The Cradle, October 25, 2022 — The reformists headed by Behzad Nabavi said that they ‘cannot align themselves with street protests who call for regime change’.
Iranian reformist groups reject calls for a government change in the country’s ongoing protests, a leading reformist figure said on 25 October.
“We cannot align ourselves with street protesters who call for regime change; we reject their slogans,” Behzad Nabavi, head of the Iranian Reformist Front, told the Iranian daily Hammihan.
Nabavi compared the regime to a building, saying, “We don’t want to blow up the building. Rather, we want to repair the building itself and correct its flaws, which we know is a very difficult and costly task.”
The Iranian reformists headed by Nabavi are Iran’s leading reformist coalition, made up of 27 reformist groups.
“Iran’s reformists are opposed to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and insist that gradual reforms from within the system are the best way forward”, Alarabiya News reported.
Meanwhile, on 17 October, the EU prepared to implement further sanctions on Iran, over alleged human rights violations during its crackdown on nationwide protests, and its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Several EU ministers are set to freeze assets and impose travel restrictions on 15 Iranian nationals involved in Tehran’s crackdown on the riots sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters that Berlin is set to launch an extra sanction package against Iran and hold those accountable for their crimes, further adding that the Morality Police will also be heavily sanctioned by the EU.
She additionally warned that this new round of sanctions will not be limited to blacklisting only a few individuals, should Tehran’s involvement in the war in Ukraine be proven.
Two days prior, it was announced that EU foreign ministers are set to discuss future sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran over its drone deliveries to Russia.
Iran reportedly sent a letter to EU diplomats, urging them to abandon sanctions against Tehran, warning them that the survival of Iran-EU relations hangs in the balance.
“If Europe misses taking the nuances of the current situation into consideration, the ramifications will be grave and the bilateral relations may not survive it,” a letter sent to a group of EU ambassadors reads, according to Politico.