Forty members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) wrote a letter to PACE president Rik Daems calling for a complete change of behavior toward the Islamic Republic and the trial and expulsion of “intelligence mercenaries” of the regime of Iran who work under the diplomatic and media cover in Europe.

Referring to the recently revealed terrorist ring led by Assadollah Assadi an Iranian diplomat stationed in Austria and arrested by Germany for leading a plot to bomb an opposition rally in France, the letter says: This undeniable evidence calls for a review of policy toward Iran in all areas. Europe must hold Javad Zarif accountable for his diplomat’s terrorist act.

The signatories also recount the Islamic Republic’s repeated acts of violent domestic suppression, violations of human rights, and terrorist activities abroad, and express concern about the continued torture of prisoners and execution of peaceful young protesters of November 2019.

“For four decades, the Iranian regime has been brutally oppressing its people and while they have been indiscriminate in stripping citizens of their every individual and social rights, women, youth and minorities have faced the most oppression,” the letter states.

The letter also mentions the regime’s history of arresting dual citizens and using them as hostages for negotiations. It also argues that the “domestic policy of repression and exporting terrorism and fundamentalism abroad have been the foundation of Iran’s survival strategy for decades, with the latter having been supported by Iran’s embassies in Europe.”

The signatories conclude the letter by condemning “any policy of appeasement and concessions to the Iranian regime,” and calling for “serious and effective measures”, including:

• To condition any economic and trade relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran contingent on the improvement of the human rights situation in Iran and an end to the regime's terrorism on European soil.
• In accordance with a statement by the Council of the European Union dated April 29, 1997, agents and mercenaries of Iran's intelligence services with diplomatic, journalistic, and economic cover should be tried, punished, and expelled, and centers with a religious or cultural cover promoting terrorism and fundamentalism should be closed. Granting asylum and citizenship to MOIS agents and mercenaries should be a red line.