Date: Thursday, December 19, 2019
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer, Director

Pompeo Takes On Iran

I was honored this morning to hear firsthand an important speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as the Trump Administration continues to tighten the screws on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Pompeo delivered a scathing indictment of the Iranian regime for its continued violations of human rights. In particular, he emphasized the persecution of Christians, Jews and other religious minorities in Iran.

The State Department auditorium was packed. As you may know, there is a large diaspora of Iranians in the United States who have escaped the ayatollah's regime. There were many Iranians in the audience today who cheered Secretary Pompeo's tough remarks.

Pompeo also announced additional sanctions, including visa restrictions on the Iranian officials responsible for the brutal crackdown against anti-government demonstrators.

The secretary's speech come on the heels of the United Nations General Assembly passing a resolution condemning Iran's human rights violations.

As a Trump-appointed commissioner on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, I am well aware of Iran's egregious human rights record. It is listed as a "Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern," the worst ranking a nation can receive from the Commission. When it comes to religious persecution, Iran is just as bad as China, North Korea and Sudan.

Here's one very minor example: Earlier this week, the ayatollah praised a notorious French Holocaust denier and declared that, "The fight against the Zionists is a Divine duty."

That's the message the supreme leader is sending throughout his regime. Khamenei routinely denies the first Holocaust, while he promises a second Holocaust through the "annihilation" of the Jewish state.

Craft Shines A Bright Light

Yesterday, U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft delivered a tremendous address, full of Chanukah imagery, before the United Nations Security Council. As the Council was holding its regular Middle East briefing, Craft noted how the U.N. never addresses violence from Gaza. Here are some excerpts of her remarks.

"In this season of lights, it is important for this Council to take stock of those things that we see clearly, and those things we fail to see. And what I must note, yet again, is how this Council seems either unwilling or unable to see the reality that Israelis live in constant fear of attack. In place of recognizing this reality, the Council tolerates an endless string of condemnations of Israel. But I will not stand for this. . . Israel has no better friend than Kelly Craft. . .

"Lest we dismiss rocket fire as something other than an act of violence, we should recall that millions of Israelis live under the threat of attack each and every day. . . During these kinds of attacks, Israelis can't leave their homes. So they don't. During these kinds of attacks, it is impossible to go about a normal life. So they don't. . .

"This constant threat of attack is the painful reality of daily life for hundreds of thousands of people – for Israelis and Palestinians. It is the continued threat of such violence to so many that precludes the possibility of lasting peace. . . So I must ask: Will this Council also condemn them? Will this Council even take them seriously?

"While Israel's poor treatment in the UN venues is now so commonplace as to become unremarkable, what truly is remarkable is the resilience of the people of Israel. Because despite living among the echoes of rocket fire, the people of Israel promote and defend freedom. They build universities, they win Nobel prizes, and conduct innovative research.

"Israel is a gleaming light for the world. Is it to be condemned? No. It is to be emulated.

"It is this spirit of determination, of resilience in the face of threat, that keeps alive the hope for a peaceful solution. . . Thus, colleagues, I say to you when our tasks ahead are difficult and the political world is dark, let us be the ones to bring the candles to illuminate the way."