The mullahs are desperate: Now’s the time for regime change

The Iranian regime is at its most vulnerable point in decades. Faced with mounting internal dissent after four major nationwide uprisings in the past seven years, growing international isolation, severe blows to their regional strategy, and tightening economic and diplomatic pressure by the international community, the mullahs in Tehran are racing against time. Their desperate push to accelerate their nuclear weapons project is not a show of strength but a sign of profound weakness. Now, Iran’s nuclear ambitions are once again at the forefront of global security concern.

For years, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has warned that Iran’s nuclear program is not meant for peaceful purposes. Tehran has systematically deceived the world while working toward nuclear weapons capability. The West is gradually recognizing this reality.

On Feb. 4, President Trump signed a new memorandum reinstating the ‘Maximum Pressure’ policy.

This move will further restrict Iran’s access to financial markets, intensify sanctions on individuals and entities tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and prevent the regime from acquiring the resources needed to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

According to news reports, Trump’s order, among other things, orders the U.S. treasury secretary to impose “maximum economic pressure” on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions!

The Iranian people, who have long suffered under the brutal dictatorship, have shown unwavering resilience. Over the past four decades, 120,000 political activists, the overwhelming majority of them affiliated with the main Iranian resistance movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), have been executed. Inside Iran, protests have erupted in nearly every major city. From factory workers to teachers, students to retirees, all have taken to the streets demanding change. The regime’s response has been predictably violent – mass arrests, torture and executions. But this has not deterred the Iranian people; it has only made them more determined.

Iran’s accelerated nuclear ambitions: A sign of desperation

A recent U.S. intelligence assessment confirmed what the NCRI has been exposing for years: Iran is fast-tracking its development of a nuclear weapon. Tehran knows that it may not have the luxury of time. With growing internal unrest and external pressures mounting, the regime is desperate for leverage. By rapidly assembling a nuclear capability, it hopes to blackmail the international community into easing sanctions and granting concessions.

For too long, world leaders have played into this strategy. Iran’s leadership understands that nuclear brinkmanship creates panic in diplomatic circles. It uses the threat of weapons development to extract favorable deals from Western negotiators. But history has proven that such negotiations only embolden the regime. The 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) failed to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions; it merely gave the regime financial resources to suppress the Iranian people and to fund further instability across the region.

The Free Iran Rally: A global call to action

As the world is grappling to define a correct policy on Iran, thousands of Iranians and supporters of democracy will gather in Paris Feb. 8 for the Free Iran Rally. The event, organized by the NCRI, is not just another protest – it is a powerful declaration that the Iranian people reject the dictatorships of both the shah and the mullahs and demand democratic change. They support the 10-point plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, for a free, democratic republic, which calls for separation of government and religion, gender equality, coexistence with the rest of the world and a non-nuclear Iran.

Among those attending will be former political prisoners, activists and international political leaders who recognize that the time for decisive action is now. This rally will shine a spotlight on the Iranian people’s struggle and serve as a counterweight to the regime’s propaganda. It will remind world leaders that appeasement is not an option – only a free, democratic Iran can bring stability to the region.

The rally will also focus on exposing Iran’s human-rights abuses. Over the past year alone, Tehran has dramatically increased its executions, many of them targeting political dissidents. The victims of this repression are not criminals; they are teachers, students and journalists who have dared to speak out. The Free Iran Rally will amplify their voices to the world.

Why this matters now

The world faces a critical decision: Will it continue to ignore Iran’s nuclear ambitions and human-rights violations, or will it stand with the Iranian people in their quest for freedom? The NCRI has long argued that the only sustainable solution is regime change from within by the Iranian people and the organized resistance. The Iranian people have proven they are ready for this change, but the international community has a duty to stand on their side.

The Free Iran Rally will make clear that the Iranian people, not the mullahs, should determine their nation’s future. The international community must take concrete action and stand on the side of Iran’s democratic opposition and prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear capability. It is time to act decisively.

The Iranian regime is on borrowed time. Internal unrest is growing, its economy is in shambles, and its nuclear ambitions are being exposed. The NCRI and the Free Iran movement are leading the charge.

The days of appeasement must end. The Iranian people are ready for change. It is time for the international community to stand with them.