Iranian opposition group declares all acts of current government void

April 8, 2005

In a document dated March 30, 2005 by a group calling itself "the 70 million people of Iran," a declaration was issued asking the current government of The Islamic Republic of Iran to "...peacefully surrender the power to its rightful owners..." by June 16 of this year. The group's relationship to political parties in Iran is not known.

The document addresses the Supreme Leader Khamenei, Chairman Akbar Rafsanjani of the Expediency Council, and President Khatami, and enumerates the group's grievances against the regime. It threatens boycotts and blackouts throughout Iran on June 10 if there are no indications the regime intends to comply with its demands. Copies of the document have been furnished to the leaders of the EU, Russia, Japan and the United States.

The group alleges that elections that regularly take place in Iran are biased:, writing "Your own meaningless and rigged elections will be your undoing," but does not seem to propose constitutional changes. It uses words suggesting they plan to use violence, including extrajudicial execution, against the reformist president Mohammad Khatami and against the conservatives who dominate parliament: "Beginning on June 18 and every day thereafter, we shall strike like a furious flood to cleanse our nation from your filthy existence. ...if you have been so foolish to stay behind, you will experience our rage. Retribution will be swift for those who stay behind and stand in our way."

A separate document to the leaders of the G8 nations asks for their support, and promises armed resistance to the current government of Iran on June 18, 2005 if peaceful remonstrances fail to have their intended effect.

The source for the translation and dissemination of the documents into English, French and German calls itself the Iran of Tomorrow Movement (IOTM), an exile group operating from Encino, California in the United States. The group claims there are "2,195 resistance cells" operating in Iran and abroad.