Sanctions on perpetrators, not people
The sanctions regime must be set up by such appropriate resolutions that it weakens the IRI and strengthens the position of its democratic opposition
March 15, 2006
iranian.com
The current nuclear status of the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot escape from the inevitable sanctions of the Untied Nations Security Council. One knew that the IRI would not comply with resolutions taken by the 35member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The five permanent members of the Security Council will consequently find a compromise to impose sanctions on the IRI. The sanctions measures will probably enter into force only after a while.
Of course, a democratic and secular Iran needs rapid development and advanced technology, including nuclear technology, but the IRI because of its reactionary nature rules out the necessary ways of development and is instead stubbornly stuck on its nuclear programme for its jihadist strategy.
What concerns the interests of democracy and secularism in Iran, with focus being placed on the military and judicial measures, Iranian people will be the real winners of the UN sanctions. The long term interests of Iranian people consist of developing alternative sanction measures to improve the effectiveness of UN sanctions against the anti Iranian Islamic regime.
Millions of Iranians and freedom-loving people around the world enjoy sanctions on IRI’s officials provided Iranian people are not themselves subject to these sanctions. The sanctions regime must be set up by such appropriate resolutions that it weakens the IRI and strengthens the position of its democratic opposition.
Of course, under economic sanctions, the standards of living of the vast majority of people will be deteriorated, but degradation of the Iranian economy with an acute deterioration in the living conditions of people is a continuous growing rate already on place. It is conditioned and accelerated by the existence of the IRI and will continuously and independently from sanctions severe strains on the social development.
The Iranian democratic opposition, which is characterised by its goals for a secular and democratic republic in Iran, cannot and should not impede the sanction process, but instead must urge humanitarian grounds -- sanction of food and medical supplies raise the infant mortality, malnutrition problems, the massive deteriorations in basic problems, in particular in massive poverty, the health-care system and hygienic conditions, as it was the case during the recent sanctions on Iraq.
In terms of longevity and nature of sanctions, the democratic opposition must try to influence any UN Security Council’s decision against the IRI. The sanctions can only bring fruits when the measures are merely aimed at the IRI’s leadership, but not those economic branches providing necessary needs for people.
The state mafia or Mullah’s mafia in Iran will be even content by abusing sanction results to accumulate capital and tighten their dictatorship, as it was the case during the Iran-Iraq war. A country at war or economic crisis is generally an oasis for mafia. What concerns the IRI, it does not matter if people are dying because the Mullahs’ mafia abuses the sanctions or because the sanctions themselves kill.
In this case, the Security Council by separating Iranian people from the IRI should not punish our people. The UN should avoid any measure applying to supplies of non-military uses. In general, the sanctions measures should not apply to ordinary use of people, but ban the direct or indirect sale, supply and transfer to IRI-controlled areas of technical advice, assistance or training related to military activities. As expressed by media, the supreme leader, Khamenei, has ordered a major reshuffle of the top brass of the armed forces as part of a larger plan to enhance the military’s control over the government to enforce the dictatorship in Iran.
The sanctions must directly target IRI’s means of oppression, in other words, their military plans. The UN should punish the oppressive IRI, but cannot further punish the oppressed Iranian people. The Iranian democratic opposition, by demanding limited economic and full military sanctions on the IRI, should express concerns at the possible adverse impact of sanctions on the most vulnerable segments of the population, such as less protected poor people, women and children.
By rejecting restrictions on all but military and dual-use goods, the democratic opposition should demand a UN’ Sanctions Committee, which will probably be held soon, most flexible sanctions to allow ordinary people in Iran to continue their lives. The sanctions must be vigilant, smart and precise targeted actions merely aimed at the IRI.Besides preventing IRI’s nuclear ambitions, the Security Council should inflict strict prohibitions related to the sale or supply to the IRI of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment and spare parts, which can be used against angry Iranian people.
 Member States of the UN should be required to reduce the number of IRI’s diplomatic personnel and restrict or ban the entry and transit of IRI’s officials in their respective countries and freeze all funds, financial assets and economic resources that are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such persons.
The Human Rights Committee (OHCHR) of the UN is the most important organ to be addressed. Though it is under influence of the U.N. Economic Social Council and can not exert enough influence on the human issue, but the committee is however expected to be an independent judicial body with some influence on the fate of oppressed people. The committee should be an active partner of the Iranian democratic opposition.
The UN, by forming a judicial committee, should satisfy the demands of many families of IRI’s victims, and with regard to the continuous crimes. The sanctions can drop on its judicial measures. For example, by issuing international warrant of arrest, IRI’s officials can be brought before an international court for many national and international crimes, namely against the massive purges of political prisoners, against permanent violations of human rights and against many other crimes on the shoulder of the IRI’s ruling class.
Internationally, political Islam along with all its associations, paramilitary organizations, training camps, jihadist centers and all its related financial resources are expected to be outlawed. All Islamist institutions, centers, mosques and etc, as potential danger to democracy and human life in all over the world, should be put under restrict control of the local authorities.
As long as the IRI’s ruling class cannot be brought before an international court, the Security Council, by using the article 41 of the UN Charter, should urge all countries to prevent entry into or travel through their territory of individuals suspected of involvement in the crimes committed by the IRI. With help of documentary evidence and list of corrupt officials prepared by the Iranian democratic opposition, the Security Council is expected to order Member States to freeze and confiscate all funds, financial resources financial assets and economic resources that are held by IRI’s senior officials or even members of their immediate families. The Iranian democratic opposition must already ensure that after the fall of the IRI, their assets can be recuperated. The plunder of people’s wealth by the late Shah and his family should not be repeated at all.
Either the IRI complies with the demands of the Security Council or not. Whether the adopted sanctions are lifted or not, the main aim of most Iranians is to get rid of the IRI. Since all Iranian opposition groups are not democratic, our democratic opposition, by regarding this basic parameter, should avoid yielding any compromise with the IRI and all its debris and various tactics.
 Any international tribune, including the UN--at least for the time being- -can be used to put the question of IRI’s legitimacy at the centre of dialog. It is important to know the use of mandatory sanctions is intended to apply pressure on a State to comply with the objectives set by the Security Council. Regarding the fact that their own economic interestshave the upper hand, the five nations with veto power-- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France--are supposed to focus on the IRI’s nuclear programme. On the other side, camp under the IRI is hypocritical as far as its existence is concerned. Therefore, new proposals might be tactically set up demagogically sending IRI’s current atom policy in the backbench, as IRI’s officials do when they see danger approaching
In response to any possible compromise, the Iranian democratic opposition by denouncing all IRI’s botched manoeuvres, should consider Ahmadinejad’s confession, who frankly says “Islam is incompatible with and superior to democracy and that his aim is to one day covert the whole of mankind to Islam as the last and only version of the truth”. With regard to this main and final strategy of the political Islam, the IRI keeps trying to tactically put on the table new proposals to sway the UN, but one way or another, the IRI continues the Ahmadinejad’s position, who is the protégé of the supreme leader, Khamenei.
What the majority of Iranian people desire and therefore should be expressed by the Iranian democratic opposition is to unconditionally and loudly reject the plague of the IRI entirely. Contrary to a Tudehist line or Islamic debris of the IRI advocating reforms within the IRI, there is finally one thing that an Iranian democratic opposition can no longer commit: try to deceive Iranian by claiming that they help to reform a system that is incapable of reform. Therefore, there should be no handle and bargain.
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