{"id":332928,"date":"2025-06-12T09:25:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T08:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=332928"},"modified":"2025-09-12T08:37:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T07:37:24","slug":"john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_332929\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-332929\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-332929 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg\" alt=\"Former Irish minister John Paul Phelan addresses an NCRI conference on May 31, 2025\" width=\"1000\" height=\"564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025-745x420.jpg 745w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025-696x393.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-332929\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Irish minister John Paul Phelan addresses an NCRI conference on May 31, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"325\" data-end=\"801\">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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/global-lawmakers-unite-at-free-iran-2025-conference-to-back-regime-change-and-democratic-future\/\">2025 Free Iran conference<\/a>\u00a0near Paris, joining international delegates in support of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and Maryam <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryam-rajavi.com\/en\/viewpoints\/plan-for-future-of-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rajavi\u2019s Ten-Point Plan<\/a>. Speaking alongside fellow Irish statesman Jim Higgins, Phelan highlighted Ireland\u2019s symbolic and political alignment with the global fight for Iranian freedom.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"803\" data-end=\"1199\">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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1201\" data-end=\"1557\">Phelan condemned the policy of appeasement toward Tehran \u2014 including from some within his own political party \u2014 and pledged to take the message of the Resistance back to Ireland\u2019s national parliament. He noted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/joint-session-of-ncri-representatives-with-irish-legislators-condemns-regime-terrorism-calls-for-free-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">growing support<\/a> for the NCRI in both houses of the Irish legislature and underscored that now is a historic opportunity for democratic change.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1559\" data-end=\"1650\"><strong data-start=\"1559\" data-end=\"1650\">The following is a lightly edited transcript of the speech for clarity and readability.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JPPhelan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JPPhelan<\/a>: I fully support the Ten-Point Plan and strongly condemn the appeasement of the mullahs\u2019 regime\u2014even by some in my own party. Appeasement has never worked. It won\u2019t bring a free and democratic <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FreeIran2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FreeIran2025<\/a> <br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rTIq0mN09d\">https:\/\/t.co\/rTIq0mN09d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1928875041879425400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 31, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2644\" data-end=\"2876\">Madam Rajavi, we are here today symbolically from Ireland \u2014 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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2878\" data-end=\"3121\">But more importantly, we\u2019re here to say that when we return home \u2014 to our small island in the North Atlantic \u2014 we will continue to support your cause. We will bring that struggle into our national parliament and our political institutions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3123\" data-end=\"3252\">I was especially struck by your words earlier \u2014 that no matter how hard it is, and no matter how long it takes, we must continue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3254\" data-end=\"3417\">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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3419\" data-end=\"3458\">That\u2019s why we are here \u2014 to support it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3460\" data-end=\"3634\">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 \u2014 and he still is.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3636\" data-end=\"3731\">In our upper house, the Senate, a majority has now expressed support for the cause of the NCRI.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3733\" data-end=\"3818\">In the lower house, the D\u00e1il, we are within nine or ten signatures of a majority.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3820\" data-end=\"3958\">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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4238\" data-end=\"4414\">I\u2019m particularly aware that even on our little island in the North Atlantic, the regime\u2019s influence is felt. Its reach extends into our media, and its spin can be powerful.\u00a0That\u2019s why we must actively bring the truth to our fellow politicians and to all political parties in Ireland \u2014 to ensure they know what is really happening in Iran.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4587\" data-end=\"4800\">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 \u2014 one that has not existed in the forty-six years since the Islamic Revolution.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4802\" data-end=\"4867\">I want to express my absolute support for the Ten-Point Plan.\u00a0And I want to express my absolute disgust toward those politicians \u2014 including some in my own party \u2014 who have participated in the policy of appeasement toward the mullahs\u2019 regime.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5059\" data-end=\"5171\">Appeasement has never worked, and it will not work when it comes to building a democratic and free Iran.\u00a0Thank you for having us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&nbsp;near [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":332929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,5487],"tags":[222],"class_list":{"0":"post-332928","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iran-resistance","8":"category-free-iran-global-summit-2025","9":"tag-iranian-resistance"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran - NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-12T08:25:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-12T07:37:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"564\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shamsi Saadati\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shamsi Saadati\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Shamsi Saadati\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/410cc710e9b11fe1e0140afae956d6e6\"},\"headline\":\"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-12T08:25:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-12T07:37:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":690,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Iranian Resistance\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Iran Opposition &amp; Resistance\",\"Free Iran Global Summit 2025\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/\",\"name\":\"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran - NCRI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-12T08:25:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-12T07:37:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":564,\"caption\":\"Former Irish minister John Paul Phelan addresses an NCRI conference on May 31, 2025\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/iran-resistance\\\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"NCRI\",\"description\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"alternateName\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"width\":402,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/iran_policy\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/410cc710e9b11fe1e0140afae956d6e6\",\"name\":\"Shamsi Saadati\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1ff30655874a9af9b80fd8207e6c14da44bd022c40adc5558e4ace491fd9d19c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1ff30655874a9af9b80fd8207e6c14da44bd022c40adc5558e4ace491fd9d19c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1ff30655874a9af9b80fd8207e6c14da44bd022c40adc5558e4ace491fd9d19c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Shamsi Saadati\"},\"description\":\"Shamsi Saadati is a writer, producer, and political correspondent for the National Council of Resistance of Iran. She has also been a member of the Board of Editors for NCRI-Iran.org for the past 10 years.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/shamsi-saadati\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran - NCRI","description":"On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran - NCRI","og_description":"On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/","og_site_name":"NCRI","article_published_time":"2025-06-12T08:25:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-12T07:37:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":564,"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Shamsi Saadati","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@iran_policy","twitter_site":"@iran_policy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shamsi Saadati","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/"},"author":{"name":"Shamsi Saadati","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/410cc710e9b11fe1e0140afae956d6e6"},"headline":"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran","datePublished":"2025-06-12T08:25:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-12T07:37:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/"},"wordCount":690,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg","keywords":["Iranian Resistance"],"articleSection":["Iran Opposition &amp; Resistance","Free Iran Global Summit 2025"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/","name":"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran - NCRI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-12T08:25:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-12T07:37:24+00:00","description":"On May 31, 2025, Irish politician and former minister John Paul Phelan delivered a deeply personal and politically resolute speech at the second session","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Former-Irish-minister-John-Paul-Phelan-31052025.jpg","width":1000,"height":564,"caption":"Former Irish minister John Paul Phelan addresses an NCRI conference on May 31, 2025"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/john-paul-phelan-appeasement-has-never-worked-we-must-stand-for-a-democratic-and-free-iran\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"John Paul Phelan: Appeasement Has Never Worked\u2014We Must Stand for a Democratic and Free Iran"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","name":"NCRI","description":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","alternateName":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","width":402,"height":100,"caption":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/410cc710e9b11fe1e0140afae956d6e6","name":"Shamsi Saadati","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ff30655874a9af9b80fd8207e6c14da44bd022c40adc5558e4ace491fd9d19c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ff30655874a9af9b80fd8207e6c14da44bd022c40adc5558e4ace491fd9d19c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ff30655874a9af9b80fd8207e6c14da44bd022c40adc5558e4ace491fd9d19c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Shamsi Saadati"},"description":"Shamsi Saadati is a writer, producer, and political correspondent for the National Council of Resistance of Iran. She has also been a member of the Board of Editors for NCRI-Iran.org for the past 10 years.","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/author\/shamsi-saadati\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}