In 1993, Mohammad Mohaddessin, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), published a book titled Islamic Fundamentalism: The New Global Threat. Despite this early warning, the West and Iran’s neighboring countries, preoccupied with short-term political and economic interests, dismissed the looming danger. They ignored repeated warnings from the NCRI about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, missile programs, and its expanding terror network. Instead of addressing the primary security threat, they opted for business deals with Tehran, turning a blind eye to the looming menace.
The policy of appeasing the ruling clerics has only enabled the regime to expand its terrorism globally, providing organized crime networks across continents with state-sponsored backing. In recent months, numerous intelligence reports and media outlets have confirmed Iran’s extensive outsourcing of terror operations, executing dozens of assassination plots targeting citizens, intellectuals, and foreign officials.
On December 14, 2003, Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the NCRI, warned that the Iranian regime’s fundamentalist and terrorist ideology posed a far greater threat than its nuclear program. But this alarm also went unheeded. The regime’s ideological infiltration across the Middle East spread through its network of proxy forces, was met with indifference by both regional and Western powers. This negligence culminated in the events of October 7, 2023, which plunged the entire region into a catastrophic war. Now, tens of thousands of innocent civilians are dead, and millions have been displaced, with the ripple effects of this conflict reverberating through global economic, social, and political systems.
Overthrowing the mullahs' regime is necessary for peace and stability in the Middle East. Now is the time for Europe to stand with the Iranian people and their organized Resistance.
On behalf of the people of #Iran and the Iranian Resistance, I call on European countries to:
1.… pic.twitter.com/tHyCVYuAIu— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 2, 2024
The world briefly awakened to the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions when the NCRI revealed Tehran’s clandestine weapons program in August 2002. However, rather than adopting a decisive stance, the global community continued with its policy of appeasement, allowing the regime to inch closer to achieving nuclear capabilities. Yet, even now, some Western analysts argue that de-escalating tensions through diplomacy remains the best course of action to prevent a nuclear Iran.
Tehran has masterfully exploited these weak-kneed policies, turning international complacency into an opportunity. U.S. intelligence agencies uncovered how Iran’s proxies, such as Hezbollah, became key players in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and large-scale money laundering, all while helping Tehran skirt international sanctions. Yet, this knowledge led to little more than rhetorical condemnation. The Obama administration, in particular, chose to halt investigations into these activities to pave the way for the Iran nuclear deal. Today, the proliferation of illegal arms and the global drug trade, particularly fentanyl, have become urgent international crises, especially in the United States, where fingers are only pointed at Latin American drug cartels.
The harsh reality is that the only solution to these intertwined crises is regime change in Iran. When world leaders have shown even a hint of resolve against the mullahs, it’s because they recognize that the regime lacks any real social support. However, their misreading of widespread uprisings and protests has led them to back flawed or misguided alternatives. For instance, some Western-backed Persian-language media outlets have, at times, promoted false opposition figures, sidelining the real voices of resistance within Iran. These media platforms have gone as far as to censor the genuine grassroots resistance, effectively helping the regime continue its oppression domestically and its destabilizing actions abroad.
#Iran’s Regime: A Major Obstacle in the Way of Enduring Peace in the Middle Easthttps://t.co/7qMo270yt2
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 10, 2022
Far from representing the will of the Iranian people, these so-called opposition figures often only serve to create divisions and confusion. Tehran itself welcomes this distraction, as it undermines the real, organized opposition within the country. This opposition—unlike the regime-approved voices amplified by these foreign-funded outlets—has built a network of Resistance Units across Iran’s cities, towns, and villages. These units continue to challenge the regime from within, inspiring hope among the population for a genuine path forward.
After nearly five decades of appeasement and the pursuit of failed policies, the world finds itself in this precarious situation.
The only way to prevent the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism from acquiring the deadliest weapons of mass destruction is for the Iranian regime to be overthrown by an organized, homegrown force. When the international community finally comes to terms with the magnitude of its failure over the past decades, it will know exactly where to turn for the solution.