Rome, Italy – At the heart of the Free Iran World Summit 2025, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), delivered a powerful and emotionally charged speech that underscored the Iranian people’s unyielding desire for freedom, justice, and democracy.
Honoring the Martyrs of the Resistance
Rajavi opened her remarks by paying tribute to Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, two heroic members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) recently executed by the regime. Despite years of torture and pressure, both men remained defiant, vowing never to bow to tyranny.
Their sacrifice, she said, symbolizes the true essence of the Resistance: loyalty to the cause of a free Iran and steadfastness in the face of unimaginable cruelty. Their final messages expressed deep devotion to the PMOI and a clear rejection of humiliation and surrender. “They stood tall and upheld the most sacred name—the People’s Mojahedin—until their final breath,” she said.
Iran on the Verge of Change
Rajavi declared that Iran is now standing “on the threshold of a profound transformation,” led by the organized Resistance and powered by over four decades of struggle and over 100,000 martyrs. She envisioned a free Iran—a democratic republic free from nuclear weapons, executions, forced hijab, religious coercion, and totalitarian rule.
Her vision includes:
-
Separation of religion and state
-
Gender equality
-
Autonomy for ethnic nationalities
-
Peace with neighbors and the world
She emphasized that today, the crisis of overthrow has engulfed the entire clerical regime. The dictatorship is at its weakest point since its inception. The regime’s decades-long strategy of exporting terrorism and fundamentalism, as seen during the Iran-Iraq war and beyond, has failed to ensure its survival.
The Third Option: No to War, No to Appeasement, Yes to Regime Change
Reaffirming her long-standing position, Rajavi highlighted the Third Option:
“No to appeasement. No to war. No to reform. The only solution is regime change by the Iranian people and their organized Resistance.”
She warned that appeasement has only emboldened the regime. True peace and stability in the region will come only when Iran is free—when sovereignty is returned to the people and the regime’s repression and expansionism are dismantled.
Sixty Years of Resistance: From the Shah to the Sheikh
Rajavi contextualized today’s struggle within the broader history of Iran’s fight for freedom, from the Constitutional Revolution to the resistance against both the Shah and the mullahs. As the PMOI marks its 60th anniversary, she described it as the longest and most persistent organized resistance in modern Iranian history.
She condemned the 1988 massacre of political prisoners—a crime that UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman recently classified as genocide. Despite decades of executions, terrorism, and demonization campaigns, she noted, the regime has failed to destroy the Resistance.
Rejecting Any Return to Tyranny
Rajavi rejected any illusion of returning to monarchy or accepting a rebranded version of dictatorship under the Shah’s son. She said that while the religious regime nears collapse, remnants of the past are trying to stage a comeback.
“From Shah to Sheikh, and now from Sheikh to Shah—this is a false choice. Iran’s future is neither in the past nor in recycled tyranny. Tomorrow belongs to the people, and the people belong to tomorrow.”
The Role of the NCRI: A Democratic Alternative
She stressed that unlike past uprisings that lacked organized leadership, today’s Resistance has a viable, democratic alternative in the form of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Since its founding in 1981, the NCRI has committed to one mission: transferring sovereignty to the people.
Key points include:
-
Power will be transferred through a Constituent Assembly, held no later than six months after the regime’s fall.
-
A provisional government will dissolve after this transition.
-
The people will vote on a new constitution and elect their future government.
Rajavi made it clear: “We do not seek to seize power. We seek to return power to its rightful owners—the Iranian people.”
A Plan for Solidarity and Inclusion
Rajavi outlined the NCRI’s platform for democratic governance, including:
-
Absolute freedom of belief and expression
-
Rejection of any religious or political privilege
-
Equal rights regardless of faith, ethnicity, or gender
She highlighted the NCRI’s longstanding plan for Kurdish autonomy, later expanded to all ethnic groups, and a comprehensive plan for women’s rights, including legal and social equality.
She reaffirmed the NCRI’s National Solidarity Front, built on three principles:
-
Commitment to a democratic, independent republic
-
Rejection of the religious dictatorship and all its factions
-
Upholding separation of religion and state
“Differences exist in every society. But under the banner of the National Solidarity Front, we can unite—for Iran, for freedom, for the people.”
Final Message: The Path Forward Is Clear
Maryam Rajavi’s speech in Rome was more than a political address—it was a manifesto of hope and resilience. With over six decades of organized struggle behind them, the Iranian Resistance stands as a viable alternative to both theocratic rule and monarchical restoration.
Backed by a clear roadmap, global support, and the sacrifices of countless martyrs, Rajavi’s message to the world was firm and urgent:
Freedom in Iran is inevitable.
The world must choose the side of the Iranian people and their organized Resistance.
