The West must set a clear path to steer through Rouhani’s second term

Tom Ridge 

As Hassan Rouhani commences his second term as president, the West must realize that he is not and has never been an agent of change in Iran. In the run-up to his election, Rouhani routinely invoked “violence and extremism” in his campaign rhetoric to bolster opposition to his leading opponent, Ebrahim Raisi, in the ongoing roleplay where the incumbent represents a more moderate approach than his acknowledged hard-line alternative. This is despite the fact that Rouhani had already demonstrated during his first term that he had no intention of challenging the violence and extremism of the clerical regime.

Gearing up for a Free Iran

Gearing up for a Free Iran

Every year in June, tens of thousands travel from across the world, descending on Paris for an annual convention hosted by The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The gathering, known as ‘Kahkeshan’ by its attendees, brings together a galaxy[1] formed by a diaspora of devoted human rights and democracy activists, hundreds of global dignitaries – ranging from Members of Parliament and Congressional Representatives, to various leaders throughout the European Union and across the Arab world – as well as, most notably, the largest opposition to the theocracy in Iran, the NCRI, together with their president-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.