In an online conference on May 10, 2022, a slate of distinguished politicians and former officials joined the Iranian coalition opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), calling on world powers to dismantle the terror network run by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) across the globe.

As the keynote speaker, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi primarily congratulated the condemnation of bomber terrorists during the appeal court. On July 30, 2018, the Iranian regime’s diplomat terrorist Assadollah Assadi and his three accomplices orchestrated a bomb plot against the NCRI annual gathering in Villepinte, a suburb of Paris.

Fortunately, the plot was foiled in a coordinated operation by Belgian, French, and German authorities, and the terrorists were detained. Further evidence revealed that Mrs. Maryam Rajavi was the terrorists’ primary target.

An Iranian diplomat convicted to 20 years imprisonment by a court in Belgium - February 2021

However, the plot was to murder hundreds of people, including American, European, and Arab individuals, who had attended the Free Iran 2018 gathering.

In their investigation, prosecutors discovered a green notebook belonged to Assadi, which was the clue to an expanded network of an MOIS terror network across Europe. Notably, the three terrorists, Nasimeh Na’ami, Mehrdad Arefani, and Amir Sa’douni, were one of the regime’s sleeper cells.

Read More: Tehran Doesn’t Limit Its Terrorism to a Single Bombing

On February 4, 2021, a Belgian court in Antwerp city sentenced Assadollah Assadi to 20 years in prison despite the Iranian regime’s diplomatic pressure and indirect terror threats. The court also sentenced Na’ami to 18 years imprisonment, Arefani to 17 years, and Sa’douni to 15 years.

The “diplomat” denied proposing an appeal, fearing further investigation into the involvement of high-ranking officials in the plot and more scandal.

On the other hand, Assadi’s denial revealed there was a state-backed plot, not a futile attempt by so-called rogue elements.

However, his accomplices proposed an appeal court to review the case. Today, the appeal court upheld the sentences of Na’ami and Arefani and extended Sa’douni’s sentence to 18 years in prison.

NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi Calls for Dismantling MOIS Terror Network

“The ruling of the Court of Appeals in Antwerp, describing it as the decisive defeat of the clerical regime in evading legal condemnation,” Mrs. Rajavi said. “Congratulations on this great victory of the Iranian people and Resistance versus the mullahs’ Intelligence Ministry, Judiciary, and the entirety of the terrorist and religious dictatorship ruling Iran.”

“The 20-year sentence for the clerical regime’s diplomat terrorist Assadollah Assadi had already been upheld.

“The new ruling by the Court of Appeals added three years to the sentences of two of the regime’s mercenaries, increasing them to 18 years, and sentenced the third one to 17 years in prison. Their citizenship was revoked permanently, and their passports were repealed. Each of them was also ordered to pay 60,000 Euros in cash,” Mrs. Rajavi added.

“Therefore, the Iranian regime failed in its 46-month attempt to escape a heavy judicial sentence for its terrorist plot against the Iranian people’s Resistance.

“It is also the failure of Khamenei, Rouhani, and Raisi, who wanted to turn terrorist operations into their absolute right by manipulating diplomatic immunity. The Belgian Judiciary, however, said no to such unbelievable impudence.

Repression, killing, and terrorism have never been, nor will they ever be able to destroy a nation determined to liberate itself. The Iranian people and their Resistance are resolved to overthrow religious fascism, and they will undoubtedly do so

maryam Rajavi

“No one can doubt the Iranian Resistance’s position that the clerical regime depends on terrorism and cannot give it up even for a single day. As Massoud [Rajavi, the Leader of the Iranian Resistance] reiterated, ‘From the outset, warmongering and export of fundamentalism and terrorism have served as a protective shield for the Velayat-e Faqih regime the regime needs them to survive,'” she concluded.

Justice Has Yet to Serve, Says Former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli

“The international community needs to take note that justice is incomplete. The same diplomatic core that planned to plant a bomb in Paris exists, and they still sit at the negotiating table with the United States and other powers,” Sen. Torricelli said.

“There is no justice without holding accountable the very regime that would’ve taken our lives. We call on Europe to reconsider. Do they want embassies in their countries that would have taken the lives of their citizens and exploded a bomb in Europe?”

Iranians Demand Democracy and Human Rights, Says Former U.S. Ambassador Robert Joseph

“Why did the regime risk the consequences of killing dignitaries? Why did it risk alienating its commercial relations with those governments? It is desperation. The principal source of desperation is the Iranian people’s demands for democracy and human rights,” Amb. Joseph said.

“Through four decades, the regime has made an enemy of its own people. The people’s demand for change is the number one threat to the regime. This regime will do anything to stay in power. The prime target was Mrs. Rajavi, leader of the democratic and secular alternative inside and outside Iran. She is the symbol of hope for the future of Iran.”

Great Principles and Values Can Be Successfully Achieved, Says Former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi

“While the Iranian people have suffered because of the regime’s torture and aggression, the terrible acts of violence against political opponents, today we finally have a moment of satisfaction because we see that great principles and values can be successfully achieved,” FM Terzi said.

“The sentence in Belgium shows that justice will prevail. It is important that we can loudly affirm that justice is winning against the regime in Tehran.”

The Bomb Was Made in Iran, Tested Several Times, Says Former U.S. Amb. Lincoln Bloomfield

“When the Belgian court first issued the verdict, they put out a lot of facts. The bomb was made from TATP, and it was made in Iran and tested several times. It had communications capabilities, and it could be a much larger explosion than bombings by ISIS,” said Amb. Bloomfield.

