At the second day of the Free Iran 2026 World Summit in Paris on June 21, former Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde strongly condemned Western policies toward Tehran while expressing unwavering support for the Iranian opposition. Haarde began by criticizing French authorities for interfering with the summit’s initial rally plans, declaring that such actions would only strengthen the resolve of the Iranian Resistance.
Haarde argued that the recent surge in executions under the mullahs’ regime is a confession of fear rather than a show of strength. He emphasized that the persistent uprisings across Iran are no longer isolated protests but represent an irreversible rejection of the clerical dictatorship. He firmly stated that the Iranian people look forward to a democratic future, explicitly rejecting both the current religious tyranny and a return to the Shah’s monarchy.
Critiquing decades of Western diplomacy, Haarde called out the failed policy of appeasement that repeatedly handed lifelines to the crumbling regime under the false narrative that no viable alternative exists. He countered this by presenting the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as a structured, ready-made provisional framework capable of ensuring a stable, peaceful transition to a secular republic. He pointed to Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan—particularly its guarantee of a non-nuclear Iran—as a blueprint aligned with democratic values. Haarde concluded with a warning against new diplomatic compromises that risk strengthening the mullahs, urging Western policymakers to stand firmly with the Iranian people as they reclaim their freedom.
Excerpts of Geir Haarde‘s speech follow:
Dear Madame Rajavi, ladies and gentlemen, friends in the room and elsewhere, it’s a great honor to be with you here again.
I want to say that I had not arrived yesterday. I missed what happened downtown Paris when the rally was canceled. But I was deeply disappointed and shocked when I saw and heard about what happened and how the French authorities behaved in the actions that they took.
But let me tell you one thing: this kind of behavior by the French authorities and other countries that choose to behave this way will only strengthen the resolve of people in this room and the Iranian Resistance in general.
For years, many of us have come to these conferences to warn the world about the true nature of the regime in Tehran.
We argued that a system based on terror, which lacks any shred of popular legitimacy, could sustain itself indefinitely. Today, we are seeing the reality of that structural collapse unfold before our eyes, and other speakers have talked about this.
Faced with [a] massive crisis of survival, the mullahs have done what they always do. They have intensified their brutality.
The shocking surge in executions since late March, including the targeted hanging of dozens of political prisoners and brave members of the PMOI, is not a demonstration of power. It is the ultimate confession of fear, like Ingrid Betancourt said earlier, David Jones, and others also.
Confident governments do not rule through the gallows.
The mullahs are terrified because the persistent uprisings across Iran are no longer isolated protests. They represent a sustained, deep, and irreversible rejection of this entire corrupt dictatorship and, of course, ultimately this regime will fall and the NCRI will prevail.
For decades, Western policymakers pursued a deeply mistaken policy of appeasement, foolishly handing the regime lifelines while ignoring the Iranian people and their organized resistance.
Worse still, they bought into the regime’s favorite lie that there is no viable alternative, and that change would only bring chaos.
Now, as the regime crumbles under the weight of its own corruption and recent geopolitical upheavals, the National Council of Resistance of Iran has shown the world that a democratic transition will not cause instability. On the contrary, it is the only path to peace.
Because of the NCRI’s structured provisional framework, the vision of a free, democratic, and secular republic is not just theoretical. It is practical. It is ready. And it’s a reality waiting to happen, ladies and gentlemen.
The people of Iran have made their voices crystal clear on the streets. They reject all forms of tyranny, as they rightly should.
They will neither return to the dictatorship of the Shah, nor will they remain trapped under the heel of the clerical mullahs.
Therefore, the people in Iran look forward. Their right to self-determination must be absolute.
And we know the blueprint for this future exists. It is Madame Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan that offers a clear and coherent pathway forward, founded on the very values we cherish in our own democracies—and other people have listed what they are, and I won’t do that.
But one of the most important points, of course, is the guarantee of a non-nuclear Iran in the future.
So, let me be direct. There is no other alternative. Those in the West who still fail to recognize this are positioning themselves on the wrong side of history.
Now, the extraordinary courage of the Iranian people demands more than just our passive admiration. It demands our absolute clarity, our consistency, and our unwavering support.
The fight has been long, but the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than ever before, as other people have said.
Let us stand with the people of Iran until they reclaim their freedom and their homeland. That day is approaching. Thank you.