Despite a heavy security presence and the regime’s ongoing repressive measures, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) Resistance Units carried out a bold weekly campaign in Zahedan. Activists took to the streets holding placards with anti-regime messages, reaffirming their unwavering commitment to overthrowing the ruling theocracy and establishing a democratic republic. Their actions underscore a popular and organized movement that rejects all forms of dictatorship, from the current religious tyranny to the deposed monarchy of the shah.
A resounding ‘no’ to all forms of dictatorship
Down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the mullahs pic.twitter.com/SqB6oNgFGQ
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 13, 2025
A central theme of the campaign was the unequivocal rejection of a false choice between the mullahs and the monarchy. The slogans displayed by the Resistance Units directly challenged the narrative promoted by remnants of the former regime that the Iranian people wish to return to a monarchical dictatorship. Placards boldly declared, “Down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the mullahs,” and “A dictatorship is a dictatorship — whether with a turban or a crown.” This powerful message clarifies that the Iranian people’s struggle is for genuine freedom and democracy, not for trading one tyrant for another.
Exposing the false promises of the Pezeshkian government
The activists in Zahedan, the heart of Iran’s Baluchistan province, also took aim at the hollow promises of the regime’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian. For years, the Baluch people have been systematically deprived of their basic rights, a policy of oppression that has continued seamlessly from the shah’s era to the mullahs’ rule. One poignant placard directly asked, “What happened to Pezeshkian’s promises to the Baluch people?” This question highlights the reality that, regardless of the faction in power, the regime is incapable of and unwilling to address the fundamental grievances of the Iranian people.
What happened to Pezeshkian’s promises to the Baluch people?
The key to the PMOI's success is that they did not cower in fear of torture, gallows, and bullets. pic.twitter.com/yWZ82XnB0j— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 13, 2025
The PMOI’s ‘crimes’ are badges of patriotic honor
The Resistance Units also used their campaign to reframe the regime’s decades-long demonization of the PMOI. Through their placards, they listed the PMOI’s supposed “crimes,” which are, in fact, acts of profound patriotism and service to the Iranian nation.
A key focus was the PMOI’s principled stance during the devastating Iran-Iraq war. One placard recalled how the PMOI exposed the disgrace of Khomeini’s slogan, “Conquer Jerusalem through Karbala,” a deceptive pretext he used to prolong the bloody conflict. The activists reminded observers that the PMOI’s “crime” was to raise the flag of peace and freedom, proving that an end to the war was possible. The regime, however, chose to continue its anti-patriotic war as a means to brutally suppress and execute dissidents at home. This message is especially timely as the regime marks the war’s anniversary with attempts to glorify its destructive agenda.
Other “crimes” proudly displayed by the activists included the PMOI’s continuous exposure of the mullahs’ clandestine nuclear bomb-making program and its decisive “no” to the constitution that enshrined the absolute rule of the clergy. The PMOI have championed the separation of religion and state since the 1979 revolution.
By owning these “crimes,” the PMOI demonstrates a 60-year history of standing for peace, freedom, and an independent Iran.
The crime of the PMOI is that they raised the flag of peace and freedom during Khomeini’s anti-patriotic war with Iraq pic.twitter.com/7H46ZfQASt
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 13, 2025
The third option: a future built by Iranians
The courageous activities in Zahedan are a living embodiment of the “Third Option,” the long-standing vision presented by the Iranian Resistance for the future of Iran. For decades, international policy has been trapped in a false dichotomy: either engage in appeasement of the clerical regime in the futile hope of moderation, or resort to a devastating foreign military intervention. The Iranian Resistance has consistently argued that both paths are dead ends that disregard the will of the Iranian people.
The activists in Zahedan championed this third way. As one activist’s sign declared, with society in an “explosive state,” the “only solution is the third option — neither appeasement nor war.” This solution places the power for change squarely in the hands of the Iranian people and their organized resistance. Another placard reinforced this core principle: “The great change will come by the people of Iran and their Resistance movement.” This is the path to a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic, achieved by Iranians themselves. Under the leadership of Maryam Rajavi, whose slogan “We Can and We Must” inspires this new generation, the Resistance Units are proving that the true agent for change lies within Iran’s borders.