{"id":349072,"date":"2026-10-31T12:53:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T11:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=349072"},"modified":"2026-10-31T12:53:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T11:53:42","slug":"torricelli-and-stevenson-irans-regime-is-weakened-but-democratic-change-must-come-from-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/torricelli-and-stevenson-irans-regime-is-weakened-but-democratic-change-must-come-from-within\/","title":{"rendered":"Torricelli and Stevenson: Iran\u2019s Regime Is Weakened, But Democratic Change Must Come from Within\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Former U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli and former European Parliament member Struan Stevenson have argued that Iran\u2019s clerical establishment is increasingly vulnerable, while stressing that any lasting political change must ultimately be achieved by Iranians themselves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In separate interviews on\u00a0Real America’s Voice (RAV)\u00a0in late October, the two longtime supporters of the Iranian Resistance assessed the consequences of military conflict, the prospects for another nationwide uprising, and the political alternatives to the ruling system. Both rejected the suggestion that Iran must choose between the current regime and a return to the Pahlavi monarchy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Torricelli: A weakened regime is not a defeated regime<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Senator Torricelli said<\/span><\/a> the ruling establishment had demonstrated more resilience than many expected under military and economic pressure. But he cautioned against interpreting its survival as evidence of strength.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Don’t get confused because it hasn’t folded that it isn’t weakened,” he said, arguing that the prolonged American campaign had damaged Iran’s economy and internal security forces.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He maintained that weakening the regime’s coercive apparatus could create opportunities for popular resistance, but insisted that external pressure alone could not bring about a durable political transition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“In the end, of course, the regime only falls because people internally, the Iranian people themselves, rebel against it and end it,” he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Torricelli identified the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as central to the regime’s ability to suppress dissent. He called for continued pressure on the organization and criticized aspects of Washington’s military strategy, including what he described as a failure to secure the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The former senator also urged Democrats and Republicans to maintain a common position against the regime acquiring nuclear weapons and warned against an abrupt American withdrawal. He argued that political and economic pressure should continue, while ruling out the need for a U.S. ground invasion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n