With or without deal, US must uphold commitments to Iranian dissidents

By Cols. Wesley Martin (ret.), Leo McCloskey (ret.) and Thomas Cantwell (ret.)
 
The U.S. and other key world powers concluded a controversial nuclear agreement with Iran in mid-July, which left the regime’s nuclear infrastructure in place but conceded to lifting crippling sanctions.
The administration has been widely criticized for failing to negotiate the release of American hostages held by the regime, including an American pastor, a former Marine and a journalist. The administration has claimed that this demand was a separate issue from the nuclear deal. Still, when it came to Iranian demands, it agreed to lift conventional weapons embargo and sanctions on Tehran’s missile program, which was also a non-nuclear issue.
Now, it has been revealed that the administration is also staying quiet as the Iranian regime has increased pressure on dissidents taking refuge in neighboring Iraq. For months now, nearly 2,500 Iranian political refugees residing in Camp Liberty, Iraq, have been subjected to frequent blockades by the Iraqi government and deprived of the most vital life-support needs.
On numerous occasions, including since the conclusion of nuclear weapons negotiations, the Iraqi government, acting at the behest Tehran, prevented the entry of food, fuel and other vital resources, triggering a humanitarian crisis at the decrepit camp, already beset by extensive infrastructure problems. The government only relented after intense pressure by members of the both chambers of U.S. Congress and both houses of British Parliament. 
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