Iran Is Ready For Change – OpEd

At the Free Iran 2023 World Summit, Ivan Stefanec, Member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, said, “I do believe that for changes, there are three conditions: leadership, plan and people. We have great leadership of madame Rajavi, yourself, we have ten point planned and we have a lot of people who have freedom at the bottom of their heart. So, I do believe that change is coming. Long live free Iran. We stand by you all in the European Parliament.”

In this very short statement, Stefanec summarized the conditions of Iran, the prospects for change, and the reason behind the growing support for the Iranian Resistance. It is worth examining these closely related conditions a bit more closely.

Mrs. Rajavi symbolizes the leadership role of the Iranian Resistance. But far from being a single individual, she is backed by decades of organized resistance and the sacrifices of thousands of resistance members.

In this regard, General Wesley Clark, The 12th Supreme Allied Commander Europe and U.S. Presidential Candidate in 2004, said, “Mrs. Rajavi, I want to congratulate you on your leadership as someone who’s spent his life in leadership, teaching it, learning, and practicing it. It’s incredible what you’re doing and what you will accomplish in the future, the 10-point plan, and the strength of this organization. Only an organization such as yours can survive and win this struggle. It’s not for the weak-hearted. But only an organization such as yours should prevail. Because you’ve got the right values, the right approach, and the right plans.”

Senator Joseph Lieberman, Former Member of the U.S. Senate, said, “No movement can succeed without a great leader. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi is a great leader. She is principled and persistent, she has a clear vision of the future. She is an extraordinary planner and leader of a movement. She’s inspiring.”

The power and qualification of leaders can be measured by their capacity to plan and organize. This means that for achieving victory, what program do they have, what is their organization, and what are the tools they have at their disposal?

In this regard, Senator Robert Torricelli said, “What does a revolutionary movement require? Dogged determination, incredible focus, and the willingness to pay any price to bring change. It requires people who are completely committed to a cause. I just defined the MEK. It requires resources because it takes time and it takes money. It takes depth. It takes people who are willing to sacrifice their own resources. I just defined the MEK.  It takes a leadership that will pay any price and has a vision for the future, not only what they want to destroy but what they want to create. I just defined Mrs. Rajavi and the 10-point plan.”

The other key aspect of change is the people. In the uprisings of 2022-2023, the people of Iran made it clear that they do not want this regime and they are willing to make great sacrifices for freedom. This is a people that in four decades of organized resistance have made great sacrifices. Its will and determination is symbolized in the activities of the brave Resistance Units and rebellious youth who are challenging the regime in every city, town, street, and alley.

In this regard, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said, “Resistance units in Iran are the wellspring of hope for the Iranian people. They’re the engine for change from within during uprisings and continued protests. And every day they gain strength while the regime withers.”

And former Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, “It is not a question of whether, it’s only a question of when this regime will fall. The resistance will win, a brighter day for the Iranian people is on the horizon and a new government will do great things for Iran and the Iranian people… The revolution that’s taking place across Iran right now is strong and it’s very well organized. It’s happening because of the courage and the bravery of literally the thousands of the resistance units in every corner and every town throughout Iran.”

When put together, these factors make change inevitable in Iran. This is a revolution that has been decades in the making.