On April 8, 2026, a 15-day ceasefire temporarily halted a devastating 39-day regional war that erupted on February 28. While the conflict dealt severe blows to the Iranian regime—most notably the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a February 28 airstrike—it has become unequivocally clear that external military intervention is not a viable strategy for liberating Iran.
It has become evident that bombings and airstrikes alone cannot dismantle the regime’s vast repressive apparatus or topple the religious dictatorship. Furthermore, the global policy of appeasing the mullahs for the past four decades has ended in utter failure, directly paving the way for the current regional crisis. The solution to the threats posed by Tehran lies neither in foreign wars nor in diplomatic appeasement, but in the people and their organized resistance.
The true battlefield: The regime vs. the Iranian people
The real war is being waged inside Iran, between the arisen population and a decaying religious tyranny. While international attention remains fixated on shipping routes and missile exchanges, the regime has exploited the fog of war to quietly accelerate its domestic crackdown.
The regime’s true enemy has always been its own people. During the massive nationwide uprisings in January, Khamenei ordered the massacre of thousands of protesting youth, even displaying their lifeless bodies in black body bags on state television to spread fear. Following Khamenei’s death, the installation of his son, Mojtaba, on March 9 effectively transformed the regime into a medieval-style hereditary monarchy.
To preserve this crumbling power base, the new leadership has intensified executions, hanging 10 political prisoners in just one week, including six members of the PMOI.
The pivotal role of the PMOI Resistance Units
Confronting such a heavily entrenched apparatus of suppression requires an organized, courageous force willing to brave the odds. The PMOI Resistance Units serve as this pivotal force.
Just days before the regional war erupted, on the dawn of February 23, 250 PMOI fighters launched a daring, large-scale operation against the Motahari Complex in Tehran—Khamenei’s heavily fortified headquarters.
Though around 100 fighters were either martyred or captured, the operation shattered the regime’s aura of invincibility. This same indomitable courage is displayed by captured PMOI members facing the gallows.
Executed heroes like Pouya Ghobadi, who vowed to go to the gallows “firm and unshaken,” and Mohammad Taghavi, who boldly told his executioners he would rejoin the PMOI if released, represent a generation that no longer fears death or torture.
False alternatives vs. the true democratic path
The selflessness of the organized resistance stands in stark contrast to the remnants of the ousted Shah’s dictatorship. While PMOI Resistance Units sacrifice their lives on the ground inside Iran, royalist factions demand foreign powers bomb Iran into ruins, hoping the destruction will pave the way for a return to monarchical rule.
However, the Iranian people are not looking backward. They have vehemently rejected both past and present dictatorships, a sentiment echoed in the popular uprising chant: “Death to the oppressor, whether Shah or Supreme Leader.” A peaceful and democratic outcome to the current crisis is contrary to what the remnants of the mullahs and the Shah seek.
The endgame and a call to the international community
The ultimate endgame for Iran is a democratic revolution led by the Iranian people and their organized resistance. With the provisional government announced by the NCRI ready to manage a six-month transition period to transfer sovereignty to the people through free elections, the framework for a free republic is already in place.
The international community must now recognize the legitimate right of the Iranian people to resist the suppressive forces of the IRGC. Furthermore, an end to executions must be a mandatory condition in any international agreement with Tehran. The world must stand with the people of Iran. As Maryam Rajavi stated in a recent address:
“As the Iranian Resistance has emphasized for 45 years, lasting peace can only be achieved through the overthrow of this terrorist, warmongering dictatorship by the people of Iran and their organized resistance, and the establishment of a democratic republic.”