Washington Examiner: Amid Iran's 2016 elections, our visas: denied
Op-ed by Congressman Mike Pompeo
As we witness real debate and democracy in our own presidential election, an important election that is rigged against democracy and freedom is happening in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today, millions of Iranians will vote for the Majlis — their parliament — and the Assembly of Experts — their clerical council. Sadly, Iran's elections are far from free, with the ayatollah and his crony clerics having disqualified 99 percent of the reformist candidates, thousands of individuals, he did not like. Also sadly, the Obama administration's policy toward Iran is tacit approval of this farce election.
Ironically, instead of empowering Iranian reformers, those who are less enamored with radical Islamic teachings, President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran has emboldened the most radical Shia Islamist elements in the country. The regime is now flush with cash and closer to a nuclear weapon, weakening any chance for real democracy. In banning multiple political parties, requiring extensive vetting of all candidates, and barring well-known figures, such as Khomeini's grandson, from running for office, it is clear how the radicals' grip on the country has tightened. This runs counter to the will of the Iranian people. Just this week, the ayatollah said he was confident that his countrymen would choose anti-Western candidates.
Given the significance of this election, and the need for at least some Americans to stand up for U.S. interests, Congressmen Lee Zeldin (N.Y), Congressman Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), and I recently applied for visas to travel to Iran. However, the Iranians have ignored our simple request. Perhaps they have too much to hide.
Unfortunately, history is repeating itself. In 2009, U.S. government deference to the Iranian dictatorship allowed the regime to crush hundreds of thousands of its citizens marching for democracy. President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both turned a blind eye to the protestors' pleas for help, squandering a chance for a moderate government in Iran. Today, the Obama administration's desire for a nuclear deal at any cost has allowed Iran to violate U.N. Security Council Resolutions with missile tests. Even Secretary Kerry has been forced to admit that the Iranians will use some of their billions of dollars in sanctions relief to fund terrorism. While I hope for a positive future for the people of Iran, the Ayatollah has a grip on power, and means — through the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — of enforcing his fanatical will.
From the beginning, I have closely scrutinized the technical and political elements of the nuclear deal. In order to effectively hold both parties accountable, and to observe Iran's elections, my two colleagues and I delivered our visa applications to the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, D.C. We provided the Iranian diplomat there with a list of agenda items we hope to accomplish while in Iran. Our requests all pertain to important national security interests and include appointments with American hostages, visits to three nuclear facilities, and briefings on recent IRGC actions, including its detention of ten American sailors. The three of us applying are small businessmen and veterans who serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee.
For weeks, we have waited patiently for a response and have ignored unfounded political attacks by several Iranian officials in the press. Despite political cartoons and front page stories in Iranian newspapers on our visa applications, the Iranian government still missed its own, self-imposed deadline for responding to us. Thus we will not be able to observe Iran's elections firsthand, but we still hope our travel will be approved, as there are critical questions that need to be answered.
While I am disappointed with this outcome, I am not surprised, as the Iranians have rarely been honest with us. Take my experience in Vienna this summer. Along with Senator Tom Cotton (Arkansas), I uncovered the secret side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency on critical issues like the inspection of nuclear sites. Up to this point, all this information was unknown to the American people and the international community.
Defeating an adversary requires commitment and strategy. President Obama's current strategy — leaving Americans languishing as hostages, shrugging off Iran's firing of rockets at U.S. ships, ignoring its ransacking of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, and disregarding Iran's sponsorship of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah — will never be effective. It leaves our regional partners like Israel more vulnerable, and worse, it leaves the United States less safe.
Our problems with Iran are not ending, they are just beginning. Let us hope the next American president ends this horrible nuclear deal to help bring about real change.
Congressman Mike Pompeo (KS-04) graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the United States Army as a cavalry officer. In Congress, he sits on the House Permanent Selection Committee on Intelligence.