The West has long held that the only solutions to managing the Iranian regime are either to appease the mullahs or go to war. Since the 1979 Revolution, the prevailing strategy has been appeasement, and Western countries have gone to great lengths to feign ignorance of the regime’s acts of brutality at home and outside of its borders in order to prevent war, which has been deemed the less desirable option for a number of reasons.

Any future investment in the mullahs’ religious dictatorship is also doomed to fail.#IranDeal

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 9, 2018

Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has proposed a third option, which would end the reign of terror in Iran and restore democracy in Iran. This option has gained the support of the Iranian people and the Resistance Movement, led by the MEK.

Mrs. Rajavi has made it clear that the regime is “a medieval theocracy that lacks the capacity to reform” and that it is pointless to negotiate with the mullahs. The absolute clerical rule is enshrined in the constitution and precludes the possibility of democracy in any form. As long as the mullahs are in power, their rule will be absolute.

In regard to appeasement, Mrs. Rajavi said: “Let there be no doubt: European policies such as critical dialogue, constructive engagement, and human rights dialogue will not change anything as far as the regime is concerned. Appeasement is not the way to contain or change the regime. Nor is the path to avoid another war. Appeasement only emboldens the mullahs.”

However, a war would be disastrous for the Iranian people. It would endanger the lives of citizens and could create a power vacuum that would undermine the Iranian Resistance. In this situation, it would be easy for a corrupt group to seize control of the government.

Mrs. Rajavi proposed a third option, saying, “The equation of “either a military invasion or appeasement” is an exercise in political deception. A third option is within reach. The Iranian people and their organized resistance have the capacity and ability to bring about change.”

The people of Iran have shown their willingness to rise up against the mullahs over the past year. Since the uprisings began last December, people of all walks of life have taken to the streets to protest the regime, despite brutal acts of suppression.

Maryam Rajavi said: ”The presence of protests in society reflects the Iranian people yearning for regime change. The presence of an organized resistance with 120,000 martyrs and more than half-a-million prisoners is indicative of the depth and the intensity of society’s rejection of the regime.”

The MEK has organized most of these protests and has the power to overthrow the regime and restore democracy to Iran. The mullahs see the MEK as a threat to their very existence and have taken extreme measures to attack MEK members abroad and to suppress the uprisings at all costs.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Why in all their international interactions, the mullahs demand the exertion of pressure on the resistance movement? Are all of these not indicative of the mullahs’ paranoia over the third option?”

What is Maryam Rajavi’s plan for Iran’s future?#Iran#Iranprotests pic.twitter.com/iyizUpDhJl

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 22, 2018

Mrs. Rajavi explained that the NCRI represents the majority of the Iranian people and is the only viable democratic alternative to the mullahs’ rule. The NCRI offers the only real solution for the peaceful transfer of power after the fall of the regime. The NCRI is committed to setting up free elections for a constituent assembly within six months of regime change and handing over the affairs to the people’s elected representatives. Mrs. Rajavi has a ten-point plan for restoring democracy in Iran that has been endorsed by a broad coalition of international leaders.

Maryam Rajavi said: “We want to rebuild Iran, which the mullahs have ruined, through the people’s participation, the return of our experts and friendship with the rest of the world. We seek neither the West’s money nor weapons. We want them to remain neutral between the Iranian resistance on one hand and the ruling regime on the other.”

Staff Writer

On June 30th, 2018, supporters of the Iranian opposition will descend on Paris. The city will host the annual convention of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Last year’s convention saw more than 100,000 regime opponents attend, among them were international politicians and officials within the US government.

Who is the NCRI?

The NCRI is the only viable democratic alternative to the mullahs’ tyrannical regime in Iran. It is a political coalition, representing Iran’s diverse religious, ethnic and political groups, with proportionate representation (more than 50% of the NCRI’s membership is made up of women).

The NCRI stands for democratic pluralism, universal suffrage and freedom of expression. It wants to end the systematic repression of the Iranian population and supports the abolition of the death penalty, nuclear disarmament, the establishment of an independent judicial system, and the separation of religion and state in government.

The NCRI’s charismatic leader, President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, opposes and challenges the Iranian regime in all spheres of public life. She publicly endorses public protests against the regime in Iran and has pressed for the regime to be held to account for its past crimes and atrocities.

A threat to the regime’s existence

The regime’s efforts to discredit the NCRI are a testament to the strength of the organization. Tehran has spent millions of dollars on efforts to vilify the group and its leader, Maryam Rajavi, abroad.

The mullahs see the NCRI and Rajavi as a threat to its existence. They have done everything in their power to prevent the organization from receiving international recognition. It has pressured international governments to demand restrictions on NCRI activities abroad. It also attempts to portray the organization as an obscure group of political exiles with little support inside Iran.

This portrayal could not be further from the truth

In reality, the NCRI complies with all international obligations and UN-approved international conventions. The regime also acknowledged the role of the NCRI and its subsidiary, the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), played in the recent uprisings across the country.

In December and early January, public protests spread across Iran, quickly spreading across 140 cities and mobilizing Iranians from all sectors of the Iranian population. The protests, which were organized and endorsed by the NCRI and the MEK exposed the mullahs’ smear campaign against the NCRI as being blatantly false. The NCRI and MEK had mobilized swathes of the Iranian population. They evidently enjoyed widespread support from the Iranian people.

The NCRI also already enjoys the support of the international community. Despite the regime’s best efforts, parliaments from several countries have endorsed the NCRI’s democratic goals and objectives. NCRI supporters include John Bolton, Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, and Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, among others.

An alternative to the clerical regime

With public protests in Iran intensifying by the day, the mullahs’ position in power looks more precarious than ever. Should the people rise up and overthrow their tyrannical oppressors, the NCRI is the only democratic organization in the position to take over the governing of Iran.

The NCRI has a plan for the country’s transition to democracy. Its ten-point plan outlines the country’s governing bodies and nominates a provisional government. It would act as a mechanism to prevent the country from descending into chaos and could maintain order and ensure a peaceful transition to democracy.

The NCRI also has plans to establish Kurdish autonomy, provide religious and political freedom, and restore rights to women and ethnic minorities which have been cast aside by the clerical regime. These would address the pressing social and political issues that have caused the breakdown of social and political cohesion in Iran.

The days of the clerical regime’s reign of tyranny are numbered. No organization enjoys the necessary domestic and international support to usher in Iran’s new democratic era like the NCRI. It has the authority and necessary foresight to preserve order and ensure a bright, prosperous, democratic future for Iran.

Staff Writer