Speaking at the Free Iran 2026 World Summit, former Romanian Prime Minister Petre Roman drew comparisons between the current situation in Iran and the final days of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship in Romania, arguing that severe repression often signals the approaching downfall of an authoritarian regime. Reflecting on his personal experience during the Romanian Revolution, Roman recalled surviving a deadly crackdown in Bucharest shortly before the unexpected collapse of the communist government. Based on those historical parallels, he suggested that Iran may be approaching a similar turning point and that the ruling establishment is facing mounting internal and societal pressures.
Roman sharply criticized the Iranian authorities for what he described as widespread human rights abuses, including the execution of large numbers of citizens and the suppression of dissent. He also accused Tehran of using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the international community, arguing that such actions reflect weakness rather than strength. Rejecting official claims of stability, Roman pointed to economic hardship, declining living standards, and growing public dissatisfaction as indicators that the government’s position has become increasingly fragile. He further voiced criticism of efforts to restrict or limit democratic demonstrations held by Iranian opposition supporters abroad.
Looking beyond the current crisis, Roman emphasized the importance of a credible democratic alternative and praised Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan as a framework for political transition and democratic governance. He argued that successful change requires not only public determination but also a clear vision for the future, describing the plan as a roadmap capable of guiding Iran toward democracy, pluralism, and political freedom. Concluding his remarks, Roman expressed confidence that the Iranian opposition would ultimately prevail and reiterated his belief that fundamental political change in Iran could arrive sooner than many expect.
Petre Roman: I fought dictatorship in Romania. When regimes kill protesters, it signals their end is near. The same fate awaits the mullahs’ regime in Iran. #100KFreeIranRally #OurChoiceMaryamRajavi https://t.co/UH1XBwT1aQ
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) June 20, 2026
The full script of Petre Roman’s speech follows:
Much esteemed dear President Maryam Rajavi, dear friends, brave fighters for a free Iran, members of the Resistance of Iran.
I’m greatly honored to be with you today. This morning, leaders of the NCRI offered their thanks to me for being here with you. This is not the way it is. It’s just the opposite.
I have the very real and great privilege to be part of the fight for a just cause. What can be more wonderful than that? So, I offer my sincere gratitude for this.
Dear friends, Madam Member of Parliament, Madam President, let me express my gratitude and admiration for your firm and courageous words. You reminded us that the France represented by this ban is not the France we know and love. The France we love is the France of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Thank you.
The present situation in Iran and in the world in general, compared to the one just one year ago when we gathered here, is more complex and more complicated, of course, due to the war.
The mullahs’ regime in Iran, what they did now, I mean, in this situation, in this period… Well, first, [they are] killing thousands and thousands of their own people by executions and by pure murder.
And secondly, they blocked the Strait of Hormuz, blackmailing the global economy, blackmailing millions of people around the world.
And they claim victory now. This is not true, and it cannot be. And it is not because the Iranian economy right now is in shambles.
Many, many millions of Iranians live in very poor conditions. They lost their most minimal decent conditions of life. And this is showing that, in fact, the regime is much weaker than before.
And the protesters in the streets in Iran, they were killed. Why? Because they are a symbol of the death of the regime.
They are those pointing to those killing them, saying, “One day, very near, the death of the regime is coming.”
I have my experience fighting a dictatorship, years ago, in my country. And there are essential similarities with the situation in Iran.
When the dictator in Romania, Ceaușescu, ordered to shoot on the protesters, to kill people, in order to just keep his own private, personal political power, it was a moment of bewilderment. We didn’t think that this was possible.
All around Romania, all the other former countries of the Soviet system were already much freer than Romania. Romania was the last Stalinist regime.
I was on the barricade in the center of Bucharest. We blocked the most important boulevard; we blocked the traffic for more than ten hours.
In the end, at the order of the dictator, they started to shoot on us. A massacre.
Out of the eighty-one—not many, indeed, we were there at the barricade—thirty-nine were killed. Among those, seventeen were less than 18 years old. That happened 20 minutes to midnight.
But, you know, something absolutely unbelievable happened. Just 12 hours after the killing, the regime collapsed. Romania was free.
You have a very important instrument, which is the Ten-Point Plan of President Maryam Rajavi. It’s a very serious, rigorous plan. It’s an alternative. It’s opening the road for a free and democratic Iran.
This is really crucial because, in the end, people want some certainty. And the certainty comes with a plan, with a vision, with a strategy, with a perspective, and here it is, such a perspective.
So, I salute you from the bottom of my heart, and I’m telling you my conviction: exactly as in 12 hours a dictatorship collapsed totally, the collapse of the mullahs’ regime in Iran is very near, believe me.
All my best.