How my country, Iran, can become a peaceful, non-nuclear democratic republic
The Scotsman published an op-ed by Maryam Rajavi on January 27, 2026. The text appears below:
Gender equality, separation of religion and state, no death penalty, judicial independence, non-nuclear and peaceful – Iran can become a radically different country if the current brutal regime is ousted
In the course of the uprising that began in the final days of 2025, my compatriots across Iran flooded the streets and, with extraordinary courage and through the self-sacrifice of the brave sons and daughters of this nation, demonstrated to the world that they are prepared to pay any price to overthrow this regime and realise their aspirations for the establishment of a democratic, secular republic.
The central question facing Iran today is no longer whether the ruling regime will fall, but rather when it will fall, what will follow its collapse, and whether chaos will replace a century of monarchical and religious dictatorships.
The reality is that Iran, both its people and rulers, will not return to the pre-uprising status quo. The roots of discontent remain alive, and the regime’s boundless crimes have made society even more explosive. A return to the past for a country that has paid such a heavy human price exists only in the imagination of a regime that has exhausted its capacity for survival.
Iranian resistance to a brutal regime
Recent experiences clearly show that the ruling clerics’ system of ‘velayat-e faqih’ has become deeply eroded, hollow, and vulnerable. At the same time, it has laid bare a fundamental reality: the weakening of the regime will not automatically lead to its downfall.
Similarly, the ruling theocracy will neither collapse under external pressure nor be overthrown through foreign war. Regime change can only be achieved by the Iranian people themselves, through an organised, nationwide, and combat-ready resistance, one capable of confronting, in the field, one of the most brutal repressive apparatuses in the world today: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is precisely the mission to which the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) has been committed for the past 45 years, especially in recent years.
But the matter does not end there. Equally decisive is preparedness for the transitional period. For years, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has focused on political, legal, and executive preparation for the ‘day after’ the overthrow.
The existence of a recognised democratic alternative – with a clear programme and defined structure, alongside a deep-rooted and active network inside the country, and a broad network of scientists, specialists, and entrepreneurs inside and outside Iran – makes it possible to transfer of sovereignty from dictatorship to the people in an democratic, orderly, calm, systematic manner, without a power vacuum.
Free and fair elections
According to the council’s plans, immediately after the overthrow, a provisional government will be formed with a limited, transparent, and time-bound mandate to organise free, fair, and universal elections for a Constituent Assembly within six months at most.
With the formation of this assembly, whose mandate will not exceed two years, all political authority will be transferred to the people’s elected representatives to establish a provisional government and draft the constitution of the new Republic of Iran, which will then be submitted to a national referendum. This roadmap is not an abstract rhetoric; it is the product of decades of intellectual, legal, and practical work.
However, such preparedness is meaningless without a solid foundation inside the country. The MEK’s presence in Iran today is neither symbolic nor a matter of propaganda. During the January uprising, Resistance Units played a decisive role in expanding the protests, confronting oppressive forces, and protecting demonstrators – at the cost of many lives.
This presence is the result of more than six decades of unremitting struggle against two dictatorships: the Shah and the clerics. Some 100,000 members and supporters of this movement have been executed or died under torture.
In 1988, based on a fatwa issued by Khomeini, the regime’s then-supreme leader, all prisoners who remained steadfast and refused to renounce their beliefs were executed within a matter of weeks; 90 per cent of them were MEK members.
Supporting the resistance
During the recent uprising, organised youth played a central role in expanding the protests. By transmitting messages, linking local protests to national waves, sustaining the spirit of resistance, and raising the cost of repression, this network plays a pivotal role in the continuation and deepening of the uprisings.
The Council’s costly and practical commitment to democratic principles is the secret of its endurance as the longest-lasting coalition in Iran’s contemporary history. From the outset, it has rejected all forms of exclusivism, emphasising unity among forces committed to a republic.
The fundamental principles of a future Iran – complete gender equality, the separation of religion and state, the abolition of the death penalty, the independence of the judiciary, freedom of parties and media, recognition of the rights of Iran’s nationalities, and a non-nuclear, peace-seeking Iran – have been articulated in the Council’s Ten-Point Plan for a Free Iran, and presented to the Iranian people and the international community.
In contrast, others’ reliance on foreign military intervention or hopes for a ‘spontaneous implosion’ at the top of the IRGC constitute a dangerous illusion. The IRGC is the backbone of this regime, and its disintegration can only occur following a fundamental shift in the balance of forces in the field. It is only at that stage, and not before, that defections at the lower levels of the military acquire real significance.
Liberation through organised resistance
As long as this regime remains in power, it will never abandon repression, nor will it yield to reform or persuasion. Liberation can only come through an uprising and organised resistance.
While it must avoid military intervention, the international community has both the capacity and the responsibility to raise the cost of lawlessness for the regime. This includes blacklisting the IRGC, stripping its leaders of immunity, and prosecuting those responsible for crimes against humanity and genocide under universal jurisdiction.
Furthermore, the world must sever the regime’s financial lifelines, ensure free internet access, and, most importantly, recognise the right of Iranian youth and Resistance Units to confront the IRGC.
Maryam Rajavi is the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran for the transitional period to transfer sovereignty to the Iranian people. She is on X/Twitter @Maryam_Rajavi
