Rome, July 17, 2026 — Sir Liam Fox, former United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defense and for International Trade, delivered a sharp condemnation of the Iranian theocracy and Western policies of appeasement, insisting that only regime change can resolve the crisis.
Addressing the conference “Iran Beyond War, the Power of the People,” Fox argued that the regime is entirely unreformable and that seeking middle-ground compromise is a dangerous illusion. “There is only one single solution to the Iranian problem, and that is regime change,” he stated firmly. He criticized historical policies such as the 2015 JCPOA.
Speaking directly to NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi, Fox praised the principles she has outlined for a free Iran and rejected all forms of dictatorship. “Only the Iranian people can establish a democratic republic free from the twin oppressions, the oppressions of the mullahs and the oppressions of monarchs, and Iran must be free from both,” he declared.
Underscoring that freedom must come from the Iranian people themselves, he said: “Madame Rajavi, as I said when we were in Paris, freedom does not fall from the skies. It never has. Freedom comes from the ground up.
It always has.” Fox urged the international community to prepare economic and political support for a liberated Iran while affirming that the ultimate triumph belongs to the Iranian people.
