On June 30, 2024,  at the Free Iran 2024 World Summit – Day 2 hosted at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) headquarters in Paris, former US Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, delivered a speech. Mr. Acosta shared three key observations, emphasizing the pivotal role of the younger generation in the fight for freedom in Iran.

Acosta also commended the NCRI for being more than just a resistance movement. He noted that they operate as a shadow government, offering a clear alternative to the current regime. The NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan, based on freedom and dignity, showcases what a free Iran’s leadership could be like providing a well-organized, democratic, and battle-tested platform for the future.

1. Alexander Acosta: Youth, Resistance, and International Solidarity Key to a Free Iran #MaryamRajavi4FreeIran #FreeIran2024 https://t.co/nUdZE8VVqD

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) June 30, 2024

The full text of former US Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta’s speech follows:

I’m honored today to stand in solidarity with the many attendees here at the Free Iran Conference, regardless of nation or party, we are united in a cause, a democratic, non-nuclear Iran, an Iran that respects dignity and the rule of law.

I listened carefully to the remarks at this conference yesterday and today. To all that has been said, I would like to add three observations. My first observation is directed at the youth and the younger generation. You are the future of a free Iran. And yesterday, that was made so obvious by your demonstrations and by your speeches in Berlin.

I don’t say this lightly. I’m the son and grandson of Cuban refugees. My grandparents emigrated to America, fleeing a murderous regime, a regime that imprisoned and killed its opposition. Sound familiar?

My parents at the time were but children. They barely remember, yet they remember every detail. And they taught me the value and the cost of freedom, the love of democracy, and the importance of service and sacrifice.

Yesterday I saw that exact same transgenerational dedication in the youth that was speaking and demonstrating in Berlin. The cause of freedom, the willingness to sacrifice, the pride of heritage that’s been passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, to their children, and their children’s children were clearly showcased.

I was inspired by their words, and I want to highlight some of the words that they said because they were so powerful. One of the speakers said, and I quote, “We are a continuation of the firm believers of freedom that were murdered in 1988.” Imagine someone around 20 standing up and saying that. Another said, “We are fighters. We are a continuation of the sacred struggle.” This is your youth.

And these are not mere words. Alongside the speeches, we witnessed more than 20,000 acts of resistance, most from the younger generation, and we witnessed the photos of young men and women falling for freedom in 2022.

You, the younger generation honor and carry forward the sacrifice of your parents and grandparents. And it is because of you that Iran will be free.

I should add that for every 1988, every act of murder and oppression, more and more individuals and nations will stand for freedom. See, regimes believe that atrocities are a source of strength, but in truth, they reveal weakness. They reveal to children and children’s children why their parents and their grandparents stood against that regime. And they motivate more and more young people to stand in opposition, to ask a clear choice. Do you believe in tyranny and repression or freedom and dignity?

My second observation is this: I’ve heard the word resistance many times at this conference. NCRI and its members are certainly resolute and effective as a resistance, but I’d like to gently suggest that you’re so much more. You do more than oppose, you propose, and there’s a subtle but important difference between opposition and proposing an alternative.

Former Labor Secretary, @SecretaryAcosta refrred to th 10 points plan and declares "You do more than fight against the regime..you show case what free Iran could be like, a battle tested resistance" in the #FreeIran2024 annual gathering Day 2. pic.twitter.com/AbIWXR6N0Q

— OIAC: Organization of Iranian American Communities (@OrgIAC) June 30, 2024

I suggest that this conference makes clear that you operate in many ways as a shadow government. A resistance fights against something, and a shadow government offers an alternative to something. You do more than fight against the regime. You’ve brought together at this conference, and realized the accomplishment. You’ve brought together nations from around the world, from nearly every continent. You’ve showcased an organized, democratic, battle-tested, shadow government that offers sustained opposition, a willingness to sacrifice, a clear platform, and a Ten-Point Plan based on freedom and dignity. You showcase what a free Iran’s leadership could be like.

My third observation is obvious but important, and it’s been talked about already, but I want to emphasize it. Appeasement does not work.

President Trump understood this. President Trump stood up and canceled the Iran nuclear deal, and in doing so, he deprived a regime of billions and billions of dollars that could have otherwise been used to spread terrorism and to support internal oppression. President Trump designated the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

That had never been done against a government before, and those weren’t mere words or labels In the United States, that designation carried with it the highest level of sanctions across the board, not just for the regime, but for companies and individuals doing business with the regime. Those sanctions work.

And unfortunately, the American government just had to stay the course. They had to take no action and keep those designations and sanctions in place. But instead, more recently, they’ve chosen to shift back to the old ways. That must end.

With justice, peace, and accountability, the regime is weak. Change is imminent. These so-called elections make no difference. Simply put, the greatest testament to the lasting power of Mrs. Rajavi’s dream, of your dream, are those youth in Berlin, the transgenerational effort that has been embraced across generations, from father to son, mother to daughter. The commitment to a free Iran has persisted for decades. And in this room, the nations of the world should realize, in this room is a battle-tested resistance that offers a lot more than opposition. It proposes a path forward, a willingness to sacrifice, a Ten-Point Plan, and a clear platform for freedom.

Now is the time for maximum pressure. Now is the time when the nations of the world have to stand and say, we will not appease. We stand for a free Iran.

Thank you very much.