On January 9, 2025, an event called “Iran: Organized Resistance, Key to Overthrow” took place in France, with former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in attendance. The conference highlighted the growing weaknesses of the Iranian regime and stressed the crucial role of organized resistance in achieving democratic change in Iran.
The former US Secretary of State painted a stark picture of the Iranian regime’s precarious state, emphasizing its rapid decline. “Assad hiding in another country, hoping only that he can stay alive in spite of the crimes he committed against his own people. The fact that it fell so quickly, that it was such a paper tiger, told the world that the Ayatollah is finished, that his time is complete,” Mr. Pompeo said. He described the regime’s bluster about power and influence as “a grand lie” that had now been exposed.
Along with Mrs. @Maryam_Rajavi, I spoke today on ending Tehran’s threat to the Middle East and the Iranian people. Recognizing the organized opposition inside Iran, which has been fighting the regime for decades to establish a free republic, must be an integral part of… pic.twitter.com/9gSe1jGsvl
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) January 9, 2025
Mr. Pompeo pointed to the fall of the Assad regime as a precursor to what awaits Tehran. “And this too will happen in Iran,” he predicted, urging the Iranian people and Resistance Units to persevere. “Keep up the fight. Keep your focus on the IRGC. The United States and the pressure campaign will return, making the regime even more fragile. You, the Resistance, you are on the right path.”
Pompeo delivered a direct message to the Iranian people and the Resistance Units: “Keep up the fight. Keep your focus on the IRGC. The United States and the pressure campaign will return, making the regime even more fragile. You, the resistance, are on the right path.”
He dismissed any notion of the IRGC moderating its ways, calling it the repressive force at the core of the regime’s brutality. “No one is going to change the nature of that regime. Pretending so will only lead to the continuation of the rule of the clerics in Iran,” he asserted, emphasizing the futility of reforming a system fundamentally built on oppression.
Mr. Pompeo highlighted the long history of sacrifices made by the Iranian resistance, particularly the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq), in their fight against the regime: “Iran will be free, but only by those who have sacrificed for decades, who have paid the highest price, who have withstood massacres and imprisonments. It can only be freed by you.”
He recalled the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, the majority of whom were MEK members and supporters, describing it as a stark example of the regime’s brutality. “The MEK has been the target of terror abroad and the subject of massive demonization campaigns by the regime,” he said. “Every week in Friday prayer ceremonies across Iran, the regime chants slogans against the resistance.”
Mr. Pompeo condemned these propaganda efforts and defended the MEK against baseless accusations, saying, “I wouldn’t be here if that’s what it was. Sadly, thousands of parliamentarians across the world don’t understand. But now, we all know the truth: You are freedom fighters of the highest order.”
Mr. Pompeo praised the leadership of Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and her 10-point plan for a democratic Iran. This plan includes key pillars such as free elections within six months of the regime’s overthrow, gender equality, the separation of religion and state, and a non-nuclear Iran. He called it a comprehensive and viable roadmap: “Mrs. Rajavi, you’ve repeatedly stated there’s only a single path, one path to the regime’s end, and that is being achieved by the Iranian people and the organized resistance inside of Iran.”
Mr. Pompeo emphasized that the resistance’s demand is not for foreign intervention but for recognition of their right to resist. He declared, “This plan does not demand regime change from outside, from the United States or others. It doesn’t ask for boots on the ground or even money from outside. The only demand of the resistance is the recognition of the Iranian people’s plight.”
Pompeo called on the international community to support the Iranian Resistance: “New U.S. policy, as the new administration comes in, needs to create even more space for the Iranian resistance to be vigilant on the ground. The focal point of this policy has to be recognition of the Iranian people’s right to resist and recognition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran as the single best alternative to the clerics ruling Iran.”
He described the NCRI as a capable and democratic alternative to the regime, one that has garnered significant international support due to its resilience and commitment. “Your movement has shown the incredible capacity and resilience to end the regime’s brutality,” he said, lauding the resistance for exposing Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Mr. Pompeo’s speech was imbued with hope and confidence in the Iranian people’s ability to achieve freedom. He shared his admiration for the resistance fighters, recounting his visit to Ashraf 3, the NCRI’s base in Albania, where he saw a red-covered book containing the names of thousands of martyrs. “These loved ones aren’t just numbers to you. They aren’t just names in a book. They are the people who will deliver this free Iran,” he said.
He called for accountability for the regime’s atrocities, saying, “This is worthy because it is going to lead to an outcome for which you have all worked so hard for so many years. It is worthy because it will, in the end, create the capacity to hold accountable the slaughterers, the indecent, those who have committed such atrocities.”
Mr. Pompeo concluded with a heartfelt message: “This is the time for the West to recognize the right of the Iranian people, this fundamental right that is so basic to every human being created in the image of God, to live with human dignity. And that means the right to resist and to change the nature of the lives of the people inside of Iran.”
