Bipartisan lawmakers and international figures emphasize democratic change in Iran as executions, repression, and regional instability intensify.
A conference titled Support for the Struggle of the Iranian People for a Free and Democratic Republic was held at the Cannon Caucus Room of the U.S. Congress, underscoring the widening gap between Iran regime’s ruling system and both its own population and the international community.
The event brought together members of Congress from both the Republican and Democratic parties, alongside former senior military officials, to highlight the worsening human rights situation in Iran and the growing call for democratic change led by the Iranian people themselves.
The gathering featured a recorded message from Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), alongside speeches by a broad bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, reflecting a rare consensus on Iran policy rooted in human rights and democratic principles rather than accommodation of the ruling regime.
Iran’s Regime as a Source of Internal and Regional Crisis
In her address, Maryam Rajavi outlined the view that Iran’s ruling clerical system represents not only a threat to the Iranian population but also a persistent danger to regional and global security, particularly in the Middle East. She pointed to the sharp escalation in executions since the beginning of 2025, with reports indicating more than 2,000 executions in a single year. According to her assessment, at least 18 political prisoners currently face death sentences on charges linked to alleged support for the opposition, while thousands more remain imprisoned for political dissent or perceived affiliation with resistance networks.
Rajavi argued that the regime’s leadership, fully aware of its own fragility, views any form of retreat as accelerating collapse—a pattern historically associated with authoritarian systems in their final stages. From this perspective, she emphasized that regime change is the only viable solution to Iran’s deepening crises, while stressing that such change must be carried out exclusively by the Iranian people and their organized resistance, not through foreign intervention.
She further clarified that the resistance has never sought military involvement, funding, or arms from other countries. Instead, its expectation from the international community is political recognition of the Iranian people’s right to resist a regime that has devastated the country and systematically violated fundamental rights.
A Democratic Roadmap After the Regime
Rajavi presented a political roadmap centered on a peaceful transfer of power to the people through democratic mechanisms. This plan envisions nationwide elections for a constituent assembly within six months of regime change, tasked with drafting a new constitution and appointing a transitional government until the constitutional process is completed. She argued that recent developments inside Iran, particularly over the past six months, have rendered so-called reformist or transitional alternatives obsolete, leaving only two paths: continuation of the current regime with its repression, terrorism, and nuclear ambitions, or democratic change driven by the people and the resistance.
International Voices Reinforce the Same Message
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark echoed these concerns by highlighting that, despite signs of internal weakness, the Iranian regime has intensified repression against ordinary citizens and legitimate opposition forces. He emphasized that no foreign power can bring freedom to Iran and that only the Iranian people can achieve a democratic future. In this context, he underscored the importance of amplifying the Resistance’s ten-point plan as a credible alternative framework for Iran’s future, both internationally and within Iranian society.
Clark characterized this plan as a pathway not only toward freedom inside Iran but also toward peace and stability across the region, expressing appreciation for those who have worked persistently, inside and outside the country, to promote it.
Bipartisan Consensus in Congress
Several members of Congress described the Iranian regime as structurally hollow, arguing that its outward appearance of control masks deep internal decay. From their perspective, growing domestic resistance, international isolation, and internal corruption suggest a system awaiting a final shock. Lawmakers pointed to broad bipartisan support for congressional initiatives such as Resolution 166, which articulates a vision of an Iran free from both religious dictatorship and authoritarian rule, where sovereignty is returned to the people and equal rights are guaranteed regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity.
Speakers from both parties emphasized that while political disagreements persist on many issues in Washington, support for a democratic Iran represents a rare point of unity. Several noted that sustained sanctions, political pressure, and diplomatic isolation of the regime remain necessary tools to limit its military aggression, export of terrorism, and suppression of dissent.
Women’s Rights and Social Justice at the Core
Members of Congress also highlighted the central role of women in Iran’s resistance, stressing that the systematic denial of women’s rights under the current system stands in direct contradiction to universal human rights norms. The ten-point plan was repeatedly referenced as a framework that explicitly supports separation of religion and state, freedom of belief, and full gender equality across political, social, cultural, and economic spheres.
The emphasis on women’s leadership and participation was described as essential not only for democracy but for rebuilding a society devastated by decades of authoritarian rule.
A Regime Isolated, a People Determined
Other lawmakers reflected on decades of engagement with the Iranian resistance, describing the current moment as one in which the regime is weaker than at any point in the past forty years. They emphasized continued bipartisan backing for the Iranian people’s aspirations and reiterated opposition to nuclear proliferation, state-sponsored terrorism, and systematic human rights abuses by Tehran.
The conference concluded with a shared outlook that Iran’s future does not belong to its current rulers but to its people—an ancient civilization temporarily overshadowed by authoritarianism. From this perspective, the regime represents a passing chapter, while the struggle for a free and democratic Iran continues to gain strength, legitimacy, and international recognition.
