Odious statements by the world’s despots are not new to us. For example, every manner of calumny and mistruth against Israel has been placed on the record at the United Nations. Though false, the remarks are seldom challenged, except by Israel. 

There are many reasons for diplomats, politicians and journalists to let monstrous lies pass unchallenged: fear of standing out, geopolitical considerations, the risk of jeopardizing commercial ties,ennui, laziness, ignorance or, at times, shared belief.

But when earnest, civilized individuals and countries fail to challenge deliberate mendacity, deceit merely sinks its roots deeper and deeper into the soil of moral society, poisoning and strangling what is so vital to our way of life: the courage to confront the tyrant.

Two recent examples of inexcusable silence in the face of false, self-serving and repugnant statements illustrate the point, much to our collective shame.

Ever since the P5+1 nations signed the nuclear weapons agreement with Iran, European officials have nearly fallen over each other vying to meet with their Iranian counterparts to secure business with the imminently sanctions-free country. At one such meeting last month in Tehran with the new Hungarian ambassador, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani chose to comment on the influx of Syrian refugees then massing on Hungary’s borders. 

“We are happy that some European countries made positive efforts to help refugees, and we hope other European countries that do not have this position compensate on shortcomings,” Rouhani said. The latter part of the statement was a transparent criticism of the government of Hungary for its equivocal policies toward the fleeing Syrians.

We can only imagine how the Hungarian envoy felt as he stood in the ornately decorated room, not responding to the offensively condescending disparagement aimed at him by Rouhani. For the envoy knew the truth that everyone else knows about the Syrian refugees: it is Iranian military and Iranian surrogates – Hezbollah – along with Assad’s loyalists, who have directly caused the displacement of some 11 million Syrians and more than four million of them to flee the country. Apart from the Syrian strongman himself, Iran more than any other nation on earth is responsible for the plight of the unfortunate Syrians. Iran arms, protects, props up and directs Syrian President Bashar Assad. Most experts and observers long ago concluded that Assad would have long ago been defeated, or would have long ago fled, but for the intervention of Iran on his side.

As Charles Krauthammer noted, “most of the refugees are not fleeing the Islamic State. Its depravity is more ostentatious, but it is mostly visited upon minorities, Christian and Yazidi – and they have already been largely ethnically cleansed from Islamic State territory. The European detention camps are overflowing with Syrians fleeing Assad’s barbarism, especially his attacks on civilians, using artillery, chlorine gas and nail-filled barrel bombs.”

Iran underwrites “Assad’s barbarism.” Assad openly acknowledges and pays tribute to the Iranian rulers for their assistance to him. Without Iran’s brutality and duplicity, it is safe to say, there would not be the Syrian refugee crisis that there is today. Yet Rouhani felt no personal compunction in chiding the Hungarian government’s response to the current refugee situation.

Nor did the Syrian tyrant, Assad, look embarrassed when he told Russian journalists a few weeks ago that the West was responsible for creating the refugee crisis. This was caused, he claimed, by the West’s support for “terrorists.” Wrapping himself metaphorically in the shredded flag of Syrian democracy, he insisted that he would not step down from the government. He actually claimed the support of the Syrian people. No western journalist or government official rebuked Assad for his exculpatory fantasy.

The Iran-Assad alliance has wrought murder and misery to the Syrian people. This is the simple, painful truth that no outrageous and misleading statements can obscure.