Iranian opposition groups announced Saturday the launch of a new party to manage the "transitional period” and act as an alternative transitional government for Tehran's political regime.
The new party organized a two-day founding conference in central London to adopt a plan for “managing the transitional period.”
It is headed by activist opposition politician, Hassan Shariatmadari, who stressed in his opening speech the importance of working to overcome the current regime.
He called on Iranians to unify their anti-regime protests, urging them to “break restrictions” and continue to exert efforts to steer away from the current administration.
Shariatmadari addressed their concerns over the alternative for the current regime, which he said is responsible for “isolating” the Iranians and depriving them of “progress and democracy.”
“We want to be the voice for the Iranian people and help them combat the regime,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Shariatmadari said that the option to acknowledge Iranians has been forgotten by international parties, while they were busy choosing between imposing maximum pressure on Iran or waging a war.
“This option should be taken into consideration because the people are capable of overthrowing the regime if you support recognizing representatives of the Iranians and their voice,” he stressed, adding that any negotiations that do no lead to regime change will be rejected.
He said the transitional administration will manage “civil resistance and communication with the Iranians,” adding that it will also communicate with international parties through the International Contact Group in the administration.
“We want to send ambassadors of goodwill and peace to the region,” Shariatmadari revealed, stressing that talks have already begun with European and American parties.
Addressing Iran’s neighbors, he said: “There is no animosity between us. We want to coexist with you and reach economic and security cooperation in the Middle East.”
The new party is formed of ten working groups and 11 secretaries. Its managing committee is comprised of 35 activists and opposition figures, including 14 who are in Iran.
Organizers of the conference revealed the Iranian embassy in Britain had exerted diplomatic pressure on the Royal Institution of Great Britain to change the conference’s location.
Separately, the Constitutionalist Party of Iran–Liberal Democrat discussed during its annual conference the situation in Iran and the demands of the next phase, in light of the increasing popular discontent with the regime.
Secretary General, Haideh Tavackoli, said the party “seeks the best and least dangerous future for Iran as a basis for constructive cooperation with other forces, whether they agree or oppose the party’s visions and ideas.”
