Rome, July 31, 2025 – The International Free Iran Summit 2025 convened in Italy’s capital under the banner “No War, No Appeasement, Regime Change by the Iranian People, Organized Resistance.” Political leaders, lawmakers, former heads of state, diplomats, and human rights advocates from across the globe joined President-elect Maryam Rajavi and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to call for a democratic alternative to the ruling clerical regime in Iran.
A Global Call for Change
Senator Giulio Terzi, former Italian Foreign Minister, condemned the Iranian regime as a “terrorist state” and emphasized that “Iran with its regime is a pariah state. It must be completely isolated and neutralized.” He recounted the executions of over 30,000 MEK members in 1988 and the recent hangings of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, calling them “barbaric.” Terzi underscored the regime’s systemic use of the death penalty and called for the IRGC’s inclusion on international terrorist lists: “They must be banished from the international community and from every kind of business with Iran.” He also supported the Third Option: “Neither the Shah, nor the Mullahs.”
Charles Michel, former President of the European Council, praised the Iranian people’s “unbreakable resistance” and described the clerical regime as “weak, probably weaker than ever.” He warned against appeasement, stressing, “Silence is complicity,” and described the NCRI as the “only democratic alternative.” Citing the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, he noted, “The clerical dictators have pursued a deliberate strategy of exporting chaos… We cannot be blackmailed.”
Support from European and Western Leaders
Michèle Alliot-Marie, former French Foreign and Defense Minister, revisited the longstanding threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “No external military intervention can solve an internal political problem,” she said. “Only the Iranian people can decide their future… and such a project is what Maryam Rajavi carries.” She emphasized the need for Western governments to take a firm line: “Neither military intervention nor appeasement.”
Matteo Renzi, former Italian Prime Minister, highlighted the executions and repression in Iran: “What is happening in your beautiful country is unacceptable.” Supporting Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, he asserted, “The Ayatollah is not scary; he’s afraid… his time is over.” Renzi reaffirmed that the only path to freedom is “regime change by the people of Iran and their Resistance.”
James Cleverly, former UK Foreign Secretary, stressed that leadership “must come from its people” and rejected foreign imposition. “Iran is being held back by its current leadership,” he said, commending Iranian women and youth. “The international community should support them—not impose a solution.”
Economic, Judicial, and Strategic Perspectives
Carlo Cottarelli, Italian economist and former IMF official, painted a grim picture of Iran’s economic state: 40% inflation, near-zero GDP growth, and high unemployment. “This is not a sign of force; it’s a sign of weakness,” he said. “The solution is regime change… the transformation of Iran into a Democratic Republic.” He called the Ten-Point Plan “an excellent blueprint” for the future.
Lucio Malan, Italian Senator, linked support for the Iranian resistance with defending freedom worldwide: “When one person is not free, nobody is completely free.” He recalled the foiled 2018 terror plot in Paris and reaffirmed support for the Ten-Point Plan as a universal democratic platform.
Stephen Rapp, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, warned of the regime’s rising executions, comparing current trends to the 1988 massacre. “We need a campaign for justice… and international cooperation to ensure no safe haven for perpetrators,” he urged.
Transatlantic Support and Personal Witness
Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, sharply criticized appeasement and praised the NCRI’s resilience. He denounced Western complicity and argued, “The MEK is going to get there. Madame Rajavi is going to get there because you’re the only ones who’ve had the courage to stay with it all these years.”
Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian presidential candidate, spoke passionately of the regime’s defamation campaign against the MEK: “This campaign of demonization wasn’t rooted in facts. It was rooted in fear.” She emphasized, “The MEK is the only option.”
Carla Sands, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, celebrated the resistance’s strategy and grassroots support: “Thousands have formed Resistance Units… The regime is weak. The plan for succession is in place. The time is now.”
Linda Chavez, former White House Director of Public Liaison, urged action: “Regime change must happen now, and it must happen from the people of Iran.” She condemned both monarchy and theocracy: “We do not want SAVAK back. We do not want the Mullahs.”
Human Rights and Legal Accountability
Hans Ulrich Seidt, former German ambassador and policy expert, identified Iran’s collapsing economy and military vulnerabilities as signs of an imminent end: “The regime will come to an end, and your struggle and your sacrifices will not have been in vain.” He stressed the NCRI’s role as “the most dangerous opponent” in the regime’s eyes.
Javaid Rehman, former UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, condemned the execution of political prisoners: “The regime has weaponized the death penalty… to repress and instill fear.” He noted “real fears of mass executions” and warned, “The international community failed to act in 1988. It must not fail again.”
The Momentum for a Free Iran
Across the political spectrum and geographic borders, speaker after speaker affirmed a common message: regime change in Iran must come from within, by the Iranian people and their organized resistance, and the world must stand with them. The NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan, a secular, democratic, non-nuclear vision for Iran, was upheld as the alternative to dictatorship and chaos.
The summit ended not with appeals for military intervention, but with a united demand for dignity, freedom, and justice—and an unmistakable sense that history is turning.
“This is time for democracy. This is time for justice. This is time for peace. This is time for a free Iran.” — Matteo Renzi
