No country in the past 5 decades has been the source of crisis and tension in the region and the world as much as Iran. What is the reason and what is the solution?
Maryam Rajavi: The religious dictatorship in Iran does not belong to the twenty-first century. It is a medieval regime that has neither the capacity nor the will to respond to the demands of its people. The people demand its overthrow, and it can only survive through internal repression, the export of terrorism, and warmongering. We have always said this regime is unreformable and is seeking to obtain a nuclear bomb, and that if this regime were to abandon these policies for even one day, it would be rapidly overthrown by the Iranian people.
More than two decades ago, I declared in the European Parliament that the solution for Iran lies neither in appeasement nor in foreign war, and I emphasized that appeasement would lead to war — something that has unfortunately come to pass today. Moreover, the two wars that have occurred in the past year have shown that foreign war will not bring about regime change. The overthrow of this regime will be achieved by the people and the resistance.
When the regime falls, what will the next step be?
MR: The National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is a coalition of democratic forces (opposed to both the Shah and theocracy), has presented a clear roadmap in previous years. The provisional government will begin its work immediately after the overthrow, within the framework of the NCRI's Ten-Point Plan. The main task of this government is to hold free elections for a Constituent Assembly within a maximum of six months. Subsequently, the provisional government will resign, and the people's elected representatives in this assembly will appoint a new government. This assembly will draft the constitution of the new republic.
The Council's Ten-Point Plan emphasizes free elections, individual and social freedoms, full equality between men and women and the freedom of women in dress, education and employment, separation of religion and state, autonomy for oppressed nationalities, the dissolution of the Revolutionary Guards and all repressive institutions, the mullahs' sharia law and the abolition of the death penalty, a non-nuclear Iran, and peace and coexistence. The provisional government will guarantee the orderly and peaceful transfer of sovereignty to its rightful owners — the Iranian people.
What actions is your resistance currently carrying out inside Iran and what role did it play in the January uprising?
MR: The People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the principal components of the NCRI, and the largest political organisation in Iran, has an extensive network inside the country. The MEK's resistance units carried out 4,092 anti-repression operations last year. On February 23, 250 MEK fighters launched an assault on Khamenei's headquarters in Tehran — which is in fact the most heavily protected area in all of Iran.
The religious dictatorship in Iran does not belong to the twenty-first century
The MEK's resistance units played a key role in organising the uprising and directing its slogans. With their assistance, some cities or neighborhoods were liberated for several hours or one to two days. In many instances they led the confrontation with the repressive forces. They carried out 630 operations against the repressive forces to protect the demonstrators, which contributed greatly to the expansion of the uprising. Two thousand members of the resistance units disappeared during the uprising and it is still unclear how many were arrested and how many were killed.
In recent days, four MEK members have been executed in Iran. What is the message of these executions
MR: These criminal executions — carried out in the middle of a war — show that the regime's primary concern is the uprising and the organised resistance inside Iran. If you look at the regime's judiciary's statement on the execution of these four PMOI members, it explicitly states that they were involved in the uprising and working toward the overthrow of the system. Currently, a large number of political prisoners face execution on similar charges. The death sentences of at least 17 of them have been confirmed by the regime's Supreme Court and they face execution at any moment.
At the European Parliament, Strasbourg – June 18, 2025.
On March 30 and 31, four members of the resistance units — who along with many more affiliates of the PMOI had been sentenced to death — were brutally executed, reflecting the regime's fear and terror of this resistance.
What evidence is there of the Iranian people's support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran?
MR: While there is no possibility of a free public opinion survey, the first indicator of popular support is the extent of the resistance. The National Council of Resistance is the most enduring coalition in Iran's history, having continued its resistance against the regime for 45 years without a single day's pause. More than 100,000 members of the resistance have been executed. Currently, more political prisoners are under death sentence on charges of membership in the MEK.
We are not seeking to gain power or even a share of power. Our goal is to transfer power to the people
The NCRI based on PMOI's intelligence network in Iran has exposed the most confidential secrets of the regime, including the nuclear sites at Natanz, Arak and Fordow. None of this would have been possible without broad popular support. That is precisely why the regime's first demand from foreign countries is the restriction of NCRI and its principal components the PMOI. All members of the movement — and even those who participate in its programmes abroad — are described by the regime as "mohareb," which, under the regime's law, can be punished by execution. The regime has organised an extensive demonisation campaign against the resistance at a cost of hundreds of millions of euros.
Why is Reza Pahlavi and a return to monarchy not an appropriate solution?
MR: He represents a deposed regime that ruled through the torture and killing of opponents and notorious secret police called SAVAK and his father fled the country as millions of Iranians chanted "Down to the Shah." Not only does he not condemn his father's crimes — he takes pride in them. His platform for the future is the reconstruction of monarchical dictatorship.
He labels oppressed nationalities as separatists and calls for their suppression. The Iranian people have shown through their demonstrations, with the chant "Down to the oppressor, be it Shah or Leader," that they are strongly opposed to any form of dictatorship — whether monarchical or religious. They want a government based on their own free vote.
Are you a candidate for the presidency in a reformed Iran?
MR: Today I think only of liberating my compatriots from the religious dictatorship. My main duty is to restore hope and confidence to my compatriots and to heal the wounds that this anti-human regime has inflicted on our society. As I have repeatedly emphasised, we are not seeking to gain power or even a share of power. Our goal is the transfer of power to the people.
More than 1,100 global dignitaries including former heads of government, ministers, Nobel laureates and lawmakers endorsed the NCRI's provisional government and Maryam Rajavi's Ten-Point Plan
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