Each year, the Iranian opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), holds a rally to promote freedom and democracy in Iran.
The rally, which is often attended by hundreds of thousands of people, highlights that the only way to achieve this is through regime change by and for the people of Iran.
The Iranian people and their organized resistance have to (and will soon) overthrow the mullahs and allow the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which currently serves as the parliament in exile, to take over for a temporary period of six months to arrange free and fair elections.
In honor of the upcoming Free Iran rally on July 17, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re looking back at one of our favorite speeches from last year in the MEK’s Albanian headquarters of Ashraf 3.
This is the speech of General James Conway, a former Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, on Saturday, July 13, 2019, on the fourth day of events.
Conway’s speech focused on the future of Iran and how to “set the conditions for success”, which is something that the US military does before undertaking a mission to ensure they accomplish what they set out to. This, he said, would mean that we will see a Free Iran sooner, rather than later. There is, after all, no doubt that we will see a Free Iran.
He then addressed the people in attendance who were leading figures in their respective countries, whether they be military figures, politicians, or any other public figure. He noted that it was essential for them to give their personal support to the cause, but asked them to do more.
Conway said: “The next time the young people of Iran go to the streets. I would ask you I would ask you to use your influence, your name, your positions, to ensure that your government responds quickly in an endorsement to those young people who are potentially sacrificing their lives.”
He explained that the regime was under a great deal of stress at the time, both domestically and internationally. If anything, that has only increased by now.
He said: “They will be more violent than ever before when they have the uprisings in the streets. And those young people will be checking their devices twice a day to see which nations have expressed their support. So, it’s absolutely critical in my mind, in fact, you may be saving lives by helping to influence your government to support those young people and the cause.”
