In a video message to a US Senate briefing, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), emphasized the necessity of a robust policy towards the Iranian regime. Her address supported Bipartisan Resolution 599, aimed at protecting the rights of Iranian political refugees in Ashraf-3, Albania.

Mrs. Rajavi thanked Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Thom Tillis, and other co-sponsors of the resolution, acknowledging their efforts against the religious fascism ruling Iran. She paid tribute to late Senators Joe Lieberman, John McCain, and Carl Levin for their roles in securing the safety of Ashraf residents.

Highlighting the regime’s destabilizing activities, the NCRI President-elect said, “The Iranian regime, with its warmongering in the Middle East and terrorist operations across the world, is an urgent threat to peace and security.” She criticized Western governments for their failed appeasement policies over the past 40 years, which she argued have only emboldened the ruling mullahs.

Mrs. Rajavi called for comprehensive sanctions and accountability for the regime’s crimes but stressed that these measures alone are insufficient. “The overthrow of the regime is the responsibility of the people of Iran and the Iranian Resistance,” she asserted.

She highlighted the inspirational role of Ashraf-3 for Iran’s youth, noting that many residents are former political prisoners and witnesses to the regime’s atrocities. Mrs. Rajavi also condemned the regime’s ongoing political and terrorist plots against Ashraf-3 residents.

Concluding her message, Rajavi emphasized the need for the US Senate to recognize and support the Iranian Resistance’s efforts to overthrow the regime and establish a democratic, non-nuclear republic. “It is time for the United States Senate to lead a comprehensive policy towards Iran, based on recognizing the fight of the Resistance Units and the Iranian people’s struggle,” she declared.

The full text of Mrs. Rajavi’s message is as follows:

Maryam Rajavi: The Iranian regime will not change its behavior – The overthrow of the regime is the responsibility of the people of Iran and the Iranian Resistance

Distinguished Senators,
Honorable dignitaries,
I send my greetings to you and your efforts against the religious fascism ruling Iran and supporting democracy in my country.
Bipartisan Resolution 599 in support of the rights of the residents of Ashraf 3 in Albania is part of a correct policy regarding Iran. This is a crucial step at the right time.
I also extend my gratitude to Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and other honorable members of the Senate who have joined this resolution.
Let me first pay tribute to the late Senator Lieberman a great friend of the Iranian Resistance and late Senator John McCain, who played a key role in the security of the residents of Ashraf in Iraq and their safe transfer to Albania.
I also want to honor the memory of the late Senator Levin, who played an unforgettable role in this matter.

The Failed Experience of Appeasement

Honorable senators,
The Iranian regime, with its warmongering in the Middle East, sending drones and missiles for continuous terrorist operations across the world, including in the United States, has shown that it is an urgent threat to peace and security in today’s world and the head of the snake of warmongering and terrorism.
Of course, above all else, the regime is an enemy of the Iranian people. It has executed more than one hundred thousand freedom-loving Iranians.
Nevertheless, over the past 40 years, Western governments have tried various methods to appease this regime and change its behavior by making unjustified concessions. These include giving money, political concessions, and imposing unjust restrictions on the Iranian Resistance.
The result has only emboldened the ruling mullahs.
This regime has paid no price for its crimes inside and outside Iran and its violations of international laws, including its nuclear projects.
Without a doubt, holding the regime accountable for its crimes and imposing comprehensive sanctions and restrictions on it are essential components of a correct policy.
However, these are not enough. The missing element in the policy regarding Iran is the role of the Iranian people and Resistance. This regime will neither change its behavior nor will it fall on its own. The overthrow of the regime is the responsibility of the people of Iran and the Iranian Resistance.

Ashraf 3 Inspires Iran’s Youth

The people, with their uprisings, their slogans, and the widespread boycott of the regime’s presidential election sham, have demonstrated that they want the overthrow of the entire regime and reject any form of dictatorship, both the Shah and the mullahs.
The PMOI/MEK Resistance Units and nationwide networks in Iran have increased their activities across the country to achieve this goal.
For this reason, the physical destruction of the resistance inside the country, and the assassination of its members and imposing restrictions against them abroad have always been a priority for the regime. Political and terrorist plots against Ashraf 3 could be understood within this context.
Ashraf 3 serves as an inspiration, a model, and a symbol for the youth of Iran. It is composed of men and women who have dedicated their lives to the freedom of their people and homeland.
One thousands of them have spent years in the regime’s prisons, and the family members of half of them have been executed by the regime. They are witnesses of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners who were mostly sympathizers of the PMOI/MEK.
In a new plot since last year, the regime has started a so-called trial for 104 members of the PMOI/MEK and the Iranian Resistance in their absence and threatens them with execution and extradition.

Regime Rejected in Its Entirety

Dear friends,
This is not the first time in four decades that the mullahs’ regime is attempting to deceive the West by acting as if its new president is a moderate, while he is a loyal follower of Khamenei and a supporter of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and proxy groups.
He neither has the ability nor the will to influence the main elements of the regime’s policy, such as repression, the nuclear bomb project, and foreign warmongering. Moreover, any president within the clerical regime is a puppet chosen by the Supreme Leader.
The most significant reality today is the rejection of the entire regime by the people of Iran and their readiness for future uprisings.
It is time for the United States Senate to lead a comprehensive policy towards Iran, a policy based on recognizing the fight of the Resistance Units against the IRGC and the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the regime.
The NCRI wants to establish a democratic, free, non-nuclear republic based on the separation of religion and the state that is essential for peace and security in the region and tranquility throughout the world.

Thank you all.