At the Free Iran 2026 conference in Paris, Maryam Rajavi said that peace, freedom, and a non-nuclear Iran can only be achieved through the overthrow of the clerical regime by the Iranian people and their organized Resistance.
Speaking at the Free Iran 2026 conference in Paris on June 20, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), declared that the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom has entered a decisive stage and that the clerical regime has reached its “final stop.”
Addressing thousands of supporters on the 45th anniversary of the June 20, 1981 nationwide uprising and the founding of the National Liberation Army of Iran, Rajavi said that four and a half decades of resistance against religious dictatorship remain the greatest asset of the Iranian people.
Maryam Rajavi’s speech At the Free Iran 2026 conference in Paris
“Forty-five years of uninterrupted resistance by an entire people against the monster of religious tyranny constitute our greatest asset in the struggle for freedom,” she said.
“The Regime’s Final Stop”
Rajavi argued that the ruling system is facing unprecedented weakness and internal divisions following recent developments.
Referring to the succession of power within the ruling establishment, she described the regime as a collapsing structure incapable of escaping its ultimate fate.
“To the remnants of this regime, we say: whichever path you choose, uprising and overthrow await you,” she declared.
She emphasized that executions, repression, and military force would not be capable of stopping a nationwide uprising.
“Against the rebellious youth and the rebellious cities of Iran, your missile cities are powerless,” Rajavi said.
Peace and Freedom, Not War
A central theme of Rajavi’s speech was the distinction between the Iranian people and the regime’s policies of war and nuclear ambitions.
She reiterated that the Iranian Resistance welcomes any agreement that ends war and relieves the suffering of the Iranian people, while stressing that Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional intervention has always served as a tool for preserving the regime.
“The pursuit of nuclear weapons, warmongering, and interference in the affairs of neighboring countries are integral to this religious dictatorship’s strategy for survival,” she said.
Rajavi argued that neither foreign military intervention nor negotiations with the regime have succeeded in addressing the threat posed by Iran’s ruling establishment.
“Over the past four decades, neither negotiations nor war have provided an answer to the threat posed by religious fascism,” she stated.
She added that a peaceful and non-nuclear Iran can only emerge through democratic change led by the Iranian people themselves.
“A peaceful, non-nuclear Iran is possible only through the overthrow of this regime by the Iranian people and their organized Resistance.”
“There Is Only One Way to Save Iran”
Rajavi described the clerical regime as a system trapped in a dead end, unable to resolve the deep economic and social crises facing the country.
She pointed to widespread poverty and economic hardship, saying millions of Iranians have been pushed into desperate conditions.
“It is a regime that has condemned tens of millions of Iranians to hunger,” she said.
According to Rajavi, meaningful change can only come through a democratic revolution.
“There is only one way—one way alone—to save the people of Iran: the overthrow of this vile regime through a democratic revolution.”
Resistance Units and the Force for Change
Rejecting both foreign intervention and efforts to promote what she called “artificial alternatives,” Rajavi argued that the real force for change already exists inside Iran.
“The path to Iran’s freedom is not a foreign war. Nor is it waiting for the regime to collapse of its own accord,” she said.
“The real force for change is on the ground.”
She highlighted the activities of Resistance Units inside Iran, citing hundreds of operations against regime institutions during recent nationwide protests and describing them as evidence of a growing organized movement for change.
Rajavi also renewed her defense of the National Liberation Army of Iran, quoting NCRI leader Massoud Rajavi’s longstanding position that “The Army of Freedom is the only path to freedom.”
Criticism of Monarchist Groups
Rajavi devoted part of her speech to criticizing monarchist factions, accusing them of serving the interests of the ruling establishment by attempting to divert anti-regime protests.
She referred to reports cited by French authorities concerning threats against the June 20 gathering and alleged efforts by monarchist groups to obstruct demonstrations organized by the Iranian Resistance.
“Remnants of the Shah’s regime are accomplices and instruments of the religious dictatorship in the face of the Iranian people and Resistance,” she said.
Rajavi reiterated the NCRI’s longstanding slogan of rejecting both forms of dictatorship.
“The real force for change” consists of those who say “No to both the Shah and the mullahs,” she added.
Vision for a Democratic Republic
Looking toward the future, Rajavi outlined the NCRI’s vision for a democratic republic based on popular sovereignty, free elections, and peaceful coexistence with neighboring countries.
She said Iran’s future depends on replacing both religious and monarchical dictatorship with democratic governance.
“Yes, Iran’s future, and peace and freedom in Iran, lie in the establishment of a democratic republic,” she said.
Rajavi highlighted the NCRI’s proposal for a provisional government that would organize elections for a constituent assembly and transfer sovereignty to the Iranian people within six months.
A Pledge to the Iranian People
Concluding her speech, Rajavi paid tribute to political prisoners, victims of the 1988 massacre, and generations of activists who have sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom.
She described their sacrifices as a binding commitment on the Resistance movement.
“My commitment is an unbreakable covenant to secure freedom for all the people of Iran—regardless of their ethnicity, political conviction, beliefs, religion, or creed,” she said.
Vowing to continue the struggle until the establishment of a free Iran, Rajavi concluded:
“This is my pledge, and it is our pledge. Our covenant with the martyrs who fell for freedom. Our covenant with the people of Iran. Our covenant with Massoud Rajavi—until our last breath, until our last drop of blood.”
