By John Irish
PARIS (Reuters) – The world must return to a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran to make it a more democratic country, said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg (NYSE:) , at an Iranian opposition event in Paris. on Saturday.
Trump has promised to return to the policy he pursued in his previous term, which sought to ruin Iran’s economy to force the country to negotiate an agreement on its nuclear program, its ballistic missile program and its regional activities.
“These pressures are not just kinetic, not even military, but they must also be economic and diplomatic,” retired Lt. Gen. Kellogg, who will serve as Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told the audience in Paris. Iranian opposition group based in the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
He said there was an opportunity to “change Iran for the better,” but that this opportunity would not last forever.
“We must exploit the weakness we see now. The hope is there, so must the action.”
He has previously spoken at NCRI events, most recently in November, but his presence in Paris, albeit in a personal capacity, suggests the group has the ear of the new US administration.
Kellogg postponed a trip to European capitals earlier this month until after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
It was unclear whether he would use his trip to Paris to meet with French officials to discuss Ukraine. The French presidency, the Foreign Ministry and Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Incoming US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also spoken at NCRI events in the past. The group has repeatedly called for the fall of existing Iranian authorities, although it is unclear how much support it has within Iran.
Speaking at the start of the event in Auvers-sur-Oise, the group’s headquarters outside Paris, NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi said the regional balance of power had tilted against Iran’s leadership under President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. and the “crushing blow” suffered by its most important ally, Hezbollah, is its war with Israel.
“It is time for Western governments to abandon their past policies and this time support the Iranian people,” he said.
The NCRI, the political arm of the People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran (PMOI), has held frequent rallies in France, often attended by high-profile former US, European and Arab officials critical of the Islamic Republic.