A group of US Republican and Democratic members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced a bipartisan resolution asserting American support for “the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear republic of Iran” and condemning the “violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government.”
The legislation, which comes five months after the start of protests across Iran against the regime – and Tehran’s brutal response to them – points to a less conciliatory US stance on the Islamic Republic, and urges European allies to take action.
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 US politicians, while divided on multiple issues, are reaching a consensus on the American approach to Iran.