Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper believes the world should shun the Iranian regime’s incoming president.
Speaking at a virtual sitting of the Free Iran World Summit, Harper said Ebrahim Raisi’s election is further evidence of the regime’s disregard for human rights.
“Ebrahim Raisi is a criminal, guilty of crimes against humanity. He is a living symbol of the folly of trying to appease (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s) regime,” Harper said.
The former Prime Minister believes the global community should be wary about any communication with the regime under Raisi’s leadership.
“Shame on any government in the world that would sit down and try to negotiate anything with an administration led by Ebrahim Raisi.”
In his speech, Harper said he believes the election of Raisi will embolden extremist forces and is an attempt to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
“All pretenses of a so-called moderate candidacy were dispensed with,” said Harper. “The government I led was never fooled by the supposed existence of a phantom moderate faction.”
While the Iranian nuclear deal was scrapped by former US President Donald Trump, the Biden administration has made a return to the deal one of his top foreign policy priorities.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated in the past that his government would support the controversial agreement.
Canada’s 22nd prime minister joins a number of experts who are sounding the alarm about Iran’s new leader.
In June, True North’s Candice Malcolm wrote that Iran elected a mass murderer as its President, citing Raisi’s position within the government’s Death Commission in 1988 led to the massacre of thousands of political prisoners.
“Most officials in the Iranian regime have blood on their hands. Iran operates a strict Islamist theocracy that routinely puts to death political dissidents, gay men and women, religious minorities, peaceful protesters and even teenagers,” Malcolm wrote.
“But few Iranian officials have as much blood on their hands as Raisi.”
