Speaking at the Free Iran 2026 World Summit in Paris on June 21, Ambassador Robert Joseph argued that preventing a nuclear-armed Tehran is impossible under the current dictatorship, making support for the NCRI and domestic regime change an absolute national security necessity. Amb. Joseph began by condemning French restrictions on the summit’s rally, comparing the opposition’s struggle for a democratic republic to the historic principles of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man. He praised the immense sacrifices of the Iranian people and the courage of domestic Resistance Units on the front lines.
Focusing heavily on the nuclear crisis, Amb. Joseph warned that the risk of the regime acquiring a nuclear weapon is higher than ever. He dismissed Western diplomatic strategies as “dangerous folly,” stating that possession of a nuclear weapon is embedded in the regime’s DNA and that the mullahs will inevitably violate any agreement they sign. Amb. Joseph stressed that traditional containment has failed because the regime routinely holds the global economy hostage through strategic choke points like the Strait of Hormuz and uses negotiations merely to buy time.
Ultimately, Amb. Joseph concluded that the nuclear threat cannot be negotiated away; it can only be eliminated by ending the religious dictatorship. He called on Western governments to change their paradigm and actively back the organized resistance. By endorsing Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan for a secular republic, Amb. Joseph argued, the international community fulfills both a moral imperative and the only effective strategy to ensure global security.
Excerpts of Ambassador Robert Joseph‘s speech follow:
Thank you very much.
Mrs. Rajavi, thank you for your vision, thank you for your leadership of a great and historic cause. You are truly inspirational.
Not just for our generation, but for the next generation, and the generation after that—those who will live, for certain, in a free Iran.
I send my very best to all of the brave women and men at Ashraf 3.
My visit there a few years ago always remains in my thoughts. Everyone I spoke to had experienced a personal sacrifice, perhaps imprisonment, torture, or the loss of a family member.
But all looked to the future, to a brighter future for their families and for their fellow countrymen.
And to those on the front line, those in the Resistance Units: I salute you. May God protect you. You will prevail.
I’d like to talk about the nuclear question, but before I do, I’d like to add to the views that have been expressed concerning the French court’s decision to deny our supporters their fundamental rights of free speech and assembly.
The decision betrayed the very principles cited in the court documents, especially in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
This is a brilliant document that has stood the test of time. It was written by Lafayette, a hero of two worlds, who listened to Thomas Jefferson, his American friend.
Both individuals played a prominent role in the fight for our own independence—one with the sword and one with a pen—to create a democratic republic, the same objective that we seek in Iran.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of my country’s founding next month, you can feel the extreme pride of my fellow citizens in our nation that has been a model and an inspiration for much of mankind.
Former U.S. Under Secretary of State Robert Joseph warned against the policy of #appeasement when dealing with Tehran. He urged the West to reject both theocracy and monarchy and embrace @Maryam_Rajavi's Ten-Point Plan as the path to a democratic Iran. pic.twitter.com/DErB2bYBak
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 26, 2026
My conclusion is this: today, there is [now a] higher risk than before that the regime will move to a nuclear weapon.
It’s in the DNA of this regime to possess a nuclear weapon. So, what is to be done?
The answer is straightforward: we must support the Iranian people by supporting the organized resistance.
This is our call to action. We must seize the day, we must change the paradigm.
We must work to convince our governments to do the right thing and accept the Ten-Point Plan as the correct vision and the pathway for the future of Iran.
Supporting the Ten-Point Plan is both a moral imperative and the only effective means to achieve our national security goals.
If we fail to meet the nuclear threat, the noble cause of a free Iran will be set back, as nothing unleashes the scourge of appeasement more than a nuclear-armed rogue state.
So, let me end with five “no”s and three “yes”s.
No to a nuclear-armed Iran.
No to theocracy.
No to monarchy.
No to executions and no to appeasement.
Yes to freedom.
Yes to democracy, and yes to the Ten-Point Plan.
Thank you very much.