Rome, July 16, 2026 – Former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy called on the international community to strengthen its support for the Iranian people and their democratic aspirations during an international conference titled “Iran’s Crisis: The Democratic Path Forward.”
Kennedy praised the Italian Parliament for backing a resolution in support of the Iranian people, describing the initiative as part of a broader commitment to defending universal human rights. Reflecting on his experience in the U.S. Congress, he recalled efforts to uphold international principles against crimes against humanity and argued that those values remain relevant today.
He described the Iranian authorities as the principal source of widespread human rights violations and accused them of pursuing policies that have fueled regional instability and supported terrorism. Kennedy also argued that the government’s extensive use of executions and repression had undermined its legitimacy in the eyes of its own people.
At the 🇮🇹Parliament, Patrick Kennedy condemned the Iranian regime’s executions, terrorism, nuclear ambitions, and crimes against its own people, saying it had lost all legitimacy. He stressed that repeated attempts at engagement had failed and that the regime’s greatest fear was… pic.twitter.com/0huFlqFhRK
— Javad Dabiran (@JavadDabiran) July 16, 2026
Reviewing recent decades of international diplomacy, Kennedy said repeated efforts to resolve tensions with Tehran through negotiations had failed to produce meaningful change. Instead, he argued that lasting change would come from the Iranian people themselves, pointing to nationwide protests in 2017, 2019, 2022, and January 2026 as evidence of continuing public demands for freedom.
Kennedy called for international backing for Maryam Rajavi, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the Resistance Units active across Iran. Drawing a parallel with the international campaign against apartheid in South Africa, he suggested that history demonstrates how determined public resistance, combined with international solidarity, can bring democratic transformation. He concluded by reaffirming his solidarity with the Iranian people and their struggle for democracy and human rights.
