Iran Opposition Rises: Maryam Rajavi Demands End to Khamenei’s Rule, Calls for Democratic Iran

Tehran, Iran – Pressure is mounting on Iran’s ruling regime as Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), issued a bold call for the removal of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, citing economic collapse, regional instability, and ongoing human rights abuses.

In a June 22, 2025 statement, Rajavi blasted Khamenei’s leadership as “unpatriotic,” holding him directly responsible for decades of corruption and war, and accusing him of squandering more than $2 trillion in national wealth.

“What the regime has built on the backs of the Iranian people—financially and spiritually—has gone up in smoke,” Rajavi said. “We must reclaim our nation through democratic resistance.”

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A Third Option for Iran’s Future

Rajavi, speaking earlier this week at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, reiterated her call for a “Third Option”: a path that rejects both foreign military intervention and appeasement, instead favoring peaceful regime change from within—led by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.

Founded in 1981, the NCRI is a broad coalition that envisions a secular, democratic Iran built on:

• Gender equality

• A non-nuclear foreign policy

• Separation of religion and state

The group continues to gain traction among diaspora communities, human rights advocates, and growing sections of Iran’s youth population, who remain frustrated by economic hardship, internet censorship, and brutal crackdowns on protest.

Global Warning: Regime’s Survival Depends on War

During her Strasbourg address, Rajavi warned that the ongoing conflict in the region is no accident, but rather a strategic tool of the Iranian regime. She described nuclear escalation and state-sponsored terrorism as core tactics of Khamenei’s rule.

“This regime survives by exporting terrorism and prolonging war,” she said. “Democracy and peace cannot coexist with dictatorship.”

Call for International Solidarity

Maryam Rajavi concluded her message by calling on the international community to stop legitimizing the regime through diplomacy and instead support the Iranian people’s movement for freedom.

She emphasized that lasting peace in the Middle East is only possible if Iran transitions away from theocratic dictatorship to popular, democratic rule.