Iran at a crossroads: Advocating resistance and democracy in 2025

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On Saturday, January 11, a conference on a new policy toward the Iranian regime was held in Paris. The speakers highlighted the devastating consequences of appeasing the mullahs’ regime and emphasized the necessity of supporting the Iranian people and their resistance as a crucial part of a sound policy.

At the start of the conference, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated, “Today, the balance of power in the region has shifted against the regime. The foundation of the mullahs’ blackmail diplomacy on the international stage and their efforts to preserve the policy of appeasement have largely decreased… Khamenei and his IRGC were unable to preserve the Syrian dictatorship, and they certainly cannot preserve their regime in the face of organized resistance and uprising. The regime will be overthrown… Unfortunately, over the past three decades, when the regime was on the brink, Western governments sided with the mullahs… This policy led to the spread of fundamentalism and warmongering in the region, under Tehran’s direction. It also encouraged the mullahs to pursue their nuclear weapons program.”

 

Key highlights from the speeches of prominent leaders and officials at the conference offer a concise summary of the discussions. These speakers included:

Gen. James Jones, former U.S. National Security Advisor; Liz Truss, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; John Bercow, former Speaker of the UK Parliament; Janez Janša, former Prime Minister of Slovenia; Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister of Ukraine; General Tod Wolters, former NATO Commander and Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe; David Jones, former UK Minister; Gen. Keith Kellogg, former National Security Advisor to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, and Ola Elvestuen, former Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway:

Liz Truss described 2025 as “a critical year in our history” and “a real opportunity for change.” She elaborated: “And what does that mean? Well, first of all, it means a brighter future for the people of Iran without the appalling despotic leadership of this country that we have now… I congratulate Mrs. Rajavi and her movement on what they have done to put pressure internally on the appalling, oppressive regime in Iran… We, in Europe and America, have to do all we can to follow through, to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, to stop Iran destabilizing the Middle East, and to do all we can to back the people of Iran in their quest for freedom and democracy… Now, of course, we would all love to see the despotic regime of Iran go, but this pressure cannot come from outside. We can support it outside, but it has to come from the people of Iran themselves. And what is important is that the West, Europe, the United States don’t see the regime as inevitable, they don’t see the regime as a fact of life.”

 

John Bercow said: “This is the alternative: The existence of over a four-and-a-half-decade-long established resistance force, characterized by its commitment to democracy, to pluralism, to justice, to the rule of law, to environmental propriety, to equality for women, for a secular state, for the abolition of the death penalty, and indeed for a changed constitution and a non-nuclear state… by virtue of its track record of selfless and sacrificial resistance, it is hugely experienced, hugely learned, hugely well organized… [The resistance units] spring out of, they come from, they are interwoven with the Iranian society because they are part of the country… So, we stand together we stand together, we stand in opposition to dictatorship be it of the autocratic age of the shah or of today’s mullahs.”

 

General James Jones, former U.S. National Security Advisor, pointed out, “This year alone, close to a 1000 people have already been executed, the highest number in over three decades… Shockingly, 695 of those executions, nearly 70%, occurred under the so-called moderate president, Masoud Pezeshkian’s tenure. But here’s what the regime doesn’t understand. Repression cannot extinguish the flames of resistance. In fact, it encourages all of us to even be more resolute in the downfall of the regime. Amid this brutal crackdown, MEK affiliated Resistance Units have risen across Iran.”

 

General Keith Kellogg, former National Security Advisor to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, stated, ” We understand the global threat of an Iran, and especially the nuclear Iran. The question is, how do you achieve the objectives of a more democratic and a freer government… For the United States, a policy of maximum pressure must be reinstated, and it must be reinstated with the help of the rest of the globe, and that includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy… The Ten-Point Plan for the future of Iran ensures a clear transitional plan path to a more friendly, stable, non-belligerent, and a non-nuclear Iran. That needs to be the near term goal for all of us in this room.”

General Tod Wolters, former NATO Commander and Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe, said, ” The regime’s nefariousness has existed for far too long, and all of you for four decades plus have given your blood, sweat, and tears to correct it… Madam Rajavi has been very clear in setting the conditions. We have a comprehensive six month plan, and we have a set of milestones that take us to the next two years and tell us what we need to do with each passing moment… I think all of us would agree that we are ready, and 2025 is going to be a transformative year for the great citizens that represent a free and democratic Iran.”

Former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša emphasized the necessity of recognizing the NCRI as the legitimate democratic alternative to the Iranian regime. “The people of Iran deserve democracy, freedom, and the protection of human rights,” he stated, criticizing Europe’s previous engagement strategies as failures. “It is time to transition from engagement to firmness,” he declared, advocating for sanctions and the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Janša warned against repeating historical mistakes, saying, “Unpunished evil always returns.” He praised the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan as “a clear path to a democratic Iran,” and urged the international community to support the Iranian Resistance. “Change in Iran is inevitable, and the NCRI is the key to achieving it,” he concluded.

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko drew parallels between Iran’s fight for freedom and Ukraine’s resistance against tyranny. “The Iranian regime is one of the gravest threats to global stability,” she stated, highlighting its role in supporting terrorism and repression. Tymoshenko praised the courage of Iranian women leading protests, calling them “the heart of the movement for change.”

She urged the international community to act decisively, emphasizing, “The Iranian people are not asking for military intervention but for moral and political support.” Tymoshenko called for sanctions and the recognition of the NCRI as the legitimate voice of the Iranian people. “The fall of the Iranian regime is inevitable, and it will mark a turning point for global peace and stability,” she said.

David Jones, former UK Minister, expressed optimism for Iran’s future, citing recent geopolitical shifts. “The events of the past year, especially the fall of Bashar al-Assad, signify a turning point for the regime in Tehran,” he noted. Jones described Assad’s overthrow as a “pivotal loss” for the Iranian regime, undermining its regional influence and support for Hezbollah.

“The collapse of the IRGC’s intervention in Syria highlights the vulnerability of the regime,” he said, adding that it “sends a strong message to those within Iran who wish to restore democratic institutions.” He also condemned the regime’s domestic brutality, citing nearly 1,000 executions in 2024 under President Masoud Pezeshkian. Despite these challenges, Jones highlighted the resilience of the Iranian people and the determination of the Resistance Units. “The Iranian Resistance seeks no financial or military support—only recognition of the Iranian people’s right to remove the regime,” he explained.

Ola Elvestuen, former Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment, addressed the Iranian regime’s defamation campaign against the NCRI, calling it a clear sign of its fear of organized resistance. “Tehran’s fear of the NCRI is evident through its persistent demonization,” he explained.

Elvestuen highlighted the regime’s attempts to portray the opposition as fragmented to undermine its credibility. “The regime wants to paint a picture of disunity to confuse parliamentarians and the public,” he said. He called for global acknowledgment of the NCRI’s legitimacy, stressing that “sanctions alone are not enough.”

“The international community must recognize and engage with the true agents of change—the Iranian people and their organized resistance,” Elvestuen urged, praising the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan as “a blueprint for a free and democratic Iran.” He concluded, “A free and democratic Iran is not only within reach but essential for stability in the Middle East and beyond.”

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