Lawmakers urge Biden to push Iranian regime on rights abuses, amid bipartisan support for resolution

close

Video

Joe Biden's Push to Revive the Iran Nuclear Deal

Paul Gigot interviews General Jack Keane.

Two lawmakers have written to President Biden urging him to place human rights, and holding human rights abusers accountable, at the center of his Iran policy -- just as a resolution backing a secular and democratic Iran has picked up majority support in the House.

The resolution, introduced by Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and Brad Sherman, D-Calif., backs "the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran" and condemns "violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government."

BIPARTISAN HOUSE RESOLUTION BACKS PUSH FOR A DEMOCRATIC IRAN, CONDEMNS REGIME'S TERROR PLOTS

It is similar to a resolution introduced last year which also picked up majority support in the House. Introduced in February, it now has more than 220 co-sponsors across the political spectrum, meaning it has majority support.

Sherman and McClintock wrote to Biden, touting the resolution and urging him to keep human rights a central part of the policy toward Tehran.

"We believe this resolution deserves the attention of your administration because it emphasizes three important pillars, all of which should play a central role in your administration’s policy towards Iran: democracy, human rights, and holding human rights abusers accountable," the lawmakers write.

Both the resolution and the letter note "egregious" human rights violations by the theocratic regime currently in control in Tehran -- including the deaths of more than 1,000 protesters in anti-government protests.

The resolution is backed by Iranian dissident groups, such as the Organization of America-Iranian Communities and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) -- whose leader’s 10 point plan is explicitly backed in the resolution. NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi backed the resolution and warned against making concessions to the regime.

"Experience has shown that no amount of political and economic concessions will change the behavior of the regime," she said. "On the contrary, it will only embolden the mullahs to continue suppressing the Iranian people, terrorism and warmongering, and pursuing nuclear weapons."

IRAN'S LONG HISTORY OF TERROR AND AGGRESSION

In response to the letter, a senior administration official told Fox News that the Biden administration will "continue to call out and stand up to Iran’s human rights abuses, which include large-scale arbitrary or unlawful detention of individuals, some of whom have faced torture and execution after unfair trials."

IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS JOHN KERRY TOLD HIM ABOUT ISRAELI COVERT OPERATIONS IN SYRIA

The official also said the administration will continue to maintain sanctions on Iranian entities perpetuating human rights abuses and use "all appropriate tools" to promote accountability for those engaging in human rights abuses, and to hold Iran accountable. 

The resolution comes as talks are underway in Vienna to bring the U.S. and Iran back into the Iranian nuclear deal -- from which the Trump administration withdrew in 2018, in favor of a "maximum pressure" campaign that reimposed waves of sanctions on Iran.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Biden administration has looked to re-enter the accord, while ending a push to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Tehran -- which has drawn criticism from former Trump administration officials.

Meanwhile, former Secretary of State John Kerry, who is now serving as a climate envoy in the administration, is facing criticism over allegations he shared information about Israeli operations in Syria with the Iranian foreign minister -- allegations that Kerry has described as "unequivocally false."