Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Secretary of State, met with the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, in France and delivered a powerful speech at a conference with members of the Iranian Resistance, reflecting on the state of the Iranian regime and the Iranian Resistance one year after the 2022 uprising began.
Pompeo highlighted the regime’s inevitable failure, as intensified protests and civil unrest continue to challenge its authority. “The civil unrest has become more powerful. The regime responded with more executions, more repression, more imprisonment, more torture, exactly what one would expect from a scared set of leaders,” he said.
He also commended the organized resistance led by the PMOI, acknowledging their increasing capability and the difficulties they pose to the regime’s oppressive tactics.
“Your work has made it far more difficult for the IRGC to inflict its brutal terror and mayhem on the people of Iran,” he said.
In his speech, the former Secretary of State criticized the policy of appeasement, labelling it as the biggest obstacle to ending Iran’s state-sponsored terror, rogue regional behavior, and support for the Iranian people’s aspirations for change.
“Appeasement will not work,” he said.
Pompeo expressed his disappointment with the Office of Special Envoy for Iran at the State Department, which focused attacks on the PMOI instead of supporting the protesters. He stressed that attacks against those seeking freedom and democracy in Iran are deplorable and should not be tolerated, regardless of their source.
“No patriotic American, Republican or Democrat, should want this,” he said.
Pompeo revealed that individuals within the United States government were working on behalf of Iran, taking guidance from former regime Foreign Minister Zarif, undermining the efforts to support the Iranian people. He criticized the counterproductive policies adopted by not only the U.S. but also larger European powers, enabling Iran’s oppressive regime to continue its state-sponsored terrorism and domestic suppression.
“This policy to which we have returned, not just to America, but to large European powers as well, it’s totally counterproductive. Iran’s newfound wealth, we’ll see it in the months and years ahead, it’ll fund terror abroad and oppress people at home,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo urged world leaders to listen to the voices of the Iranian people, who have rejected the ruling theocracy and demonstrated that the mullahs are not a permanent fixture in the nation.
“Sadly, if we continue to appease Iran, it will continue to exploit this weakness for its own gain, as it has in the past. And this won’t stay inside of Iran,” he warned
He emphasized the importance of supporting the resistance movement inside and outside Iran, while also discussing the future of the country. Pompeo called for a governance model that reflects the will of the people and ensures lasting freedom, rejecting both the dictatorship of the Shah and the current theocracy.
“Iran will never return to the dictatorship of the Shah, nor will it settle for the current theocracy in Iran. The remnants of the past monarchy have failed to gain any traction during the uprising over the past year. The Shah’s supporters were exposed when they heavily relied on collaboration with the IRGC,” he said. “What Iran needs is something that looks and feels like the people in this room. People who simply want freedom for all. A governance model that is reflective of the people’s will. We don’t need dictatorships. We need freedom.”