On June 29, 2024,  at the Free Iran 2024 World Summit hosted at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) headquarters in Paris, Carlo Ciccioli, former Italian MP, delivered a speech. Mr. Ciccioli expressed his longstanding support for the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), recognizing them as the true representatives of Iran’s resistance movement.

A translated version of some excerpts of Carlo Ciccioli’s speech follows:

It is an honor for me to be here. For many years, I have stood by your side in the recognition of the Mujahedin Movement and the National Council of Resistance of Iran as the sole and authentic representative of Iran’s Resistance. Our fight is for the legitimacy of your struggle. It is indeed peculiar that the regime in power in Iran, a terrorist regime, accuses others of terrorism—a rather ridiculous situation.

I proudly recall the time over fifteen years ago when I first accompanied your heroic leader, Maryam Rajavi, to the Italian Chamber of Deputies. She was received by then-President Gianfranco Fini, and this marked the beginning of the recognition of your movement in Italy. I remember the battles against the regime that sought to criminalize your movement, both through judicial means and public pressure. These battles were won, and thus I would rather not dwell on them.

What happens in Iran has been said many times, and everyone knows it—the whole world knows it. However, I would like to briefly reflect on what lies just around the corner, on what is happening now. Firstly, the death of President Raisi, which is shrouded in mystery. It was not just an accident, but perhaps something more—an incident possibly born from internal regime competition. This death brings to mind the state-sponsored murder of Enrico Mattei in Italy.

I am unsure what the final results will be, but regimes always fall when there is significant internal strife. Parties self-destruct when they fight within, and regimes collapse when there is internal division. This is what is happening to the Iranian regime.

I do not know how much longer they can cover up the internal issues, whether economic, social, or political, among the regime’s components. However, we all have the feeling that we are reaching the final chapter. I wish the movement and the Iranian people a change that is very near in the future because the Iranian people deserve it.

Italy stands with you!