NCRI-US Celebrates 60th Anniversary of MEK’s Founding
Washington, D.C., September 7, 2025. The NCRI celebration event was a powerful commemoration of six decades of uninterrupted resistance by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK/PMOI) against two brutal dictatorships: the Shah and the ruling clerical regime. Distinguished speakers, including former government officials, academics, and Iranian-American advocates, uniformly asserted that the MEK and its political coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), represent the only visible and capable democratic alternative—the “third way”—to the current tyranny. The core message centered on the movement’s values of profound sacrifice and unwavering steadfastness, highlighting the indispensable role of women in its leadership, and affirming that the future of Iran lies in an orderly transition to a secular, democratic republic based on Maryam Rajavi’s 10-Point Plan, with the goal of achieving regime change from within by the Iranian people.
The celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the MEK’s founding was marked by the presence of a number of distinguished personalities, including former US government officials, renowned academics, and leaders in human rights advocacy. These individuals delivered remarks that provided unique perspectives on the movement’s historical endurance, its core principles, and its viability as the democratic alternative for Iran. The following is a short summary of each speaker’s remarks, capturing the core message and conviction they shared with the audience.
Ms. Soona Samsami. As the NCRI U.S. Representative, Ms. Soona Samsami opened her remarks by paying tribute to the MEK’s three young founders, Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saied Mohsen, and Aliasghar Badizadegan, who, in 1965, possessed “foresight, courage, and unshakable belief” in a free, just, and equal Iran. Their vision offered a democratic interpretation of Islam that championed women’s equality and the dignity of all people. Though executed by the Shah’s regime, their sacrifice instilled the values of truthfulness and freedom into the national conscience, allowing the MEK to grow stronger and endure. Ms. Samsami detailed the movement’s harrowing 60-year path, which has involved enduring prisons, torture, massacre, and exile, with tens of thousands of members and supporters executed without ever compromising its principles or abandoning the cause of a democratic republic. She emphasized that the Iranian people’s struggle is the “longest and the most persistent fight for democracy in the Middle East,” with slogans rejecting both the monarchy and the present theocracy and demanding a “Third Option”: a democratic republic based on Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10-Point Plan. This platform, which includes specific tenets like women’s equality, the separation of religion and state, and the rejection of nuclear weapons, provides a comprehensive answer to Iran’s future conflicts. Ms. Samsami concluded with the affirmation that the clerical regime is now “weaker than ever before,” isolated abroad and collapsing at home, making its fall inevitable as the resistance continues to grow.
Ms. Anahita Sami. Ms. Sami, as the opening speaker and host, welcomed guests to the event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the MEK, presenting the organization as a rare force that has defied decline by standing unbroken against two brutal dictatorships, the Shah and the Mullahs. She detailed the movement’s enduring resilience, attributing it to a clear moral compass, sacrifice, integrity, and the visionary leadership of Masoud and Maryam Rajavi. Concluding her celebratory remarks, she introduced the segment where subsequent speakers would share their perspectives, framing the MEK as a living testament to the Iranian people’s ultimate refusal to surrender.
Dr. Soolmaz Abooali. Dr. Abooali, a former Iranian refugee and champion athlete, honored the MEK’s founders for daring to envision a democratic, secular, and free Iran under the Shah’s oppressive rule. She highlighted the profound personal sacrifices of MEK members and centered her remarks on the indispensable role of women in the movement’s leadership, emphasizing that the liberation of women is fundamental to the liberation of the entire nation. She concluded that the MEK and the NCRI, backed by growing global support for Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan, stand as the “only capable alternative” to the current regime.
Dr. Firouz Daneshgari. Dr. Daneshgari, drawing on 45 years as an eyewitness, states that the MEK, like a phoenix, has emerged stronger from every existential challenge faced under two dictatorships. He uses his background as a scientist and surgeon to conclude that the MEK and the NCRI are the only visible and viable alternative to Iran’s failing regime, possessing the organizational capacity, human talent, and readiness to manage the transition to a freely elected government. He emphasizes the immense hope and capabilities that will be unleashed when the movement returns home to channel Iran’s resources into freedom and prosperity, realizing the values embodied in the 10-point plan.
Iranian youth (Yalda Bolurchi, Behrad, and Alayla Johnson). The youth delegation collectively affirmed that the MEK is the “only real hope for the future” to prevent repeating the historical mistakes of tyranny. A major theme was refuting the regime’s propaganda, with Yalda emphasizing the MEK’s popular base, especially with the Iranian youth, with Behrad correcting the lie that the MEK collaborated with Iraq by pointing out that MEK campaigned for peace and the Mullahs refused peace and continued the Iran-Iraq war, while Alayla exposed the demonization campaign as an effort to isolate the one force neither the monarch nor the Mullahs could control. The young speakers affirmed their determination to fulfill Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan and boldly asserted that the path to change in Iran will be led by women.
Mr. