Supporting A Free, Democratic, and Secular Iran
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, this week, we passed a major milestone when a majority of the entire House of Representatives signed on as cosponsors of H. Res. 166, supporting a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran.
This truly bipartisan and broad-based House majority of 224, consisting of 139 Republicans and 85 Democrats, endorses the general principles propounded by Iranian democracy groups, most notably the 10- point plan proposed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
It calls for the universal right to vote; free elections; a market economy; separation of religion and state; gender, religious, and ethnic equality; foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence; peace in the Middle East; and a nonnuclear Republic of Iran. It also condemns the Iranian regime's terrorism, regional proxy war, and internal oppression.
Over 4,000 parliamentarians worldwide, the majority of 33 national legislative assemblies, over 130 world leaders, and 80 Nobel laureates have endorsed these principles. I am gratified that a majority of the entire House has stepped forward to support this resolution.
There are several Iranian groups fighting the Iranian dictatorship, and it will ultimately be up to the people of Iran to chart their own future, as the 10-point plan proposes.
One cause should unite us all, and that is the collapse of the current regime. To this end, we have organized the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus within the House of Representatives. This is a truly bipartisan caucus. Like the various liberation groups of Iran, we Republicans and Democrats differ and quarrel about many things, but we are solidly united in the support of the people of Iran and their struggle for their own liberation from the tyranny of the mullahs.
The Iranian regime has made clear that it intends to acquire nuclear weapons and, once acquired, to use them. President Trump has made clear that this cannot be allowed to happen. I, for one, appreciate the efforts of this administration to stop that from happening without bloodshed. The Iranian regime has proven itself to be utterly untrustworthy to abide by any agreement it makes. That makes any negotiation with this regime highly problematic.
There is only one solution that promises to resolve this danger without the risk of a terrible war that could claim many thousands of innocent lives, and that is the collapse of the regime from within. Opposition to the oppression of the mullahs has been simmering in Iran for many years. It is time to provide material support to help these groups liberate their country.
Past administrations sent cargo pallets of cash on cargo planes to these bloodthirsty mullahs in hopes of currying their favor and cooperation. However good the intentions, the result was to help fund the oppression of the Iranian people and the export of terrorism throughout the world.
I believe the time has now come to provide the same assistance, not to the oppressors of Iran, but to the people of Iran and the resistance groups actively seeking their overthrow.
The overthrow of this regime from within would be the cheapest, surest, and most peaceful way to remove it as a threat to the freedom of the Iranian people, the stability of the region, and the peace of the world. That is what the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus was organized to promote and what H. Res. 166 pledges to accomplish.
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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Fine has been here only about 6 weeks. As you can see, he is already distinguishing himself as a vital voice for freedom abroad and for liberty at home. I couldn't be more pleased to have him here today to speak on behalf of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, Iran is one of the oldest and greatest civilizations in history. It was one of the most free, advanced, prosperous, and open countries in the Middle East just a few decades ago. Then, came the revolution of 1979, when the progress abruptly ended with the takeover by the theocratic despots who introduced a reign of terror that has gone on now for decades.
Twice before, Iranians were on the verge of overthrowing this regime. In 2009, as Iranians took to the streets during the so-called Green Movement, they looked to the United States for support but got only silence. In 2016, the American Government sent $1.7 billion in cash to the mullahs on shrink-wrapped cargo pallets. In 2015, we released $150 billion more in frozen assets, all to get a nuclear agreement that Iran never honored.
Today, America must stand with the people of Iran. The regime in Tehran has been crystal clear about its intent to develop nuclear weapons and, once developed, to use them.
There are only two ways this is going to end. It will end either with thousands, perhaps millions, dead in a terrible war or with a successful revolution and the long-overdue collapse of this regime.
The President is speaking out forcefully, and he is acting decisively. So must Congress.
H. Res. 166 has 224 cosponsors, representing both political parties. It expresses support for the Iranian resistance and its vision of a free, secular, and nonnuclear Iran. I urge the leadership to bring it to the floor for a vote.
Our Declaration of Independence proclaims that whenever a government becomes destructive of the natural rights of its people, it becomes their right to alter or abolish it. This critical hour has come for the people of Iran.
I believe it is time for the United States to step forward with material support for the freedom movement. For every dollar this government has given over the years to this brutal dictatorship, we owe many times over to the Iranians who are desperately trying to overthrow their oppressors and restore the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity.
They need the direct satellite access to the internet that the regime has denied them on the ground. They need us to restore economic sanctions, as the President is doing against the regime in a renewed boycott of Iran.
Mr. Speaker, decisive turning points in history do not come often. When history commands, we must answer. That answer will follow us far into the future.
This time and in this hour, let the United States take a stand with the people of Iran and, by so doing, fulfill those proud words in our Liberty Bell, to proclaim liberty in all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.
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