Maryam Rajavi: The Velayat-e Faqih Regime Cannot Exist Without Weapons of Mass Destruction

Following the announcement of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran, the "National Council of Resistance of Iran," a group of opponents of the Islamic Republic, emphasized the need to overthrow this regime as a way to "prevent a larger war." Maryam Rajavi, the leader of this council, stated on Tuesday, May 8, shortly after Trump made his decision public, "Liberation from the nuclear threat and terrorism of this regime is through the liberation from its entirety. The Velayat-e Faqih regime cannot exist without terrorism, repression, and weapons of mass destruction." According to the secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Ms. Rajavi continued her remarks by referring to the nationwide protests that occurred last December in Iran, emphasizing that "the demand of the general public in Iran is freedom from religious tyranny and oppression. [Therefore] democratic change in Iran is inevitable, and a free Iran is on the horizon." Although the protests last December initially targeted the economic policies of President Hassan Rouhani's government, they quickly expanded and shifted focus to target the entire Islamic Republic. However, Maryam Rajavi also considered "peace, security, and stability in the region" to be contingent on the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, stating that "this is the only way to end the war and crisis in the region and prevent a larger war." On Tuesday, the President of the United States finally ordered the withdrawal of the country from the JCPOA, resuming sanctions against Iran. Donald Trump had asked his European allies to make reforms to the JCPOA that would also include Iran's missile program and its role in the region. However, Tehran rejected this request. Britain, Germany, and France, which are other parties to the JCPOA, warned the U.S. against unilateral withdrawal from the agreement while emphasizing their concerns regarding Iran's missile program. However, figures like Reza Pahlavi, the last crown prince of Iran, believe that solving Iran's issues lies not in the JCPOA but in replacing the Islamic Republic. In his message, Prince Pahlavi stated: "The 40-year performance of the criminal cult has shown that the pit of corruption, domination, and inefficiency of this cult is endless and insatiable, consuming all the country's resources. The key to solving Iran's issues is not the JCPOA or its absence. The key is replacing this anti-Iran regime with a national, secular, developmental, and democratic government."