Maryam Rajavi: Iran’s Regime Is the Enemy of Its People

On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gathered for a second consecutive day outside the United Nations headquarters at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza for a majestic rally. Demonstrators raised their voices in protest against the presence of the representative of religious fascism, the godfather of executions, terrorism, and warmongering, demanding that the world hear their call.
A number of prominent U.S. officials, leaders of Iranian community organizations, and members of youth associations attended the rally, delivering speeches on the imperative for international action against political executions and the suppression of freedoms, while calling for the formal recognition of the Iranian people’s Resistance.
Among the key speakers were former U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former U.S. Ambassador Marc Ginsburg.

The gathering featured a video address by Maryam Rajavi. Addressing the international community, she declared:

“The time has come to listen to the voice of the Iranian people. The people of Iran want neither war nor dictatorship.”

She ultimately outlined the international community’s duty toward a regime that stands as an enemy to the Iranian people and a direct threat to regional and global peace and security.
Read the full text of the message to the rally below:

Maryam Rajavi: The Regime Ruling Iran Does Not Represent the Iranian People; It Is an Enemy of the People and Responsible for the Killing of Iran’s Young Generation

Dear fellow Iranians, Distinguished personalities,
I send my greetings to all of you who have gathered here today.
You have come to protest against the presence of the President and representative of the religious fascism in Iran and the Godfather of terrorism, execution and warmongering.
As leaders from around the world gather at the United Nations General Assembly, you have gathered to protest the occupation of Iran’s seat by the religious dictatorship.

Time to Listen to the Voice of the People of Iran

Today, your message to them is clear: The time has come to listen to the voice of the Iranian people.
The people of Iran want neither war nor dictatorship. They want freedom, a democratic republic, and the right to decide their own future.
The regime that rules Iran does not represent the Iranian people. It is an enemy of the people and responsible for the killing of Iran’s young generation.
It is also a threat to peace and security in the region and the world. The people of Iran are determined to end this dictatorship. As long as this regime stays in power, repression, executions, terrorism, and warmongering will continue. The ruling clerics are trying to shift attention away from the crisis inside Iran by creating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and across the region.
But the real battle is between the Iranian people and the organized Resistance, on one side, and the religious dictatorship on the other.

Regime Fears Iranian People’s Uprising

In recent days, the regime’s security forces have been placed on high alert.
The Revolutionary Guards have held two large military exercises in the streets of Tehran and 15 other cities across Iran.
Basij forces have been stationed at gas stations. The ruling clerics are deeply afraid of another uprising.
Rising prices have created serious social unrest across the country. Workers, nurses, the unemployed, and retirees have once again taken to the streets in daily protests.
At the same time, Resistance Units have carried out hundreds of anti-repression actions over the past two months.
Political prisoners have intensified their resistance. From behind prison walls, they are calling on the people to rise up and protest.
Yes, the ruling regime has never been weaker than it is today. The death of Khamenei has created deep instability within the regime.
An intense power struggle has gotten out of control among the ruling factions. Some members of the regime’s so-called parliament are calling for the removal of Pezeshkian the regime’s current president.
Others are demanding the trial of former president Rouhani.

The Clerical Regime Needs a Strategy of War and Repression

The clerical regime relies on war and repression as a matter of survival.
This strategy includes continuing conflict, increasing the activities of its proxy groups in the region, pursuing its nuclear weapons program, executing political prisoners, and raising prices.
But this strategy has deadly consequences for its very survival. Several major events taken place in Iran over the past year have significant importance.
They include two wars, a major uprising, a massacre, and the expansion of Resistance Units activities.
These events have revealed important facts in three areas.
– First, as the Iranian Resistance has emphasized for many years, this regime will not give up the pillars of its survival.
It will not stop repressing the Iranian people. It will not give up its nuclear program, its missile program, or its support for war and proxy groups in the region.
– Second, for many years it has been clear that appeasement of this regime does not work. It only encourages more human rights abuse and more warmongering.
– Third, over the past year, it has also become clear that war and foreign military intervention are not the solution to Iran’s problem. Neither war nor appeasement is the answer.
The solution is the overthrow of this regime by the people of Iran and their organized Resistance. This is a truth that we declared 22 years ago. Over the past year everyone has seen it for themselves.
Despite war and intense repression, the Iranian Resistance has continued to grow its organized network in cities across Iran.
The Resistance Units have also carried out major and unprecedented operations. The remnants of the former Shah’s dictatorship, who dreamed of taking Iran back to the past, have also received their answer.
They hoped to come to power through foreign military action or by repeating the Chalabi model in Iraq. Their plan was to bring back SAVAK, together with torture, repression, and military rule. That will never happen.
Yes, the solution for Iran is democratic change by the Iranian people and their organized Resistance. This change is within reach.
Today, we call on the international community to recognize the struggle of the Iranian people and youth against the IRGC to overthrow the regime, and to recognize the Provisional Government for Peace and Freedom proposed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, based on its Ten-Point Plan.
Long live freedom!
Long live the people of Iran!