Iran at a Crossroads: Ending Appeasement and Empowering Change from Within The Case for Organized Resistance and Regime Change

Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), delivered a comprehensive briefing in Washington, DC, hosted by the NCRI US office. The event brought together U.S. officials, policy experts, and observers who closely follow developments in Iran to examine the deepening crisis in the Middle East, the longstanding failure of Western appeasement policies, and the emergence of organized internal resistance as a credible force for democratic change in Iran. Mr. Mohaddessin’s remarks outlined the historical roots of the crisis, assessed the capacity and role of resistance units inside Iran, and articulated the NCRI’s vision for a democratic transition, with an appeal to the international community to recognize and support the Iranian people’s path to freedom. The Roots of the Crisis and the Failure of Appeasement Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, The Middle East is facing an unprecedented crisis. The roots of this crisis lie in two key factors: first, the Iranian regime and its conduct; and second, the West’s policy of appeasement, which for more than four decades has enabled the regime, through negotiations and concessions, to reach this dangerous point. We have repeatedly warned that this regime is incapable of reform. Appeasing this regime is like nurturing a snake in one’s sleeve—it inevitably leads to war. Today, after 40 years of appeasement and devastating wars, these truths are widely acknowledged. The only solution to this crisis is regime change by the Iranian people and their organized resistance. The key question is: how can such a regime, one that spares no crime to preserve itself, be overthrown? Experience in recent years has proven that illusions such as regime collapse on its own, or change through social media networks and satellite television, are baseless. Overthrow requires a powerful, battle-tested, combat-ready force rooted within Iranian society. Today, that forces exists within Iran a disciplined and combat-ready force: the MEK’s Resistance Units, active across all 31 provinces for nearly a decade, gradually evolving into a liberation army. In the past year alone, they have carried out 3,000 operations. During the January uprising, they played a decisive role in organizing, guiding, and expanding protests, confronting repressive forces, and protecting demonstrators. More than 2,000 members of these Resistance Units went missing during the January uprising, and it remains unclear how many have been arrested or killed. Escalation and Recent Operations A major turning point was the bold operation on February 23, when 250 members of the National Liberation Army targeted the compound of Ali Khamenei and the regime’s most secure institutions in Tehran—the most heavily protected site in Iran. In this operation, 100 fighters were killed or arrested, while 150 successfully returned to their bases. The opposing forces also suffered significant casualties. The Resistance has submitted the names and details of 82 killed or detained individuals, aged between 18 and 69, to the United Nations. This operation, coming just weeks after the January uprising and the mass killings that preceded it, sent a powerful message: that a capable and organized force exists within Iran that can confront the regime at the highest levels, even in Tehran. Despite severe security conditions during wartime, the operations of Resistance Units continue and are expanding. On Monday, March 16, in response to the repression and torture of prisoners in Khuzestan, particularly those facing execution, a unit of the National Liberation Army attacked the governor’s office in Ahvaz. These units conducted 31 operations on March 3, and 20 operations on March 15, targeting the IRGC, Basij, and other repressive institutions. A Nationwide and Global Movement Broad segments of Iranian society—including the families of over 100,000 martyrs of freedom and hundreds of thousands of political prisoners over the past 45 years—form the social backbone of this movement. The Resistance also has a 24-hour satellite television network broadcasting via five satellites to millions of Iranians at home and abroad. It is active politically and socially on the international stage, organizing a large community of Iranian expatriates and professionals across many countries. All expenses of this movement, from daily operations to communications, publications, gatherings are funded entirely by its members and supporters inside and outside Iran. A Regime Growing More Fragile The regime is deeply concerned about the resurgence of uprisings and their convergence with Resistance Units, backed by this vast domestic and international network. Indeed, on March 17, Masoud Pezeshkian’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref told Tasnim News Agency, “If the enemy and its agents seek to repeat scenarios like Forough Javidan (reference to the Eternal Light operation by the MEK’s National Liberation of Army of Iran, that penetrated 100 miles to the gates of Kermanshah, the largest city in western Iran), the law enforcement and armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond decisively and will bring about a ‘Mersad 2 (reference to the regime counter attack against the NLA).’” Meanwhile, the religious dictatorship has recently transformed itself into a hereditary clerical monarchy by appointing Khamenei’s son as Supreme Leader. With Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment, the regime’s power base has narrowed further, relying primarily on the IRGC and intelligence apparatus, making it more fragile and vulnerable. This appointment has also faced significant internal opposition. Over 30% of the Assembly of Experts boycotted the vote, and only 44 members, half of the Assembly member, supported him. The Regime’s Strategy: Fear and Suppression This development underscores a fundamental reality: the regime has no path other than continuing its destructive policies of the past 47 years. Already, Mojtaba Khamenei has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, expand the war, and rely on proxy terrorist groups. For over three decades, he has been directly involved alongside his father in suppressing uprisings and plundering the nation’s wealth. He now controls assets exceeding one trillion dollars. According to regime officials, these four entities control 60% of Iran’s national wealth and are exempt from taxation. The regime is employing various measures to prevent another uprising while attempting to boost the morale of its increasingly fearful and fragmented forces, including: Heavy deployment of armed forces in public spaces with machine guns Shoot-to-kill orders against protesters Street maneuvers to instill fear Use of proxy forces Internet shutdowns Officials openly threaten the population with deadly force if they take to the streets. Rejecting Both Dictatorships: Past and Present At the same time, the regime seeks to exploit remnants of the former monarchy to sow division within Iranian society, particularly in the diaspora. The former monarchy was a one-party dictatorship enforced through torture, executions, and the SAVAK secret police. Today, the former Shah’s son not only refuses to condemn those crimes but openly defends them. His proposed platform amounts to restoring a monarchical dictatorship. He has even threatened ethnic minorities, 35 percent of the Iranian population with sending in the army, which he does not have, yet!!! The Iranian people have made their position clear with the slogan: “Down with the oppressor, whether Shah or Supreme Leader.” They reject any return to the past. A Democratic Alternative: The Provisional Government On February 28, based on Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, the NCRI announced the formation of a provisional government. Its mission is to transfer sovereignty to the Iranian people within six months after the regime’s overthrow. This initiative has already received support from over 1,000 parliamentarians and political figures in the United States and Europe. As Mrs. Rajavi has emphasized, the slogan of this resistance and its provisional government is peace and freedom, a democratic republic that rejects both religious dictatorship and monarchical fascism. A Critical Turning Point for Iran Ladies and gentlemen, At this critical juncture in Iran’s history, the Iranian Resistance has taken two major steps forwards toward toppling this criminal regime. The provisional government guarantees an orderly transfer of power to the people of Iran and will prevent Iran from submerging in chaos. The provisional government is not on paper. It has its military arm that has been reconstituted under the skin of society in the past nine years and is today leading the fight in the streets of Iran against the IRGC. We are not asking for money, weapons, or foreign troops. We call for an end to appeasement, a policy that has been the regime’s greatest lifeline and the greatest obstacle to the Iranian people. The time has come for the international community to recognize the provisional government, to acknowledge the Iranian people’s right to resist the IRGC and overthrow this regime, to close the regime’s embassies, and to expel its agents.