Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That's exactly right. You actually saw a double-digit percentage increase in the Revolutionary Guards' budget right after the joint comprehensive plan of action was agreed to. There's no better indication of the regime's priorities than looking at its formal budget, which showed

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The answer is implicit in your question. The reality is we do deal with our enemies as well as our friends, but we should deal with our enemies with a clear-eyed view of the nature and gravity of the Iranian regime threat. The Canadian government and allied governments have a ran

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you very much. Chairman Levitt, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify. It's a really great honour to be testifying with Payam, whose courageous work I greatly admire. I applaud the committee for holding Iran to account for its poor h

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. That's a great practical question. I think the fundamental problem here is that the administration is going to unwind the sanctions regime, and the U.S. sanctions regime—the economic sanctions, the sanctions that are most punishing to the regime—are essentially nuclea

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Professor Cotler, I would add just one other idea. It may not be a good one, but in addition to adopting Iranian political prisoners, there should be a program of scorning Iranian political abusers. I think Ali and Mark's point is exactly right, that it's about the names and face

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think the end of your question is where I'd like to start. I think the pressure on Iran, in general—both its regional activity and its domestic oppression—will ease because this will move from the front page to the back page. This will no longer be the priority, certainly, of

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Certainly an element of sanctions-busting has been taking place even during the height of the sanctions pressure. But fundamentally, in 2013 the U.S. government made a strategic decision. Prior to that, particularly for about 18 months, the Iranian economy was under severe pressu

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Chairman Reid. Just in terms of a time check, Chairman Reid, how long would you like my testimony to go, just to give members an opportunity?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Okay, I will keep it to 10 minutes. Chairman Reid and honourable members of the committee, thank you for inviting me again to testify. It's a great pleasure to be testifying with two of my colleagues from Washington, Mark and Ali. I think they've done a tremendous job in laying

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would just add to that, sir. I grew up in South Africa, actually in South Africa under apartheid, and the argument was made that sanctions against South Africa would be disproportionately felt by black South Africans in the townships of Soweto, while white South Africans comfor

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, I think that's what you were getting at. You were getting at whether Iranians are actually forced to join the Revolutionary Guards or whether it is—

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, I'll let Ali talk to this because he's a Revolutionary Guards expert.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would add to that, clearly entering the Revolutionary Guards is your ticket to upward mobility, particularly given the Revolutionary Guards' increasing control of the Iranian economy. Based on our assessment of the Iranian economy, at least half to two-thirds of the entire Iran

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Well, the joint plan of action seems to be one of those agreements that's in the eye of the beholder. It's being interpreted very differently by the U.S. government and its P5+1 allies on the one hand, and in the Iranian government on the other. It is clear from the public stat

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Well, the U.S. administration will claim that they have yet to unwind the sanctions, that they've provided only limited direct sanctions relief in a few key areas. I think those key areas with respect to oil shipments, petrochemicals, auto parts and the release of about $4 billio