Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), addressed the "Free Iran 2026" summit in Paris today, delivering a powerful speech that outlined a vision for a democratic Iran and emphasized the necessity of regime change to ensure regional stability.
In her keynote address, Rajavi argued that the clerical regime’s ongoing interference in regional conflicts is not a temporary tactic, but rather a fundamental strategy for its own survival. "The regime’s warmongering and destabilizing actions across the region are the pillars holding up the 'Velayat-e Faqih' system," she stated. According to Rajavi, the path to a peaceful, non-nuclear Iran is inseparable from the overthrow of the current regime by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
A cornerstone of her speech was the rejection of all forms of dictatorship. Reaffirming the movement’s long-standing slogan, "No to the Shah, no to the Mullahs," Rajavi emphasized that true peace and coexistence with neighboring countries are only possible through the establishment of a democratic republic.
Rajavi also dedicated a significant portion of her remarks to the rights of Iran’s diverse ethnic and national groups. Addressing the systemic oppression of these communities, she asserted that autonomy within the framework of Iran’s territorial integrity and popular sovereignty is a fundamental right. She condemned the regime’s use of military force against Kurdish citizens and dismissed accusations of "separatism" leveled by remnants of the former monarchy, stating: "The rights of oppressed national components are an inseparable part of a democratic Iran."
Highlighting the historic role of the National Liberation Army of Iran, Rajavi pointed to the 2003 disarmament of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Iraq. She noted that the confiscation of vast arsenals—including thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery pieces—deprived the Iranian people and their organized resistance of the means to effectively defend themselves during critical uprisings. She suggested that had this defensive capability remained in the hands of the resistance, the trajectory of Iran’s political history could have been fundamentally altered.
Looking toward the future, Rajavi emphasized the NCRI’s roadmap for a transition to democracy. She reiterated the organization’s commitment to establishing a provisional government tasked with transferring sovereignty back to the people. This transition, she explained, would culminate in the holding of free elections for a Constituent and Legislative Assembly within six months of the regime’s collapse.
Concluding her address, Rajavi urged the international community to recognize the struggle of the Iranian people and their organized resistance as the only viable solution to the crises emanating from Tehran, calling for global support in the pursuit of a free, democratic, and peaceful Iran.
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