September 2022 marked a turning point in Iran’s modern history. The brutal killing of Jina (Mahsa) Amini at the hands of the morality police ignited a nationwide uprising that quickly spread to more than 280 cities across the country. What began with chants of “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator” outside Kasra Hospital in Tehran became a tidal wave of defiance that shook the foundations of the clerical regime. The 2022 uprising was not merely a spontaneous protest, it was rooted in four decades of relentless resistance, underscoring once again the inevitability of regime change in Iran.
The uprising revealed two critical truths. First, it demonstrated that Iranian society had entered an irreversible phase of rebellion. No amount of repression could return the country to the status quo ante. Second, it validated the strategy of organized resistance, showing that confronting the regime requires organizational structure. The daily activities of the MEK’s Resistance Units played a decisive role in expanding protests and breaking the wall of fear. The nationwide slogan “No to the Shah, No to the mullahs” embodied the people’s unequivocal rejection of all forms of dictatorship, be it monarchic tyranny or the mullahs’ theocracy.
The clerical regime responded with its hallmark brutality. 750 protesters were killed and more than 40,000 were arrested. Entire communities—from Zahedan to Kurdistan—witnessed massacres. Universities and high schools became battlegrounds, with students facing batons, bullets, and imprisonment. Yet, despite this repression, the fire of resistance did not die.
The 2022 Uprising: A Point of No Return for #Iran’s Political Landscapehttps://t.co/ViEq4WM1Lf
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 16, 2024
In the three years since, Resistance Units have carried out thousands of operations inside Iran. From torching symbols of repression to hanging banners of Maryam Rajavi and slogans of “We can, and we must,” they have ensured the uprising remains alive in the consciousness of the Iranian people. Their defiance has inspired a new generation that refuses to accept any form of dictatorship, insisting instead on a democratic republic.
Today, the regime is weaker than at any point in its 46-year rule. Domestically, it faces an explosive society plagued by poverty, corruption, and anger. Internationally, it is increasingly isolated: parliaments across Europe, North America, and beyond are calling for the IRGC to be designated as a terrorist entity.
Editorial: Nationwide Protests in Iran Herald the Impending Fall of the Regime#IranRevolution https://t.co/nSRItZxRgp
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 14, 2023
The anniversary of the MEK’s founding on September 6, 1965, was marked this year by two powerful demonstrations of strength. Inside Iran, Resistance Units staged coordinated activities across major cities despite suffocating repression. Abroad, tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in Brussels, joined by international dignitaries, to celebrate sixty years of sacrifice and to demand regime change. The chants of “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader” echoed the same slogans heard on the streets of Iran in 2022, affirming the unity of the Iranian people’s democratic aspirations.
Three years after the 2022 uprising, all signs point in one direction: the regime is at its weakest, and the Resistance is stronger and more credible than ever. The sacrifices of those martyred, the relentless courage of the Resistance Units, and the growing international recognition of the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan converge into a single reality: the next uprising is not a question of if, but when. And when it comes, it will not end until Iran is free.