House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has introduced a resolution supporting the anti-government protesters in Iran as thousands of demonstrators filled the streets in Tehran for a fourth consecutive day.
If approved, the resolution would formally condemn the killing of 1,500 Iranian demonstrators at the hands of government forces since November, the apparently accidental downing of a Ukrainian Airlines plane that killed all 176 people on board, and the government’s initial misleading accounts of what happened. The resolution also backs Iranian protesters demanding greater government accountability.
“This administration has made it clear that we support the Iranian people, we support freedom and democracy, and we will always stand beside those who seek it,” the California Republican said in a statement.
The largely symbolic resolution was announced amid reports of Iranian security deploying tear gas and possibly opening fire on demonstrators as tensions between Washington and Tehran reached a boiling point. The two countries came close to an all-out war after the U.S. killed a top Iranian commander and Iran retaliated with a military base in Iraq housing U.S. troops.
Despite partisan sparring over the administration’s justification for the strike on Iran’s Qassem Soleimani, the resolution is expected to receive some bipartisan support and ultimately reach the president’s desk.
“This is a pivotal moment for the Iranian people,” Mr. McCarthy said. “Congress should come together to show our support for freedom and democracy.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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