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Amir H. Heidarian Published 3:02 p.m. CT Feb. 12, 2017 | Updated 6 hours ago

Thousands marched towards Tehran's Azadi Square on the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. USA TODAY

A handout picture provided by the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him delivering a speech on Friday at Azadi Square in Tehran during a ceremony to mark the 38th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.(Photo: Getty Images)

As an Iranian American I am grateful that the Obama administration helped relocate 3,000 of my friends and colleagues, members of the principal Iranian opposition movement, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), out of Camp Liberty, Iraq. But I am very critical of its utter weakness in dealing with the Islamic Republic

Having formerly occupied the mini modern town called Ashraf in eastern Iraq, MEK members were under constant threat of attack from Shiite militant groups loyal to Iran. Dozens had been killed over the years but now, the survivors are safe in Albania and elsewhere, and are free to carry on their work for the ouster of the repressive theocratic system in place in Tehran.

Although the previous administration is owed credit for its action on this issue, even where Camp Liberty is concerned, the Obama White House carried on its work with little fanfare. It never acted as a public advocate for the MEK, and it never confronted Iran over its role in the repeated targeting of the camp with missiles that could often be traced back to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was elected in 2013, things have gotten worse in many respects. The so-called moderate executive has overseen a dramatic increase in executions, in a country that already had a reputation for maintaining the highest rate of executions per capita. At the same time, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has undertaken a major crackdown on activists, journalists, minority groups and dual nationals. The Rouhani administration did nothing to challenge this crackdown, and neither did the Obama administration.

This fact was repeatedly underscored by international human rights organizations, which publicly criticized the Obama administration and its allies for sidelining human rights issues in the interest of keeping a narrow focus on the nuclear deal, which effectively left 80 million Iranians at the mercy of the IRGC.

This past week, President Donald Trumps National Security Adviser Michael Flynn formally put Iran on notice over its recent ballistic missile test and its ongoing provocative moves in the region. Then Trump himself took the regime to task for playing with fire and failing to appreciate the conciliatory treatment it had received from his predecessor. That soft approach is now at an end, according to the president and his foreign policy team, who insist that all options are on the table as potential responses to any more malign behavior by Tehran or the IRGC.

We welcome this messaging, as well as the follow-through that the administration has shown in imposing new sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 companies connected to the Iranian ballistic missile program. We are hopeful that further such sanctions will be used to isolate the IRGC and shrink its influence both at home and abroad. Presently, the hardline paramilitary controls the majority of Irans GDP, is acquiring larger shares of the national budget and is benefiting from President Barack Obamas misguided nuclear agreement.

Counteracting the enrichment of the IRGC is the first step toward addressing Irans abysmal human rights record. And whether or not this is specifically part of Trumps aim, he is on the right path with his imposition of non-nuclear sanctions and his declared willingness to take more of the same measures.

Amir H. Heidarian, a resident of Mequon, is president of the Iranian American Community of Wisconsin, a member of the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC-US).

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Heidarian: Iran policy may positively impact human rights - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Common Dreams

Iran: Challenging Three American Truths Common Dreams The United States recently put Iran on notice. National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn stated, The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate Iran's provocations that threaten our interests. The days of turning a blind eye to Iran's hostile and ...

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Iran: Challenging Three American Truths - Common Dreams

Lionel DeputeHerald Reporter Iran has commended the excellent political relations with Zimbabwe and urged the strengthening of trade and economic ties between the two countries.Speaking at the commemorations of the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Harare on Friday, incoming Iranian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Ahmad Erfanian said his government will strengthen trade relations that have been low because of trade sanctions that were imposed on Iran by Western countries.

Despite the excellent political relations that exist between the two countries, the volume of trade is not what is expected, he said. I will devote all of my efforts to work towards strengthening economic and trade relations with Zimbabwe.

With the implementation of the nuclear deal with six powers, sanctions against Iran have been lifted and there is no restriction to expanding the trade relations between the two countries.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Edgar Mbwembwe said relations between Iran and Zimbabwe dated back to the liberation struggle.We celebrate this historic and momentous day fully cognisant of the close relations that so happily exist, between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said.

These strong bonds of friendship and solidarity have been mutually nurtured before and after Zimbabwes independence.Deputy Minister Mbwembwe said Government will continue to make the visible relations stronger for the peoples benefit.

We remain committed to maintain this momentum to further strengthen these relations for the benefit of our people, he said.Deputy Minister Mbwembwe highlighted a number of projects that were imitated with the support of the Iranian government in the previous years, including Zimbabwe-Iran Joint Commission and scholarships for Zimbabweans in medicine and engineering.

We have consulted and mutually implemented wide ranging programmes and projects undertaken in the past years, he said.(These include) the Zimbabwean-Iran Joint Commission, scholarships for Zimbabwean students, the visit by secretary of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha in November 2016 and cooperation in the small and medium enterprises and cooperative sector.

Deputy Minister Mbwembwe said the pending visit by the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda to Tehran was also evidence of cordial relations between the two countries.

