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Speech at the Grand Gathering of Iranians in Berlin on the Anniversary of the Iranian People’s Anti-Monarchical Revolution
Compatriots, Rebellious comrades, and all those rising up across our homeland, We have gathered to mark the anniversary of the anti-monarchical revolution against the Shah’s dictatorship. But let us begin with the January uprising. An uprising that turned crimson, but with the blood of a galaxy of martyrs and thousands of devoted souls and with the fury of a heroic nation, it shook Iran and the world. We applaud in memory of the brave martyrs of the uprising. Today, no one in the world doubts the certainty of the clerical regime’s overthrow. For years and years, we said: overthrow, overthrow. And now, everyone sees it is approaching with their own eyes and hears its footsteps. The courage of Iran’s rebels shone and became global. And the spell of appeasement toward the IRGC in Europe has been shattered.
Iran’s Regime Used Foreign Mercenaries to Suppress 2026 Protests
The nationwide uprising of January 2026, with its unprecedented geographic spread and structure-breaking slogans, placed the entire Iranian regime in the face of an existential challenge and a “survival situation.” The intensity of this popular uprising was such that it eroded and weakened the regime’s traditional apparatus of repression. Credible field reports and strategic analyses show that the authorities, fearing noncompliance by domestic forces and defections within the repressive ranks, resorted to an unprecedented and dangerous measure: summoning extraterritorial arms and proxy militias to confront the Iranian people directly.
Khamenei’s February 1 Speech: An Unintended Admission of a Regime Under Siege
What did Ali Khamenei effectively acknowledge in his February 1 address this year? Contrary to its intended purpose, the speech did not demonstrate strength or control. Instead, it functioned as an implicit admission by a political system increasingly encircled by recurring uprisings. Khamenei appeared publicly to consolidate his authority and reassert control over a deeply shaken regime. Yet his remarks ultimately exposed the depth of his concern. As in previous instances, he described popular protests as “riots” and attributed them to foreign adversaries. This familiar narrative, however, has lost much of its credibility. The scale, persistence, and social breadth of recent protests point to domestic causes: economic deprivation, political repression, systemic discrimination, and entrenched injustice.