By Chuck Wald
As we celebrate July 4th, the day that fills every American with pride, it is an opportune moment to reflect on the profound significance of our Founding Fathers’ vision and the Declaration of Independence, ratified on this day in 1776. Its meaning extends far beyond our borders, offering a beacon of hope and a blueprint for freedom to people across the globe who yearn for liberation. This year, the plight of the Iranian people and their fervent struggle for freedom stand out. We should seize this occasion to convey a powerful message of support to them.
The Declaration of Independence unequivocally states that the rightful purpose of any government is to safeguard the inherent rights of its people. These fundamental rights include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Furthermore, it asserts that “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.” These words are living principles that resonate with oppressed populations worldwide.
Recent global events have underscored the critical nature of these principles. Following Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic aimed at preventing its nuclear weapons breakout and mitigating the existential threat its theocracy poses to the Jewish state, the US intervened, deploying bunker busters to neutralize three critical nuclear facilities, before successfully brokering a ceasefire that ended the twelve-day conflict. While a fragile truce holds for now, a more profound and enduring war rages on – the ceaseless struggle between the Iranian people and their repressive theocratic regime.
It is imperative to recognize that despite generations of deprivation and a long-standing popular demand for democracy, an organized opposition movement in Iran is persistently growing, striving to realize these aspirations.
The brief twelve-day conflict clearly exposed the regime’s profound lack of meaningful popular support among its own citizens. Many Iranians have been fighting for democracy since even before the Islamic Republic’s establishment in the wake of the 1979 revolution, which overthrew the hereditary dictatorship of the Shah and his corrupt dynasty. This resilient movement, in essence, represents an effort to achieve American-style freedom in the very heart of the Middle East. Supporting it politically is of paramount significance, both for geopolitical stability and as a matter of fundamental principle.
Hundreds of US lawmakers have already acknowledged this profound responsibility, articulating their commitment in statements and resolutions that affirm their support for the pro-democracy coalition known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Thousands of their counterparts in other democratic nations have likewise expressed similar endorsements. It is time for Western governments, in particular the US, to follow suit and recognize and support the NCRI, its leadership, and their concrete vision for Iran’s secular-democratic future.
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The NCRI’s vision for Iran is meticulously outlined in a ten-point plan authored by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, whom the NCRI has designated to serve as the transitional president after the Iranian people successfully abolish the government that has consistently proven destructive to their lives, liberties, and collective pursuit of happiness. This comprehensive plan articulates a steadfast commitment to free and fair elections, the fundamental separation of religion from the state, the protection of minority rights, and the assurance of gender equality. Rajavi’s visionary plan is compatible with the enduring principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, underscoring its alignment with democratic ideals.
Significant progress toward this vital goal has been unmistakable in recent years. Since 2017, several powerful anti-government uprisings have spread across the entire Islamic Republic, with the Resistance Units affiliated to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the principal constituent of the NCRI, playing a pivotal role, pushing the theocratic dictatorship to the very brink of overthrow. It would require minimal effort to help the forces behind these uprisings cross the finish line and secure their liberation. Indeed, as Maryam Rajavi emphasized during an online hearing before the US House of Representatives in February, the NCRI is not seeking material support, much less the deployment of foreign boots on the ground.
Instead, their simple, yet profound, request is for a formal recognition of the Iranian people’s inherent right to revolt, accompanied by a firm commitment to policies that effectively isolate the repressive regime.
Following the 12-day war, when the ceasefire was proposed by President Trump, Rajavi stated, “The proposal for a ceasefire and ending the war is a step forward for the third option: neither war nor appeasement. Let the people of Iran themselves, in the battle of destiny, bring down [Supreme Leader] Khamenei and the dictatorship of velayat-e faqih [rule by religious clerics].”
The fundamental right to revolt is articulated with compelling clarity in the foundational document of the United States itself. As we celebrate this great day, which cemented our nation’s status as an unparalleled beacon of freedom, we must make a point of reminding ourselves – and, critically, our government – that this sacred right was not confined solely to colonial America. It extends universally, to every nation and to all people, even today. A free, democratic Iran in the 21st century would stand as a powerful and enduring testament to the timeless principles for which our founding fathers bravely stood.
Chuck Wald is a retired U.S. Air Force general and was Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command.
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