Maryam Rajavi on U.S.-Iran Relations

Maryam Rajavi, president of the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), expressed her support on Monday for the developing understanding between the United States and Iran, which aims to end ongoing hostilities. However, she contended that peace might actually threaten the very existence of the Islamic Republic more than military conflict.

Rajavi highlighted that the NCRI advocates for an end to the conflict and relief for the suffering Iranian populace.

“The Iranian Resistance has tirelessly sought freedom and peace for nearly five decades, serving as a crucial obstacle to the theocracy’s pursuit of nuclear weapons after numerous revelations over the years. We welcome any agreement designed to alleviate the war and its toll on the Iranian people,” she stated.

She emphasized, “No one in Iran desires war, except for the mullahs and remnants of the Shah.”

Rajavi’s comments came shortly after President Donald Trump announced a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which would establish a 60-day framework for negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program. This agreement paves the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, with a formal signing expected in Switzerland on Friday.

Rajavi noted that the regime’s ambitions for nuclear weapons, support for terrorist groups, and initiatives to destabilize the Middle East are fundamental to maintaining clerical authority.

“The creation of nuclear weapons and warmongering are integral to the survival strategies of the clerical regime that governs Iran; it is unlikely they will abandon these pursuits anytime soon,” Rajavi remarked.

She argued that peace poses a risk to the regime as it weakens one of its primary means to suppress opposition and distract from increasing domestic unrest.

“War acts as a shield for the regime against popular uprisings, while peace and ceasefire, as Khomeini stated, represent ‘poison’ for them,” she explained. “It’s the Iranian people’s duty and responsibility to overthrow this regime through organized resistance.”

Rajavi called attention to the necessity of addressing ongoing human rights abuses in any future agreements with the Iranian government.

“Any international accord aimed at ending war must also put an end to the execution of political prisoners and the killing of protesters,” she affirmed.

Her comments arose amid heightened concern over Tehran’s rapid execution escalations, with the NCRI noting over 2,200 executions in 2025—marking it as one of the bloodiest years under Khamenei’s rule—while continuing to warn about the impending threat to political prisoners and dissidents.

The opposition coalition alleged that the Iranian government increasingly resorts to executions and intimidation as it deals with growing economic pressures, internal instability, and challenges to its authority.

Rajavi’s statement precedes a large rally organized by the NCRI scheduled to take place in Paris on Saturday, where it is expected that tens of thousands of Iranian expatriates and supporters from across Europe and North America will gather to demand an end to political executions and advocate for a democratic Iran.

The event is anticipated to attract lawmakers, former state leaders, diplomats, military officials, human rights advocates, and other international figures.

For years, the NCRI has backed Rajavi’s 10-point plan for Iran’s future, which includes calls for free elections, the separation of church and state, gender equality, the abolition of the death penalty, an independent judiciary, minority rights, and a nuclear-free Iran living harmoniously with its neighbors.

This plan enjoys endorsement from numerous parliamentarians globally, former heads of state, government officials, military leaders, and several Nobel laureates, all sharing a vision of a democratic Iran.

The NCRI is internationally recognized for unveiling Iran’s clandestine nuclear initiatives, most notably with the 2002 disclosure of the Natanz enrichment facility, which played a critical role in triggering international scrutiny and sanctions directed at the regime’s nuclear ambitions.