The month of February marks the 38th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The Islamic Revolution gained its final victory on February 11 in 1979, after years of struggle, self-sacrifice and resistance under the leadership of Imam Khomeini.

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Excellent Zim, Iran ties hailed - The Herald

As promised, President Trump made his first Supreme Court nomination last week, a historic choice that dominated headlines in the subsequent days.

But 14 hours later, his White House issued an unexpected statement that could have fateful consequences too. The statement, followed by others and new financial sanctions on Iran, effectively drew a diplomatic red line designed to contain that troublesome country.

In only 244 words, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, listed a series of Iranian transgressions, including funding global terrorism, flouting U.N. resolutions on ballistic missile tests and attacking ships in international waters. He could have also mentioned seizing American sailors.

Flynn ended with: As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.

Asked later whether military action was a possibility, Trump said what all presidents claim: Everything is on the table.

The situation is particularly precarious because after President Barack Obamas numerous empty threats, the United States has scant credibility as an enforcer, especially in the Middle East. It will take some time and perhaps the use of military force for a Trump administration to be taken more seriously.

Predictably, Iran dismissed the U.S. bluster and launched another rocket as Trumps domestic opponents protested his temporary immigration ban and its rollout.

Now remember: During the presidential campaign, two of Trumps major themes involved the Obama administrations terrible foreign deals, especially the nuclear pact with Iran, and the unfortunate predictability of Obamas foreign policies. The United States needs to be less predictable, Trump said.

Well, you may have noticed in the new presidents first two weeks there was a good deal of unpredictability. Not by accident.

Iran, Vice President Mike Pence warned, would do well not to test the resolve of this new president.

Obamas diplomacy was indeed predictable in one very serious sense: No matter what he sought, implied or threatened, there would be no serious consequences beyond words and ineffective sanctions.

Often Obama offered concessions even before they were sought. He canceled missile defense systems in Eastern Europe to coax Russian cooperation in reining in Iranian ambitions. Russia said thanks, then sold advanced military hardware to the mullahs.

Obama pledged swift justice on Benghazis murderers; nothing happened. His economic sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea were so serious that President Vladimir Putin ignored them, armed Iran, fomented rebellion within Ukraine and moved militarily into Syria.

Obamas worst display of impotence came from his infamous 2012 threat to Syrias Bashar Assad that using chemical weapons in that civil war would cross a red line in the Democrats mind.

A year later, Assad had again used chemicals on civilians. Facing domestic criticism, Obama blustered, did nothing, blamed Congress for inaction, and Putin stepped in to broker a faux weapons disposal.

In real estate negotiations and his recent campaign, Trump has seen unpredictability as a positive bargaining tool. Sending Flynn out to read carefully from a prepared text and take no complicating questions was a clear sign that Trump will employ such strategic ambiguity and threats in diplomacy. Let Iran imagine how bad the consequences might be, starting with renewed sanctions.

A problem with ambiguity, of course, is that a paranoid opponent might overreact. More importantly, Trump must be prepared to impose consequences on his notice. And then be prepared for the enemys reaction to those consequences.

Westerners have an expression for someone who talks a lot and does little. They say hes all hat and no cattle. Trump has that familiar red baseball cap. To avoid earning the same international reputation as Obama, well soon see whether the New Yorker has any cattle in his diplomatic herd.

McClatchy Washington Bureau

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Trump draws red line with Iran - San Francisco Chronicle

TexNewMex Published 10:01 p.m. MT Feb. 12, 2017 | Updated 8 minutes ago

Letters to the Editor(Photo: The Daily Times)Buy Photo

U.S. has destabilized Middle East, not Iran

Once again, the U.S. is targeting Iran for its alleged role in sponsoring radical Islamic terrorism.

According to national security adviser Flynn, The Islamic Republic of Iran is the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism and engages in and supports violent activities that destabilize the Middle East. However, history shows that the U.S.-- not Iran is and has been destabilizing the Middle East for decades.

After a 1953 CIA coup ousted Iran's Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, the U.S. supported the shah and his SAVAK secret police for 25 years. Inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranians rose up against the shah, but the U.S. did not support their wishes: four out of five Iranians wanted an Islamic government.

Placing economic sanctions on Iran in 1979, the U.S. supported Iraqi dictator Saddam in his war on Iran, ignored Saddams use of chemical WMD, and downed an Iranian passenger jet killing 290 people.

Yet, Iran was one of the few Muslim-majority nations that showed empathy for the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks. Iran aided the U.S. in defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan, only to have George W. Bush name Iran among the axis of evil.

Claiming that Saddam still possessed WMD, the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of refugees, many of whom Iran absorbed.

For a decade, the U.S. has pushed for military strikes based on false claims about Irans civilian nuclear program. Now, once again we are hearing about how Irans senior leadership continues to threaten the United States and our allies.

It would seem that, on the contrary, U.S. senior leadership continues to threaten Iran and her allies.

Yuram Abdullah Weiler

Las Cruces

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Letters: US leaders threaten Iran - Las Cruces Sun-News