Claudia Tenney Urges Biden Admin to ‘Use Every Tool at its Disposal’ to Support Iranian Protesters

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 2: Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., participates in the House Republi
Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Getty Images/ Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Joshua Klein

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) called on Congress to stand with the “brave” Iranian people following the Republican-led House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ unanimous passing of her bipartisan resolution that “commends the courageous Iranians protesting in support of their freedoms” while “condemning the Iranian regime’s violent suppression of their rights.”

Tenney, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and an outspoken voice in Congress for Iranians fighting for freedom from the repressive Islamic republic, participated in a committee markup on Wednesday where H.Con.Res.110 passed unanimously. 

Originally sponsored by Tenney and introduced in the House in September, the just-passed resolution lauds Iranian protesters while calling for accountability for the crimes committed by Iran’s security forces.

It also calls on the Biden Administration to support the protests and continue sanctioning the theocratic regime.

Some of the cosponsors of the legislation include Reps. Michael Waltz (R-FL), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and Randy Weber (R-TX).

The resolution, Tenney said, commends “the bravery, courage and resolve of the women and men of Iran, demonstrating in more than 80 cities and risking their safety to speak out against the Iranian violent regime and violent human rights abuses.”

The protests, she noted, have been raging across Iran for nearly three months, and have been increasingly met with a violent crackdown by the regime’s forces.

“Over 300 protesters have been killed by Iran security forces already, and the regime has triggered widespread internet blackouts to stop all communications and video sharing among the protesters,” she said.

Calling out the “brutal regime” of Iran for continuing to “protect the[ir?] abusers and those responsible for the abuse of these brave protesters,” Tenney explained that Tehran has been unable “to hide these horrific actions from the world.”

She also insisted during the committee that the U.S. would “continue to expose these human rights abuses and atrocities and the shameful acts for all of history.” 

While expressing support for Iranians fighting for freedom and condemning the regime’s “violent suppression of their rights,” the resolution also urges the Biden administration to “use every tool at its disposal to support the Iranian protesters.” 

“This includes sanctioning regime officials, expanding Internet access in Iran, and opposing the regime’s attempts to use facial recognition software and data for mass surveillance,” Tenney said.

  She also noted that the legislation “encourages the international community to condemn the Iranian regime’s brutality and violence against the protesters, to speak out against Iran’s repeated violations of human rights, and to impose harsh sanctions on the Iranian regime.”

Tenney concluded by vowing to continue to stand with the people of Iran “in their struggle to establish a democratic non-nuclear country where they can one day live freely and safely again.”

“It’s imperative that we continue to reveal the truth, especially here in Congress, and do everything in our power to hold this regime accountable for its malign actions against its own people and our sacred partners in the region,” she added.

On Sunday, Tenney declared she would “continue standing with the brave people of Iran as they demand their rights and freedom against a brutal theocratic regime.” 

“The world must unite and hold the regime in Iran accountable for its abhorrent actions against its people,” she wrote.

Last year, Tenney sought to assure Iranian Americans that congressional Republicans would continue to fight for oppressed Iranians in light of the Biden administration’s “mismanaged” withdrawal from Afghanistan and its far-reaching “chilling effect” which demonstrated the current administration is not “up to this challenge.”

Her latest remarks come as massive protests continue to sweep Iran following the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the Islamic theocracy’s notorious “morality police” for violating strict requirements for women to keep their heads covered in public.

Amini was reportedly abducted and killed by the force for having exposed some hair from beneath her mandatory Islamic headscarf.

As a result, women cutting off locks of hair has become an international gesture of solidarity with Amini and the other oppressed women of Iran.

Iranian officials have unconvincingly claimed she died of natural causes after the patrol stuffed her in a van and carted her off to a grim detention center. 

However, her family insists she had no life-threatening health problems. 

Since then, a slew of incidents involving abuses and even deaths at the hands of the regime have been documented amid an ongoing clampdown on protests, with clips circulating showing Iranian regime officers brutally assaulting protesters.

In October, representatives of Iran’s parliament in exile, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) claimed Iran is currently witnessing a revolution “in the making,” asserting that despite the crimes and “savagery” committed by the regime’s “suppressive forces” — including the killing and torturing of protesters during current protests against the Islamic regime by angry citizens — the Islamic Republic is no longer capable of containing the current uprising.

Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism worldwide, has long viewed the United States as a principal antagonist and has frequently accused the U.S. of inciting protesters in a bid to “destabilize” the region.

Last year, Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier-General Abolfazl Shekarchi affirmed that America is the Iranian republic’s top enemy.

Last month, the Islamic Republic’s “supreme leader” boasted of having “defeated” the United States, while assuring a crowd of supporters that their “Death to America!” chant would yet be fulfilled as a “new order” would relegate the U.S. to isolation.

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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