During a conference in Brussels, a number of opinions were given about the way forward for Europe.
The moderator of the event, former EP Vice President Alejo Vidal-Quadras, criticised EU officials, including EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, for trying to push the issue to the side in favour of doing business with Iran. He said that it is very clear that high-level Iranian officials are involved in terrorist activities and that the EU needs to take more than “minimal punitive measures”.
Retired French journalist and former intelligence agent Claude Moniquet is expanding its terrorist ideology abroad with the aim of extending its rule. He emphasised that the clerical regime’s rule is based on two pillars – domestic crackdown and foreign warmongering, and that it is in a desperate situation. He too blamed the EU for being too lenient on Iran, saying that “Europe has conveyed the message to the Iranian regime that it can conduct terrorist activities on their soil without being held to account”.
Member of the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Farzin Hashemi, pointed out that the government of Albania is adopting strong measures against Tehran after it was discovered that the Iranian regime was planning to attack members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) that are based there.
He recommended that the EU takes a tougher stance on the regime. Furthermore, he said: “The entirety of the MOIS, the IRGC and all individuals engaged in the acts of terrorism must be blacklisted. The EU should also listen to the Iranian people and put an end to this illusion that there are two different factions in Iran. These terrorism activities are carried out by the entirety of the regime and approved by the Supreme Leader.”
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh highlighted that the U.S. is taking the Iran threat seriously and said that the EU’s message to Iran is confused. He said, on the one hand the EU is trying to be firm, but on the other hand it is trying to maintain a relationship with the country. He said that the EU needs to realise that “if you can’t trust a partner, you can’t do commerce with that partner”.
Former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi called on EU member states to adopt stronger policy and be more courageous when faced with the regime. He said that the safety and security of the people in Europe must be taken seriously.
Former French intelligence chef Yves Bonnet also highlighted the regime’s desire to wipe out its opposition and said that countries need to be willing to close Iranian embassies and expel their diplomats when they are clearly there to eliminate the opposition.
