An Iranian diplomat accused of plotting to blow up a meeting with Iranian dissidents in Paris was convicted on Thursday and sentenced to 20 years in prison. It is a black eye for Tehran because it wants to promote international relations in Europe and in Washington.
Assadollah Assadi, a diplomat in Vienna who denies the charges, was convicted and sentenced for his role in mastering the conspiracy in 2018. His defense team said he would appeal. Three other accused were also convicted.
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The plot targeted the 2018 meeting of the National Resistance Council of Iran (NCRI) in Paris – an annual meeting in which speakers, including Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, will see. The NCRI is the main opposition to the regime in Iran and an umbrella group of Iranian resistance groups.
Prosecutors allege that the plot came from the highest levels of the Iranian government. Iran has repeatedly denied responsibility for the plot.
Prosecutors identified Assadi as the alleged ‘operational commander’ of the planned attack and accused him of recruiting a couple to deliver the bomb. Assadi allegedly carried the explosives on a commercial flight to Austria and handed them the bomb in Luxembourg. The verdict states that the explosive was manufactured and tested in Iran.
NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi told Fox News in an interview that the plot was planned and approved by officials – including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani – and said the trial showed that she was a “” installment policy “. “encouraged the leaders.
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People demonstrate while holding photos of Maryam Rajavi, leader of Iran’s National Resistance Council, during the trial of four people, including an Iranian diplomat and a Belgian-Iranian couple, in the courthouse in Antwerp, Belgium, on Thursday, February 4, 2021. (AP Photo / Virginia Mayo)
“The message of this trial to the world is that no degree of economic or political concessions is sufficient to change the regime’s behavior. Terrorism is part of the regime’s DNA, and all its factions benefit from it. Terrorism is part of the regime’s survival strategy, “said Rajavi, who was believed to be the target of the conspiracy.
Following the ruling, Rajavi called on European countries to respond to the plot – one of a number allegedly ordered by the regime.
“The time has come for the European Union to take action. Silence and inaction under what pretext will only encourage the government of the mullahs to continue its crimes and terrorism,” she said.
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Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, condemned the court rulings, saying Iran did not recognize the sentence because it considered the Belgian proceedings against Assadi illegal. The court dismissed those claims.
It remains to be seen what effect the conviction will have on Iranian diplomatic efforts in Europe and in the US. It was hoped that, with a new government in Washington, he would be able to renew ties with the US and provide support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
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The Trump administration has pursued a “maximum pressure” policy towards Iran – withdrawing from the agreement and reinstating waves of sanctions against Iran, as well as top general Qassem Soleimani in a strike last year.
The Biden government has promised to reintroduce the 2015 agreement, and Iran has expressed hope that Washington will withdraw the sanctions imposed by the previous government.