For the first time in over a century, since the 1907 Constitutional Revolution inspired by the French Revolution, the dream of freedom in Iran is within reach. The vision is strikingly clear: a secular republic based on the separation of religion and state, gender equality, the elimination of nuclear weapons, an end to executions, no compulsory hijab or forced religion, and no authoritarian rule. This vision also includes ethnic autonomy, peace with neighboring countries, and peaceful coexistence worldwide, reports 24brussels.
However, the journey to this vision has not been smooth. The Iranian people have endured staggering costs, with over 100,000 lives lost in their quest for freedom. Their resistance has faced brutal suppression, often coming perilously close to destruction. Yet, like a phoenix rising, the movement persists, aiming once again for the heights of freedom.
The religious dictatorship perceives its survival as reliant on the annihilation of Iran’s resistance—most notably the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), which plays a crucial role in this struggle. Today, thanks to the relentless resolve of the resistance, momentum is shifting. The theocratic regime teeters on the brink of collapse, challenged by a decentralized resistance network comprising thousands of grassroots cells nationwide, committed to achieving a brighter future for the Iranian people.
Amidst the suffering, executions, and even acts of genocide inflicted upon them, remnants of the old monarchy cling to delusion, imagining a return to royal dictatorship following the fall of religious tyranny. This mindset may explain Reza Pahlavi’s recent overtures to factions within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
On July 26, Pahlavi convened a meeting in Munich where he asserted to Politico that over 50,000 regime officials and military personnel have registered on a “secure platform” to support the overthrow of the clerical regime. He revealed that he is in talks with regime security and military elements regarding their potential role in dethroning religious leader Ali Khamenei and establishing a secular government.
From Shah to Mullah—and now from Mullah back to Shah?
This raises the question: is this the cruel irony of history? The answer is unequivocal: no. History does not reverse. The Pahlavi dictatorship cannot reclaim power on the backs of hundreds of thousands of freedom fighters, even if it is cloaked in a guise of modernism.
On July 31, Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition, addressed a Rome conference attended by numerous European and American officials. She reiterated the imperative to entirely reject the religious dictatorship in all its forms and factions. From the outset, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has reiterated the distinction between both the Shah and the Mullahs, as neither represents democracy.
Rajavi declared that the NCRI, grounded in four decades of resistance, sees freedom as the only measure of progress, allowing no discrimination based on belief. Every Iranian citizen—including those of faith and those without—must enjoy equal rights under the law.
Charles Michel, former Prime Minister of Belgium and President of the European Council (2019–2024), paid tribute to the Iranian Resistance, calling its courage an inspiration for democrats globally. He remarked, “Your courage, your energy, your resilience inspires all of us,” stressing that decades of oppression have failed to silence the Iranian people’s calls for freedom.
Pahlavi’s claims of establishing contacts with elements of the regime and the IRGC, supposedly to facilitate a transition to democracy, are a cynical act. Such actions only prolong the life of a theocratic regime that is on the verge of collapse. Just as he contributed to the derailment of the 2022 uprising, he now aims to sow confusion and uncertainty within the opposition to thwart the next movement for change.