(ConservativeHub.com) – The United States and Iran have had a contentious relationship going back to the Islamic Revolution, which toppled Iran’s monarchy in early 1979. Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi was declared the victor of Iran’s presidential election earlier this month, turning control of the nation over to extremists. Of particular concern is Raisi’s history of alleged involvement in mass executions.
United Nations human rights investigator Javaid Rehman expressed concern regarding the legitimacy of Iran’s election during a June 28 interview with Reuters. He also called for an independent probe into Raisi’s alleged involvement in the state-sanctioned mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.
EXCLUSIVE U.N. expert backs probe into Iran's 1988 killings, Raisi's role https://t.co/iYq42uhdpv pic.twitter.com/eDmcELPJOf
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 29, 2021
Rehman said it was high time the UN initiated an independent investigation into what happened and the role individuals like Raisi could have played in the incident. He stated that “serious concerns” about Raisi’s alleged role in those executions would surround his presidency without a thorough inquiry.
Under the direction of former President Donald Trump, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control initiated sanctions against Raisi starting in November 2019 for his role in those extra-judicial killings in 1988 and his reported involvement in other, more recent, human rights abuses.
Considering this rocky history, it’s probably safe to assume things won’t get any friendlier between Washington and Tehran in the immediate future.
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