On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session of the 2025 Free Iran conference near Paris, joining international delegates in support of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan. Speaking alongside fellow Irish statesman Jim Higgins, Phelan highlighted Ireland’s symbolic and political alignment with the global fight for Iranian freedom.
Reflecting on generational change and his hope to one day visit a free Iran, Phelan emphasized that the cause of Iranian freedom is not only just, but also urgent. He criticized the misrepresentation of the Iranian regime in Western media, particularly in Ireland, and firmly rejected any legitimacy for a government that arrests and executes its own citizens in large numbers.
Phelan condemned the policy of appeasement toward Tehran — including from some within his own political party — and pledged to take the message of the Resistance back to Ireland’s national parliament. He noted the growing support for the NCRI in both houses of the Irish legislature and underscored that now is a historic opportunity for democratic change.
The following is a lightly edited transcript of the speech for clarity and readability.
.@JPPhelan: I fully support the Ten-Point Plan and strongly condemn the appeasement of the mullahs’ regime—even by some in my own party. Appeasement has never worked. It won’t bring a free and democratic #FreeIran2025
https://t.co/rTIq0mN09d— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 31, 2025
Madam Rajavi, we are here today symbolically from Ireland — to show our support for you, for your cause, for the Ten-Point Plan, and to express our admiration for your dedication and enthusiasm in this just struggle.
But more importantly, we’re here to say that when we return home — to our small island in the North Atlantic — we will continue to support your cause. We will bring that struggle into our national parliament and our political institutions.
I was especially struck by your words earlier — that no matter how hard it is, and no matter how long it takes, we must continue.
From the perspective of Irish history, we know that it can be very hard, and it can take a very long time. But your cause is just, and your cause is right.
That’s why we are here — to support it.
I am joined by my dear friend Jim Higgins. When I was elected to the Irish Parliament twenty-three years ago, he was already a supporter of a free Iran — and he still is.
In our upper house, the Senate, a majority has now expressed support for the cause of the NCRI.
In the lower house, the Dáil, we are within nine or ten signatures of a majority.
I was also struck by something our German colleague Thomas said earlier: the way Iran is portrayed in Irish media is often misleading. It is often described as a legitimate government. But let’s be clear: there is nothing legitimate about a regime that arrests millions of its own people and executes thousands each year. It is disgusting. It is barbaric. And we must do all we can to change that.
I’m particularly aware that even on our little island in the North Atlantic, the regime’s influence is felt. Its reach extends into our media, and its spin can be powerful. That’s why we must actively bring the truth to our fellow politicians and to all political parties in Ireland — to ensure they know what is really happening in Iran.
We are now at a unique moment. The regime has lost many of its allies and continues to lose more. This is a historic opportunity — one that has not existed in the forty-six years since the Islamic Revolution.
I want to express my absolute support for the Ten-Point Plan. And I want to express my absolute disgust toward those politicians — including some in my own party — who have participated in the policy of appeasement toward the mullahs’ regime.
Appeasement has never worked, and it will not work when it comes to building a democratic and free Iran. Thank you for having us.