Coalition to topple Iranian regime gains momentum, amid fall of Assad, US, Israel bombings in Iran

The recent Free Iran World Summit in Italy was repeatedly interrupted by chants from the packed crowd including, “Bound by the blood of the fallen, we remain unyielding to the end.” But with escalating tensions in the Middle East, Western sentiment appears to be shifting toward groups like the National Council of Resistance of Iran that call for overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The chants at last week's summit – repeated not only by members of the Iranian diaspora on hand at Rome’s Palazzo dei Congressi but also via video link by many hundreds more at Ashraf-3, the headquarters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) in Albania – are common at rallies organized by NCRI, a Paris-based coalition that sees itself as an Iranian government in exile and the political wing of the Iranian dissident group MEK. 

But the roster of international figures supporting the NCRI has grown broader and more senior, and mainstream media coverage more significant, even in Italy, which has not traditionally played a central role in Iran-related diplomacy.

As a result, the NCRI’s long-standing message that the world must stop what it called an “appeasement strategy” toward Tehran and support the rights of Iranians to overthrow the ruling Iranian regime appears to be gaining momentum.

“The regime is weak,” NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi said in Rome, speaking before a towering LED screen that showed scenes from Ashraf-3 and “Free Iran” banners. “It survives through terror, executions, and foreign aggression. But change is coming, and we are ready for it.”

In addition to Rajavi, the summit featured remarks from several high-profile political figures, including Charles Michel, a former President of the European Council; former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; Michele Alliot-Marie, a former French minister who held the defense, interior, foreign affairs, and justice portfolios; James Cleverly, a former Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary in the U.K.; and former New York Mayor and Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

“Iran’s dictatorship is afraid, and it’s facing a credible alternative,” said Michel, who left his European Council role in December. “Change is coming.”

The program was broadcast live to Ashraf-3, where attendees sat in neat rows and in uniform dress. It was also translated in real time for those in attendance in Rome into English, Italian, French and Farsi.

“Meetings like this fit into the trend of recognizing the importance and the complexities of the situation in Iran,” Hans-Ulrich Seidt, a veteran German diplomat who has served as his country’s ambassador to Afghanistan and South Korea, told Just the News. Seidt is an example of a recent convert among NCRI supporters, learning about the organization after the fall of the Assad regime after half a century in power in Syria late last year.

“What happened in Syria … that could happen in Iran,”  Seidt said. “It’s clear that the mullahs’ regime cannot stand, and that the NCRI is the only democratic alternative.”

The U.S. State Department calls Iran’s Islamic government "the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and has spent billions of dollars bankrolling terrorist proxies while neglecting the needs of Iranian citizens at home."

President Trump said in his first term: "The future of Iran belongs to its people. They are the rightful heirs to a rich culture and an ancient land. And they deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history, and glory to God."

In early June, Israel began bombing nuclear facilities and other sites across Iran. And the two countries have been trading deadly attacks since then. Later in the month, the U.S. military launched a series of coordinated bombing attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities – marking a major escalation of the ongoing Middle East conflicts.