Patrick Kennedy: Iran’s Future Will Be Shaped Not by Bombs, but by the Iranian People and Their Organized Resistance

Former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy said that history has shown Iran’s future will not be determined by military strikes or war, but by the Iranian people and their organized resistance, which has sacrificed enormously for freedom over the past decades.

Kennedy stressed that the ruling clerical regime does not represent the Iranian people or Iran’s rich civilization. Instead, it has transformed one of the world's most resource-rich nations into a country plagued by poverty and economic collapse while squandering billions on its nuclear ambitions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), proxy militias, and regional wars rather than improving the lives of ordinary Iranians.

He noted that the international community made historic mistakes in the past by supporting dictatorship in Iran and warned against repeating those errors by promoting another authoritarian alternative. The Iranian people, he said, reject both the ruling theocracy and any return to the Shah’s dictatorship. Their aspiration is a democratic republic founded on freedom, popular sovereignty, and the rule of law.

Kennedy emphasized that the National Council of Resistance of Iran, under the leadership of Maryam Rajavi, offers a credible democratic alternative through its Ten-Point Plan, while the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) possesses the experience, organization, and leadership necessary to guide Iran through a democratic transition.

He added that what truly frightens the regime today is not military pressure but the growing strength of the organized resistance inside Iran. The wave of executions, mass arrests, brutal repression, and internet shutdowns reflects the regime’s fear of another nationwide uprising rather than its confidence. Its greatest concern, he said, is the PMOI and the NCRI because they represent the only organized movement capable of mobilizing society and leading democratic change.

Kennedy argued that the responsibility of the international community extends beyond condemning human rights abuses. It must provide political support to the Iranian people, help safeguard their communications, and recognize their legitimate right to overthrow dictatorship and establish a democratic republic.

He also welcomed the United Kingdom’s decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, calling it an important step that should be followed by other democratic nations. Likewise, he said, the statement signed by more than 120 prominent Arab figures condemning the Iranian regime’s regional interference demonstrates growing recognition that peace and stability in the Middle East require confronting Tehran’s expansionist policies.

Kennedy concluded that lasting peace cannot be achieved through appeasement or military deterrence alone, but by supporting the Iranian people's struggle for freedom. As Maryam Rajavi declared before the Italian Parliament, "The prerequisite for lasting peace and security in the region is the overthrow of this regime." The fall of the ruling theocracy, he said, will not only liberate Iran but will also open the way for a democratic republic living in peace with its neighbors and contributing to regional and international stability.