Maryam Rajavi Calls on Germany to Back Iran’s Fight for Freedom

Iran: Reign of Terror, Popular Uprisings, and the Role of Europe

Honorable Members of the German Parliament,
Distinguished guests,
Thank you for your attention to Iran and to the organized resistance of the Iranian people.
Despite the growing repression and the rising number of executions, important changes are taking place on the people’s front in Iran.
These developments point to the progress of the democratic solution in Iran.
On September 6, tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in Brussels for the 60th founding anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). They called for the overthrow of the clerical regime and the establishment of a democratic republic.
Two days ago, Iranians from many U.S. states held a rally in New York, making the same demands. In Brussels and New York, these Iranians echoed the voice of people inside Iran who, in these days, are protesting in their cities.

Iranian Resistance Revealed the Regime’s Nuclear Bomb Program

We also see another important development. Resistance Units are expanding their actions in Tehran and other cities.
These activities, inside Iran and abroad, reflect the message of tens of millions of Iranians.
They want change.
In the annual statement of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, it was stated, “In one year, the Resistance Units carried out close to 3,000 anti-repression operations and more than 35,000 acts of resistance. In this way, they kept the flame of perseverance, progress, and uprising alive in all 31 provinces of the country.”

Honorable guests,
The current situation in Iran is truly exceptional. Thirty-four years ago, we warned about the regime’s nuclear weapons project. In 2002, we revealed the regime’s main secret nuclear sites.
Over the past 34 years, the Iranian Resistance has made 133 revelations about the regime’s nuclear project. These efforts blocked the regime’s path to building a bomb.
Without the role of the Iranian Resistance, the world today would face a fundamentalist regime armed with nuclear weapons. But the policy of appeasement allowed the regime to continue and move closer to nuclear weapons, which led to the recent 12-day war and has now created an unstable “no-war-no-peace” situation.
Re-activating the snapback mechanism and restoring United Nations sanctions, although long overdue, is a very necessary step. But will it end the present crisis?
The answer is no, because none of the causes that led to that war have been resolved.
On September 23, Ali Khamenei, the regime’s leader said, “We increased uranium enrichment to 60 percent, which is a very high level. We need it for some of our country’s requirements. We are one of only 10 countries in the world with this ability…. Of course, there has been a lot of pressure on us to stop, but we did not surrender, and we will not surrender.” He said the only solution for his regime is to build strength, in the military, science, government and in its overall structure.”
On the other hand, the fate of more than 400 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium remains unknown. The nuclear talks are also at a standstill.

Everything is uncertain and unclear. There is no clear solution in sight.

Iranian People’s Confrontation with the Clerical Regime

The West must accept either that Iran’s religious fascism will take the final step toward building a nuclear weapon or inevitably face war. However, this is a false choice.
It is false because it ignores the real equation in Iran. The real equation is the conflict between the people of Iran and the clerical regime.
Since the nationwide uprising in 2017-2018, the people of Iran have shown strongly that they seek to overthrow the regime. They have expressed their historic demand through an organized resistance.
Today, in every province of Iran, the real confrontation is clear. On one side stands the Revolutionary Guards, the IRGC. On the other side is a rebellious force that acts daily against repression.
Western governments have ignored this reality for many years. Yet this same resistance is the real solution to the issue of Iran.
Today, European policy favors imposing more sanctions on the regime, which is very crucial. However, this policy will not get anywhere, either, as long as it is not coupled with support for a democratic solution.

The Real Solution Is at Hand

Today, a real and fundamental solution is within reach. This solution will stop the mullahs from getting the bomb, prevent their regional aggression, and avoid war.
The solution is the overthrow of the regime by the people of Iran and their organized resistance.
At the heart of the regime’s positions and strategic policies is a fear of the uprising and its driving force, the PMOI.

Last month, on Khamenei’s orders, two PMOI members—Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani—were hanged.
Right now, 14 other members and supporters of the PMOI face death sentences.
Some of them have been condemned to death twice.
The sham trial of the PMOI and 104 members and leaders of this movement, in their absence, on charges of “waging war against the regime,” have continued for two years.
Last month, Khamenei expressed deep fear of the Resistance Units, calling them “sleeping cells of the PMOI,” and warned of their plan to spark an uprising and bring down the regime.
For 21 years, we have declared that neither appeasement of this regime nor foreign war or intervention will work. The only solution is regime change by the people of Iran and their organized resistance. This is the correct, real, and necessary path.
It serves not only the people of Iran but also world peace and security.
It is time for Germany and all European Union governments to recognize the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow this regime.
They must not further delay placing the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on their terror lists.
They should also acknowledge the legitimacy of Iran’s rebellious youth in their fight against the IRGC.