Maximum support for the Iranian people, along with maximum pressure against the Islamic Republic government

Joe Wilson announced a bipartisan plan for "maximum support for the Iranian people, along with maximum pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic."

In recent weeks, the US government has sought direct negotiations with the Iranian government over a nuclear agreement and has deployed its aircraft carriers and bombers to the Middle East to exert maximum pressure on the Iranian government, with the intention of launching a military attack on Iran if a nuclear agreement is not reached.

As options for negotiations or military intervention are on the table, Republican Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Democratic Representative Jimmy Panetta of California have introduced a bipartisan bill to the U.S. Congress that would commit the U.S. government to a coherent and effective policy to support the Islamic Republic's opponents.

Joe Wilson, presenting the plan to Congress, issued a statement saying: “The Iranian regime will fall sooner than it thinks, just as the fall of Assad in Syria happened in 12 days. These regimes are much weaker than they appear. I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan plan to provide maximum support to the Iranian people in their fight for democracy and human rights. Maximum pressure on the regime must be accompanied by maximum support from the people.”

Representative Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat from California, said in a separate statement: “The Iranian government continues to oppress its own people through internet censorship and repression. The Maximum Protection Act counters this repression by expanding internet freedom, seizing government assets to aid pro-democracy movements, and supporting the opposition. We must stand with the Iranian people.”

A special meeting on the same plan will be held next Monday, April 7, which will be jointly hosted by the National Union for Democracy in Iran and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. It should be noted that the National Union and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies played a role in drafting the plan and supported its passage in Congress.

In addition to Joe Wilson, who will speak at the event, Prince Reza Pahlavi will also participate and have a special conversation with Cliff May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. In addition to the speakers, Behnam Bentaleblou, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Kamran Khansarinia, vice president of the National League for Democracy in Iran, will examine the current situation in Iran and how to combine maximum support for the people and maximum pressure on the government.

According to the two organizations, as Iran's nuclear program escalates, its economic situation worsens, and Tehran's relationship with authoritarian governments and terrorist groups strengthens, the United States has an unprecedented opportunity to implement alternative strategies that can combine maximum support for the Iranian people with maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic's government.

The details of this bill, based on the “Maximum Support Act,” are as follows: “The Maximum Support Act is a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress designed to provide direct support to the Iranian people on their path to democracy, human rights, and a free society. In addition to the Trump administration’s maximum pressure policy on Iran, this bill emphasizes internet freedom, strategic support for democratic change, and targeted sanctions against regime officials rather than ordinary people. The bill also affirms the right of the Iranian people to determine their own destiny beyond the Islamic Republic.

According to the plan, the White House is required to present a clear and decisive strategy to support the Iranian people and appoint a special representative to coordinate the US government's actions in implementing the maximum support policy. The bipartisan plan also pays special attention to internet freedom, according to which an interagency working group should be formed with the aim of developing safe internet access for the Iranian people and providing services such as secure VPNs, satellite technology, eSIM cards and anti-spyware tools to Iranian citizens.

In addition to the above strategies, there has been much emphasis on strengthening cyber support for Iranian protesters and reforming the US Global Media Organization to improve information for Iranians and counter Iranian government propaganda. The US Global Media Organization oversees Voice of America and Radio Farda.

Another part of the bipartisan plan submitted to the US Congress states that Iranian government assets under US jurisdiction should be frozen and seized, and that these resources should be allocated to non-violent pro-democracy movements, such as supporting protesting workers and providing humanitarian aid.

In this plan, Joe Wilson and Jimmy Panetta called on the US Congress to develop a comprehensive strategy to support officials and security forces who have defected from the Islamic Republic, to establish secure communication channels for these individuals to provide information and cooperate with the US government, and to form an interagency working group to manage and verify information received from defectors from the Iranian government.

The complementary plans to increase maximum pressure on the government are as follows: "The Maximum Pressure Act to legalize and intensify the Trump administration's maximum pressure sanctions", "The Sanctions Waivers Repeal Act to prohibit the lifting of sanctions and also prohibit economic waivers", "The Iran Energy Ban Act to sanction energy exports from Iran to Iraq", "The Iranian Terrorism Prevention Act to impose additional sanctions on the Houthis and other proxy groups of the Islamic Republic", "The No Sanctions for Terrorists Act, which sets the end of the Islamic Republic's support for terrorism as the final condition for lifting sanctions", "The Stop Corruption of Oligarchs and Affiliates Act, which obliges the US government to conduct a comprehensive review of the assets of Islamic Republic officials."

The bipartisan plan also includes two other separate bills and a resolution that reads: "The No to Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act, which would require the U.S. government to develop a comprehensive strategy to confront Hezbollah in Latin America and to sanction Latin American officials who support the group."

"Also, the Iraq Liberation from Iranian Influence Act, which imposes sanctions on Islamic Republic proxy groups in Iraq and prevents these groups from accessing US financial assistance to Iraq."

And finally, the House of Representatives Resolution 139, which calls on three European countries to activate the trigger mechanism to restore all UN Security Council sanctions.