You have been at this a long time. Why have you committed decades to overthrowing the Ayatollah and the Islamist regime?

You have been at this a long time. Why have you committed decades to overthrowing the Ayatollah and the Islamist regime?

I believe that above all else, it stems from love for the freedom of the Iranian people. I believe every human being has the right to live freely and equally, and the Iranian people have been denied that right. During the Shah’s era, there was much poverty, corruption, and an absolute dictatorship. That was deeply motivating for me to enter this struggle. Under Khomeini, this compounded, as both repression and injustice intensified. I witnessed many atrocities committed against women, girls, and young people in this society. As a result, I had immense motivation to continue this struggle until we reach a free and equal society. One in which women and youth are no longer forced to pay such a heavy price through sacrifice and suffering, but instead can devote their energy to building the Iran of tomorrow.

Here, I would like to show you a book. One that contains 20,000 names of Iran’s finest sons and daughters. This is but a brief snapshot of the young people who were martyred by this regime. In total, there are 120,000 names. I believe these crimes alone are enough to motivate any free human being to fight this regime and to make it impossible to live a normal life under its shadow. I am therefore more determined than ever to continue on this path.

I want to add one sentence in particular. During Khomeini’s era, what occurred was that the clerical regime under Khomeini, and later Khamenei, committed all of its crimes in the name of God, religion, and Islam. This was the greatest treachery the mullahs committed against Islam, religion, and God. That is why we had to expose them and why we continue to expose them, because this is their greatest crime. One that has plunged the entire region into crisis.

You have been at this a long time. Why have you committed decades to overthrowing the Ayatollah and the Islamist regime? #Iran pic.twitter.com/1x4fRivmz3

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 26, 2026