The world must return to a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran to encourage it to become a more democratic state, the incoming U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, told an Iranian opposition event in Paris, Reuters reports.
The new administration of Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, plans to restore the approach of his previous term, which aimed to collapse Iran's economy and force the country to negotiate over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its regional actions.
"This pressure should not only be military, but also economic and diplomatic," Kellogg told an audience at the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). "We need to take advantage of the weakness that we see now. There is hope, but action must follow.”
The event was held at the NCRI headquarters in Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, and included a speech by NCRI President Maryam Rajavi. She said the regional balance of power no longer favors the Iranian leadership, especially after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the losses of Iran’s main ally, Hezbollah, in the war with Israel.
“It is time for Western governments to abandon their old policies and stand with the Iranian people,” Rajavi urged.