries
to expel several Iranian diplomats and an Iranian ambassador in connection to these terrorist plots.

Steve McCabe MP said, “Appeasing the regime and offering it sanction relief at this time only
encourages its illegal and unacceptable behaviour.

The most effective policy to counter these threats
is a firm policy by UK and EU that puts pressure on the regime and backs the democratic aspirations
of the Iranian people and their Resistance Movement led by Mrs Rajavi.”

Bob Blackman MP added, “evidence presented at the trial against Iranian diplomat Assadi prove
beyond doubt that the decision to bomb the NCRI gathering in Paris was taken at the highest level of
the Iranian Government and approved by the Supreme Leader.

Assadi did not act on his own initiative
but followed orders from Tehran. So, the UK Government must act with European allies to hold the
entire regime to account.”

In their statement, the European lawmakers also express deep concerns over the continuing human
rights abuses in Iran and reiterate that the ongoing crackdown on popular anti-government protests
by the authorities, which are documented by Amnesty International, requires more international
attention and accountability.
Bob Blackman MP Harrow East
Steve McCabe MP
Rt. Hon David Jones MP