US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received a letter 111 Iranian political, human rights, press and activists’ organizations.

:: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received a letter 111 Iranian political, human rights, press and activists’ organizations support his remarks on the peaceful regime change in Tehran.

In their letter, the signatories confirmed that, “the Iranians are looking for a free and democratic country.” The letter was published by the London-based Kayhan newspaper quoting the daily Research and Analysis website.

In his speech in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives nearly three weeks ago, Tillerson said that the US policy towards Iran aims to “defeat the Iranian hegemony and thwart its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and support members within Iran for a peaceful transition of regime.”

The Iranian signatories of different communities, including Persians, Turks, Kurds and Arabs, said that during their mass protests in 2009, which coincided with Barack Obama’s presidency, the Iranians asked for democracy and respect of human rights standards. Their voice was heard all around the world, including the United States; however, they lost hope after being ignored by the world and they were then subjected to severe repression by the Iranian regime.

The letter stated that “Iranian citizens have been suffering for four decades from the regime of Iran, where millions have been forced to leave their country and seek refuge abroad. Thousands have been executed in public and thousands are still in prison.”

They added that “the Iranian regime is still developing its ballistic missile programs and continues to support terrorist organizations throughout the world to destabilize the Middle East.”

The Iranian parties and organizations addressed the US secretary of State saying: “Your recent statements about the need for a peaceful change in Iran and the transition into a free and democratic country have resuscitated the hope in the hearts of millions of Iranians.”