Iran’s Democratic Alternative Is an Organized Force Rooted in the People

Mousa Afshar, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said that any discussion about democratic change in Iran must go beyond slogans and theoretical proposals. A credible alternative, he stressed, must possess the ability to confront the regime’s machinery of repression, be deeply rooted within Iranian society, and maintain a disciplined organization capable of leading both the overthrow of the regime and a democratic transition.

Afshar explained that any movement seeking genuine change must meet three essential requirements. First, it must have the determination and readiness to confront the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which serves as the backbone of the clerical regime and the principal instrument used to suppress the Iranian people. No democratic transition, he argued, can succeed while ignoring the institution that safeguards the dictatorship through force and intimidation.

The second requirement is national independence and a genuine social base inside Iran. According to Afshar, a viable democratic alternative must emerge from within Iranian society, possess an active presence throughout the country's cities, and remain politically, financially, and organizationally independent of any foreign power. Such independence is indispensable to ensuring that Iran’s future is determined solely by its own people.

The third pillar is a coherent and disciplined organization composed of committed, politically conscious young men and women who have chosen the path of resistance and are prepared to make sacrifices for freedom. Democratic transformation, he said, cannot be achieved through temporary political groupings or media campaigns, but requires an organized movement with a clear vision, an effective nationwide network, and the resilience to continue its struggle under the harshest conditions.

Afshar stated that these characteristics are embodied by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and its Resistance Units, which have continued expanding their activities across the country despite severe repression, mass arrests, and relentless security crackdowns.

He added that the qualitative development of the Resistance Units explains the regime’s growing fear of them. Their greatest strength lies not only in their operational activities but also in their ability to connect with popular protests and transform widespread public discontent into an organized movement capable of bringing about political change.

Afshar concluded that Iran’s future will not be determined by foreign wars or renewed appeasement of the ruling regime, but by the Iranian people and their organized Resistance. The qualified democratic alternative is one that has proven its presence inside the country, paid the price for freedom, and offers a clear vision for establishing a democratic republic based on popular sovereignty, separation of religion and state, equality, and the rejection of both the dictatorship of the mullahs and any return to the dictatorship of the Shah.