In Rome, Iran’s biggest dissident group again calls for world to increasingly isolate Iranian regime

The head of Iran’s biggest dissident group on Thursday renewed calls for the global community to increasingly isolate the Iranian regime, while key U.S. and European figures backed the push for a secular, democratic alternative for the country.

Speaking at the Free Iran World Summit in the Italian capital, National Council of Resistance of Iran leader Maryam Rajavi called for the current Islamic theocratic government in Iran to be toppled, but warned against a return to a monarchy, which ruled Iran until its fall in 1979.

“For 120 years, the Iranian people’s resistance has waged a persistent struggle for freedom, against both the Shah and the mullahs,” Rajavi declared to a full auditorium at Rome’s Palazzo dei Congressi, referring to the deposed Iranian king and the clerics now running the country, respectively.

In a 25-minute address interrupted multiple times by chants of “We won’t give in” and “Victory of ours,” Rajavi said the global community must isolate Iran. “We are on the threshold of a profound change shaped by the Iranian people,” Rajavi said.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, best known as the NCRI, is an umbrella coalition of opposition groups that acts as a parliament in exile for Iran. It is the political wing of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, best known as MEK.

In addition to Rajavi, the prominent figures in attendance in Rome included Charles Michel, a former Belgian prime minister who was president of the European Council until last year; former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City; and former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi.

The third edition of the summit took place amid rising global tensions surrounding Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. In recent months, Iran-backed groups have escalated their actions across the region, with Hezbollah exchanging fire with Israeli forces along the northern border, the Houthis targeting Red Sea shipping routes, and Hamas locked in a protracted war with Israel in Gaza.

Terzi opened the summit with references to the 1979 revolution that dethroned the shah and established the current regime, and to 1988, when Iran reportedly executed as many as 30,000 political prisoners, most of them members or supporters of MEK.

“The time has finally come for justice to be served,” Terzi said. “Iran must be blacklisted. The regime should have no place in the international community.”

Michel, whose term as president of the European Council ended only eight months ago, expressed strong support for the NCRI’s mission against the Iranian regime.

“The spirit of resistance in Iran is louder and stronger than ever,” Michel said. “The clerical regime fears you because it knows you are organized, credible, and you represent the future.”

Renzi, the most high-profile figure on hand from host Italy, said that recent developments including reported Israeli air strikes against Iran in June showed the ruling regime in Iran has been crippled and is primed to be ousted.

“We now understand how weak the regime is now, that the Ayatollah is afraid, that he knows his time is over,” Renzi said.

The former head of government for Italy said that European powers misunderstood the turmoil that overthrew the shah in 1979 and led to the establishment of the current regime. “We cannot afford to be mistaken again,” Renzi said.

Of all the speakers, Giuliani has been an NCRI backer the longest, recalling his first address to the group 16 years ago.

On Thursday, Giuliani, who was an attorney for President Trump in his firsrt term, thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what Giuliani said was a “cleaning out” Iran’s proxies in the Middle East, saying Netanyahu “showed what a paper tiger Iran was.”

“We’re getting close, I hope and pray we’re getting close,” he said during long and wide-reaching remarks. “What’s important is that MEK is the one group that hasn’t backed off, that hasn’t looked the other way.”

In a moment of comic relief, an official handed Giuliani a note as he spoke. A moment later, Giuliani held up the sheet of paper and said: “I guess I’ve been speaking too long. I have to stop.”

A day earlier, NCRI officials spoke at a special conference held at the Italian Parliament, with a roll call of speakers that included Michel, Terzi, and several leading Italian lawmakers.

According to NCRI officials, Italy is one of more than 40 national and regional legislatures to have adopted measures critical of the Iranian regime and in support of NCRI and MEK.