Michel Reiss, former Director of U.S. State Department Policy Planning and Special Envoy to the Northern Ireland Peace Process, addressed the first day of the Free Iran World Summit on July 1, 2023.

Michel Reiss: I look forward to seeing you in Tehran

The full-text speech of Ambassador Michel Reiss, follows:

What a remarkable day it has been, and I can’t tell you how pleased and proud I am to be with you once again, Madame Rajavi, and everybody here in this room.

I’ve listened carefully all day to each of the speakers, and I came away with identifying three large themes.
The first theme that I heard was courage. Winston Churchill, a man who knew a little bit about struggling against tyranny, said courage was the most important of all the virtues because without it, none of the other virtues could exist.

All of the people who defied the threats and the warnings to attend this summit today, all of the people who assembled peacefully in Paris earlier today, the people in Ashraf 3, and the brave people every day protesting the regime in Iran, courage is your byword. Courage is the light that leads to a better future, and it’s inspiring.

The second theme is global support. People all over the world support what you’re doing, what you stand for. It’s not just that they oppose the tyranny in Tehran, they endorse, they share the values, Madame Rajavi, of your 10 points. That’s why you have support everywhere you look.

And the third theme, the third theme that I heard was confidence. Confidence in your inspiring leadership, confidence that with your leadership, a better day is coming soon for the people of Iran.Thank you so much.