“The report mentions Section 312 of the MOIS, which follows resistance members abroad. Why don’t we ever hear about the MOIS in Washington? When we see people from Iran sitting in think tanks and universities and go to Iran and talk to its leaders, do we investigate them? This is a new conversation that we need to have.”

The Iranian Regime Wants to Eliminate Its Alternative, Says Former British MP Roger Godsiff

“This is a regime that wants to eliminate its alternative but also all supporters of a free and democratic Iran. This is the regime that massacred political prisoners in 1988,” Roger Godsiff MP said. “We would never think this regime would rely on an act of terrorism that could have killed thousands of people.”

“I remain concerned that the masterminds who gave the green light to this act of terrorism have not been brought to account, and they have been left free to carry out terrorist activities throughout the world.”

The Terrorist State Has Been Condemned, Says Belgian Lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier

“The terrorist state has been condemned in today’s court. It’s a great victory. Victory is not fully achieved yet,” Mr. Beauthier said. “There are still spies and terrorists ready to kill regime opponents around the world. My thoughts go to the daily victims of the dictatorship.”

All of Us Were Targets, Says Ret U.S. Col. Wesley Martin

“All of us were targets. The NCRI and MEK are two of the three greatest threats to the Iranian regime, and the third threat is truth itself. That’s what we came together for at that rally. The people of Iran don’t have freedom. Terrorism inside Iran is far more hideous than what is exported outside,” Col. Martin said.

“Appeasement and concessions are not the answer to dealing with the regime in Iran, and it requires firmness, strength, and resolve. Our government knows the truth about Iran, yet they are still trying to appease the regime. 2018 proved that the MOIS is a terrorist organization. I call on our government to follow the example of Europe.”

The Convicted Were Just the Triggermen, Says U.S. Author Linda Chavez

“Today, we celebrate that the Iranian regime did not succeed in its attack. The four persons who were sentenced were just the triggermen, and they did not originate the plot, and they were not the only perpetrators,” Mrs. Chavez said.

“This plot was hatched in Tehran and the regime’s leaders, and it involved members of the diplomatic community. The people who assembled the bombs and directed the building of the bomb, who gave the order of assassinating Madam Rajavi and the killing of thousands of people remain free.”

This Ruling Is the Outcome of an Independent and Impartial Judiciary System, Says Former UN Official Taher Bumedra

“This is the outcome of a truly independent and impartial judiciary system. It is now the governments’ turn to follow that path and take appropriate measures to put an end to the regime’s terrorism,” Mr. Bumedra said. “The regime’s leaders must be prosecuted, and its spies in disguise must be expelled.”

EU Should Take Action, Says Italian Sen. Roberto Rampi

“Now that the judgement has come to pass, the EU will have to take action. Will they remain silent? Will they say we are in the middle of nuclear talks, and we will jeopardize the talks if we condemn this crime? Have we forgotten about the rule of law and democracy? It is clear that the nuclear talks are dead, and it is clear that the regime is blackmailing Belgian authorities,” Sen. Rampi said.

“I ask our governments to stand firm and let the mullahs know that they can’t have a terror network in our countries. If the regime sees a strong reaction from EU and European leaders, they will conclude that there is no way they can have a nuclear bomb.”

Appeasement With Totalitarian Regimes Makes Them More Aggressive, Says Former Bundestag Member Martin Pazelt

“This is a historic day. The regime and its leader are at the dock in the Belgian court. This is a small victory for justice. Appeasement with totalitarian regimes makes them more aggressive in their war and terrorism. We must learn from this and pursue a firm policy against the mullahs in Tehran,” Mr. Pazelt said.

“We must support the opposition to this regime, the NCRI and MEK. They constantly expose the regime’s crimes, and they are a voice for a free Iran. They warn the international community with documents and analyses about the regime’s fundamentalism and terrorism and its efforts to acquire a nuclear bomb.”

We Don’t Forget What Happened in Villepinte in 2018, Says Former Maltese MP Mario Galea

“We have an important obligation not to forget what happened in Villepinte in 2018, a terrorist plot that was ordered and planned by the tyrants in Tehran. We do not have the luxury of forgetting. Today’s verdict is important, but a partial judgement and complete justice require Iranian tyrants to be held to account. Appeasement of the Iranian regime does not work,” Mr. Galea said.

“While many world leaders were busy toward peace in 2018, the Iranian regime was busy transporting bombs to detonate in the sovereign territory of their appeasers. We must acknowledge that the appeasement of Tehran is nothing less than treason.”

Khamenei, Rouhani, Zarif, and Alavi Should Be Indicted for Acts of Terror, Says Former MEP Struan Stevenson

“Diplomats enjoy special privileges, and Assadi violated each of the core principles of diplomacy. He was the key operative in the attempted bombing of the NCRI rally in Villepinte,” Mr. Stevenson said.

Read More: “EU Must Address Iran’s State Terrorism,” by Struan Stevenson

“Assadi was acting under orders, and it could only have been validated by [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei and [then-President Hassan] Rouhani. The foreign minister was Javad Zarif, and he must have been a key player, as was then-MOIS minister Mahmood Alavi. All should be indicted for acts of terror, and the terrorists faced European justice.

“But their trial cannot simply draw a line under this heinous offense. The regime’s leaders must also be indicted and held to account. The operatives had registered as political refugees in Europe and applied for citizenship in Belgium. This is how the regime hides its agents in plain sight. The list of the MOIS’s spies and terrorists must be exposed. The regime’s spies and agents and so-called diplomats must be expelled.”