Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), The Iranian regime does not solely advance its warmongering through employing a radical force like Hamas, or Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen, with millions of dollars in payments and logistical support such as building missile and ammunition factories and hundreds of kilometers of intricate tunnels.
A war that has left tens of thousands of dead in the Middle East, especially among children.
This medieval regime cannot spend a moment without oppression within its borders and war and bloodshed outside them. However, to push its belligerent policy, which is part of its survival strategy, it does not only rely on creating and employing radical forces.
Instead, it tries to influence policymaking in various European and American media and decision-making institutions, preventing the halt of the massacre of the Iranian people, its warmongering, or the construction of a nuclear bomb.
Advocates of appeasement also leave the field open for the Iranian regime due to despicable economic interests, while at the same time strongly condemning the wave of executions! Recently, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Ali Vaez, a so-called Iran expert, said that if we put too much pressure on the Iranian regime because of the devastating war in the Middle East, this regime would move further towards building a nuclear bomb.
Ali Vaez works within the Brussels-based Crisis Group, one of the few think tanks that have close relations with the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The Iran Influence Network
Recently, a large number of emails discovered by two media outlets, the American Semafor, and the Farsi-language Iran International TV broadcast, show that Tehran’s cooperation with the Crisis Group was formed through the Center for Iranian Studies affiliated with the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
These emails show that in the years 2013 and 2014, Crisis Group analysts were promoting the positions of the Iranian government, even when they contradicted the positions of the Obama administration. These emails reveal that the two had signed an agreement that was never made public.
These documents will demonstrate that the Crisis Group has played a significant role in nuclear negotiations and the lifting of sanctions on Iran for nearly a decade, consistently making recommendations to the Obama, Biden, and Trump administrations.
In their investigative report published in October, Semafor and Iran International clarified that Ali Vaez and his colleague Dina Esfandiary were part of an influence network formed and directed by Tehran. Reports show that in 2013, a network of analysts outside Iran was formed under the title “Iran Experts Plan” to increase Iran’s influence on the political scene.
Although Vaez has defended his presence in this network, calling the group informal, memoirs of [Iran’s Foreign Minister] Zarif and documents from the Iranian Foreign Ministry show how Tehran has benefited from members of this network and the Crisis Group to advance its nuclear diplomacy.
According to the obtained documents, initial negotiations between the Crisis Group and the Political Studies Center began in 2013. At that time, Robert Malley was responsible for the Middle East and North Africa at the Crisis Group.
Emails show that Malley was able to go to Iran for the first time through network connections. In 2014, Malley entered the Obama administration to advance nuclear negotiations with Iran. Documents show that while Malley was in the Obama administration, he continued to use Vaez to send messages to Iran.
Malley became the president and CEO of the Crisis Group in 2017 and was appointed as Biden’s special envoy in Iran in 2020. However, following recent investigations into him, his security clearance was revoked. The reason has not yet been announced, but did his relationships with Iran go beyond official and turn him into an Iranian regime pawn? No one knows, but the sudden cessation of his duties fuels such speculations.
Despite these revelations, Vaez still presents himself as a proponent of the Iranian regime’s narrative on the Middle East crisis and the nuclear program. He has gone to the White House at least nine times last year to discuss Middle East and Iran issues with relevant officials.
The time has come for Europe and America to pay attention to the Iranian people and their unequivocal demand to overthrow this regime, instead of investing in the illusionary equation that by giving concessions, the regime will come to its senses and stop domestic suppression, warmongering, terrorism, and the nuclear program. The only guarantee for peace and stability in the region, free from war, bloodshed, and an arms race, is a democratic, secular, and republican Iran—an outcome that the Iranian people are determined to achieve.
Opinions expressed in the op-ed section are solely those of the individual author and do not represent the official stance of our newspaper. We believe in providing a platform for a wide range of voices and perspectives, even those that may challenge or differ from our own. As always, we remain committed to providing our readers with high-quality, fair, and balanced journalism. Thank you for your continued support.Sincerely, The Brussels Morning Team
