Speaking on June 21 at the second day of the Free Iran 2026 World Summit in Paris, former White House Director of Public Liaison Linda Chavez delivered a passionate address calling for the empowerment of the Iranian people in their quest for freedom. In her remarks, Chavez admitted she arrived at the summit feeling a sense of deep pessimism and “shame,” prompted by recent international policy developments regarding the clerical regime of Iran and restrictions placed on planned demonstrations in France.
However, Chavez noted that the speeches from international leaders—specifically citing the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the historical precedents of democratic revolutions—rekindled her resolve. Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, she drew parallels between the American Revolution and the current struggle for Iranian liberation.
Chavez emphasized a critical tenet of the NCRI movement: that democracy cannot be successfully imposed from the outside through military intervention alone. She echoed the sentiments of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, asserting that the path forward lies in returning sovereignty directly to the Iranian people rather than merely replacing one government with another. Chavez concluded with a firm commitment to the cause, pledging to continue standing with the Iranian resistance in their pursuit of a free and democratic Iran.
Excerpts of Linda Chavez‘s speech follow:
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you to the people who are joining us from Ashraf [3]. It was such a delight for me to be there with you two times, so I welcome you here.
Thank you, Mrs. Rajavi. You give us courage and you give us inspiration.
I have to tell you, when I got on the airplane on Thursday night to come here, at Dulles, I had a heavy heart. I was filled with pessimism.
Each of the last few years that we have come here, and especially within the last year, we have seen victory right on the horizon. We believed that there was going to be regime change and that it was going to come this year.
I was very, very worried about coming here and addressing you and facing you.
But then I got here and I got even worse news. It was not a cheerful coming in. I received news that France—one of the hearts of democracy and the rights of man—had decided to close down [the] rally where people were going to express their support for the Iranian people.
I came into the room yesterday, and I listened to the speakers. First, I listened to the former foreign minister of Ukraine, Mr. Kuleba. The Ukrainian people always inspire me.
When he talked about how, when the Ukrainian people were invaded by Russia, everyone wrote it off. It was going to be over in a few weeks.
They were going to march into Kyiv and destroy the government there, and the Ukrainian people would once again be absorbed in what used to be the Soviet Union, which, in the hearts of people like former KGB agent Vladimir Putin, still aspires to that.
But that hasn’t happened. The Ukrainian people fought for their freedom. They are the ones who rose up and protected themselves.
I listened to former Prime Minister Roman from Romania, and I remembered he talked about Ceaușescu’s death and the people rising up.
I thought about the United States of America. This is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. My ancestors actually fought in that war. I’m the sixth great-granddaughter of Israel Keith, who became an adjutant general in the American Revolution.
@chavezlinda : "@Maryam_Rajavi inspires us deeply. Overthrowing a regime does not mean transferring it to someone else. It is about returning true sovereignty directly to the Iranian people. We stand with you until the very end."#OurChoiceMaryamRajavi #FreeIran2026 pic.twitter.com/UMTLXdswX3
— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) June 22, 2026
They took on the greatest power in the world—our friends now, the United Kingdom. We broke away because we wanted our freedom. And we did it with farmers, with laborers, with intellectuals, all of the people coming together to fight for our freedom.
I heard Mrs. Rajavi talk about what is ahead of us. She wasn’t pessimistic. She wasn’t down, she wasn’t depressed.
She gives us hope, because she rightly says you cannot impose freedom by dropping bombs. It was useful. We did destroy, or at least cover up, the nuclear material. We did destroy the air force. We did sink the navy. But it isn’t enough, and it cannot be imposed from the outside.
What has to happen is the Iranian people have to stand up and fight. And I know that the people in this room, the people in Ashraf [3], [and] the diaspora around the world are willing to do that.
She said a very important thing today, too, and that is that you can overturn power in a government, but you don’t do it by turning over that government to someone else. You return sovereignty to the Iranian people.
And that is what we are here for, and that is what we will continue to fight for, and I will be with you all the way. Thank you very much.