US Lawmakers Take Aim at Iran, Urge European Allies To Cut Ties

A bipartisan resolution introduced Wednesday in the US House of Representatives declares American support for “the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear republic of Iran” and slams the “violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government.”

The draft legislation indicates a more resolute American tone on Iran, and calls on US allies in the Europe to take action on Iran, five months after protests against the draconian regime began across the country – and were met with a brutal response.

The US, the bill reads, “stands with the people of Iran who are legitimately defending their rights for freedom against repression, and condemns the brutal killing of Iranian protesters by the Iranian regime.”

The draft urges European nations to shutter Iranian diplomatic missions and expel their envoys, asking “relevant United States Government agencies to work with European allies, including those in the Balkans where Iran has expanded its presence, to hold Iran accountable for breaching diplomatic privileges, and to call on nations to prevent the malign activities of the Iranian regime’s diplomatic missions, with the goal of closing them down and expelling its agents.”

While the draft resolution is largely symbolic, it does show that the US political system, while largely divided on multiple issues, is reaching a consensus on its approach towards Iran.