Without dismantling the IRGC, meaningful change remains an illusion
One of the most persistent analytical errors regarding Iran is the expectation of a spontaneous collapse of the ruling system. This assumption overlooks a central reality: the survival of the ruling theocracy is structurally inseparable from the survival of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). As long as this system of repression remains intact, the regime will not fall. Regime change in Iran is therefore not an accident waiting to happen; it is a project—one that requires the dismantling of the repression apparatus through organized resistance and sustained uprising.
Unlike classical authoritarian systems, Iran’s ruling religious fascism is devoid of any internal mechanism for reform or self-correction. The idea that it can gradually evolve, moderate, or collapse from within only serves one function: extending the lifespan of tyranny. Real transformation becomes possible only when an organized, combative force inside Iran is capable of confronting the IRGC’s military-security machine and altering the balance of power on the ground.
Another widely promoted fear—often amplified deliberately—is the specter of “Syrianization” or post-regime chaos. This narrative seeks to paralyze society by presenting dictatorship as the lesser evil. The answer to this fear does not lie in vague assurances, but in concrete preparedness. In this regard, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) stands out as the only political force that has systematically prepared for the moment of transition. After decades of struggle, no other Iranian political entity demonstrates comparable organizational, political, or operational readiness.
This preparedness is not rhetorical. It includes a nationwide network of professionals inside and outside Iran, alongside a clearly articulated legal and executive framework for the transfer of power. According to this plan, immediately after the regime’s overthrow, a provisional government would assume responsibility for organizing elections for a Constituent Assembly within six months. That assembly would then draft a new constitution to be submitted to a national referendum. This structured roadmap marks the fundamental difference between a blind revolt and an organized revolution—between chaos and a deliberate handover of sovereignty from a dictator to the people.
A core component of the regime’s psychological warfare is the claim that organized resistance exists only outside Iran’s borders. This assertion is demonstrably false. The presence of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) inside Iranian society is not symbolic; it is tangible and deeply rooted in over six decades of resistance and the sacrifice of more than 100,000 lives, including the victims of the 1988 prison massacre. Even the regime itself has been forced to acknowledge this reality—however reluctantly.
Today, the Resistance Units operating in more than 220 cities across Iran are the living embodiment of this presence. These units do more than channel protests and connect localized grievances into nationwide waves of unrest. They directly undermine the regime’s narrative that Iran faces fragmentation or foreign-driven disintegration. Through disciplined organization and a culture of sacrifice, they dramatically raise the cost of repression for the IRGC. Functioning as the nervous system of the uprising, they sustain the spirit of resistance during the darkest moments of repression and relay precise field intelligence to the outside world.
Ultimately, Iran stands before a historic choice. Should change be entrusted to the illusion of an implosion that will never come? Or should it rest on a fighting force that possesses both the capacity to dismantle the IRGC and a coherent plan for the day after? The hard reality on the ground is clear: without nationwide organization and boundless sacrifice, the machinery of repression will not retreat.
Iran’s path to freedom runs through the dismantling of organized state violence by organized popular resistance. This is the path the National Council of Resistance has paved through its internal networks—to ensure that the dawn of freedom marks not the beginning of anarchy, but the opening of a new era grounded in law, accountability, and the sovereign will of the Iranian people.
