Nobel Laureates Back Democratic Transition Plan for Iran

A group of 57 Nobel Prize laureates has released a joint statement supporting a democratic transition in Iran and endorsing a political roadmap proposed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

In their March 2026 statement, the laureates emphasized that the Iranian people have been striving for freedom, the rule of law, and human dignity for over a century. They noted that recent developments, including the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have renewed hopes for democratic change. The statement also referenced the January crackdown, during which thousands of protesters across more than 400 cities were reportedly killed, calling it a shocking massacre.

According to the signatories, Iranians have rejected both clerical rule and any return to monarchy, instead calling for a democratic republic. They underscored that Iran’s future must be determined by its people through free elections, without war or foreign military involvement.

The laureates also highlighted the NCRI’s proposal for a provisional government based on a Ten-Point Plan introduced by Maryam Rajavi. They described it as a meaningful step toward transferring power to the people, noting that the plan advocates for free and fair elections, a market economy, separation of religion and state, gender and minority equality, peaceful international relations, and a non-nuclear Iran.

Joint Statement by Nobel Laureates
In Support of Advancing Democracy and Sustainable Peace in Iran
March 2026

We, the Nobel laureates, with profound respect for the rich history and culture of the Iranian people, reemphasize that the people of this land have struggled for more than a century for freedom, the rule of law, and human dignity. Successive generations have paid a heavy price in their pursuit of a government that is accountable and grounded in the will of the people.

In January, we strongly condemned the heartbreaking massacre of thousands in Iran, individuals who had taken to the streets in more than 400 cities to demand freedom. This massacre, which shocked and horrified the world, was carried out on the orders of Ali Khamenei, the regime’s Supreme Leader. Now, in light of recent developments and Khamenei’s death, the people of Iran and the international community are more hopeful than ever for the realization of freedom and democracy in Iran.

The Iranian people have clearly rejected both monarchical dictatorship and clerical rule and instead are calling for a democratic republic. We believe that the path to democracy in Iran must avoid war and foreign military intervention and must rest on free elections and the protection of the rights of the people. Iran’s future should be determined by the Iranian people themselves, neither through coercion nor through the re‑creation of tyranny in any form. In this context, the announcement of a provisional government by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an alliance comprising various political organizations and figures aimed at transferring sovereignty to the people and organizing free elections, and outlined in a 10‑point plan presented by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, represents an important step and a significant development underscoring a commitment to a democratic transition.

Previously, 105 Nobel laureates and more than 4,000 parliamentarians, including majorities from numerous national legislatures such as those of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Norway, as well as the U.S. Congress along with 130 former heads of state and government, endorsed this 10‑point plan. We stand in alignment with them.

This plan affirms free and fair elections, a market‑based economy, the separation of religion and state, gender, religious, and ethnic equality, a peaceful foreign policy, and a non‑nuclear Iran. It outlines a vision for a democratic Iran and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Signatories:

1. President Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Prize, Peace 1996, Timor-Leste. President of Timor-Leste Since 2022
2. Professor Pierre Agostini, Nobel Prize, Physics 2023, France
3. Professor Harvey J Alter, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2020, USA
4. Professor Victor Ambros, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2024, USA
5. Professor Robert Aumann, Nobel Prize, Economics 2005, USA-Israel
6. Professor Moungi Bawendi, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2023, USA-Tunisia-France
7. Professor Georg Bednorz, Noble prize, Physics 1987, Germany
8. Professor Mario Capecchi, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2007, Italy-USA
9. Professor Thomas Cech, Nobel prize, Chemistry 1989, USA
10. Professor Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2004, Israel
11. Professor Elias Corey, Nobel prize, Chemistry 1990, USA
12. Professor Johann Deisenhofer, Nobel prize, Chemistry 1988, USA
13. Professor Gerhard Ertl, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2007, Germany
14. Professor Jerome Friedman, Nobel prize, Physics 1990, USA
15. Professor Reinhard Genzel, Nobel prize, Physics 2020, Germany
16. Professor Sheldon Glashow, Nobel prize, Physics 1979, USA
17. Professor Oliver Hart, Nobel prize, Economics 2016, USA
18. Professor Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel prize, Physics 2024, Canada
19. Professor Roald Hoffmann, Nobel prize, Chemistry 1981, USA-Ukraine
20. Professor Robert Huber, Nobel Prize, Chemistry, 1988, Germany
21. Professor Michael Houghton, Nobel prize, Medicine 2020, UK,
22. Professor Louis Ignarro, Nobel prize, Medicine 1998, USA
23. Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, Nobel prize, Literature, 2017, UK
24. Elfriede Jelinek, Noble prize, Literature 2004, Austria
25. Professor Brian Josephson, Nobel prize, Physics 1973, UK
26. Professor Takaaki Kajita, Nobel Prize, Physics 2015, Japan
27. Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Prize, Peace 2011, Yemen
28. Professor Brian Kobilka, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2012, USA
29. Professor Roger D. Kornberg, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2006, USA
30. Professor Robert Lefkowitz, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2012, USA
31. Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel prize, Chemistry 1987, France
32. Professor Eric Maskin, Nobel prize, Economics 2007, USA
33. Professor John Mather, Nobel Prize, Physics 2006, USA
34. Professor Michel Mayor, Nobel prize, Physics 2019, Switzerland
35. Professor Craig Mello, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2006, USA
36. Professor Paul Milgrom, Nobel prize, Economics 2020, USA
37. Professor Patrick Modiano, Nobel prize, Literature 2014, France
38. Professor Paul Modrich, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2015, USA
39. Professor Edvard Moser, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2014, Norway
40. Professor May-Britt Moser, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2014, Norway
41. Herta Muller, Nobel Prize, Literature 2009, Germany
42. Professor William Phillips, Nobel prize, Physics 1997, USA
43. Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe, Nobel Prize, Medicine 2019, UK
44. Professor Charles M. Rice, Nobel prize, Medicine 2020, USA
45. Professor Sir Richard J. Roberts, Nobel prize, Medicine 1993, USA-UK
46. Professor Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Nobel prize, Chemistry, 2016, France
47. Professor Randy Schekman, Nobel prize, Medicine 2013, USA
48. Professor Richard Schrock, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2005, USA
49. Professor Gregg Semenza, Nobel prize, Medicine 2019, USA
50. Professor Danny Shechtman, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2011, Israel
51. Professor Vernon Smith, Nobel prize, Economics, 2002, USA
52. Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel prize, Literature 1986, Nigeria
53. Professor Donna Strickland, Nobel Prize, Physics 2018, Canada
54. Professor Jack Szostak, Nobel prize, Medicine 2009, USA
55. Professor Olga Tokarczuk, Nobel Prize, Literature 2018, Poland
56. Professor Arieh Warshel, Nobel prize, Chemistry 2013, USA-Israel
57. Jody Williams, Nobel prize, Peace 1997, USA