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In an interview with Fox News Radio, Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the U.S. office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), blamed the Iran-Israel war and the broader crisis on decades of failed Western appeasement and argued that the only solution is the overthrow of the Iranian regime by its own people — not foreign intervention.
Speaking to Brian Kilmeade, Jafarzadeh recalled that the NCRI had exposed key elements of Iran’s secret nuclear program as early as 2002, including the Natanz and Fordow enrichment sites. Despite over 100 such revelations, he said, “no one did anything” because Western governments — including the Obama administration — were too invested in appeasing Tehran.
“This appeasement gave the regime legitimacy and allowed it to push forward with nuclear weapons ambitions,” he said, citing the JCPOA’s acceptance of the Fordow site where uranium enrichment has reached 60%, near weapons-grade levels.
I told @kilmeade on @foxnewsradio: The ongoing crisis in Iran stems from decades of appeasement policy. The solution to the current war and crisis lies in ending the rule of the clerics by Iran's people and their organized Resistance. No need for foreign boots or money. pic.twitter.com/e6G7jJl2qj
— Alireza Jafarzadeh (@A_Jafarzadeh) June 21, 2025
Jafarzadeh emphasized that the current war has exposed the regime’s vulnerability. “What worries the regime most isn’t Israel or the U.S. It’s their own people. The next uprising could be the last,” he said. According to Jafarzadeh, Resistance Units inside Iran — affiliated with the NCRI’s principal organization, the People’s Mojahedin Organization (MEK/PMOI)— have carried out thousands of operations, confronting the IRGC and undermining state control.
He pushed back on fears that the fall of the clerical regime would lead to a military dictatorship, arguing the IRGC’s entire structure is dependent on the authority of the Supreme Leader. “Once that cracks, the whole system collapses,” he said.
Responding to questions about U.S. involvement, Jafarzadeh was clear: “No foreign boots, no money. Just recognize the right of the Iranian people to change their regime.” He referenced NCRI president Maryam Rajavi’s long-standing “Third Option” — a democratic alternative to both war and appeasement.
“This regime is weaker than it’s ever been. What happens next depends on whether the world acknowledges that the real power in Iran lies with its people,” he concluded.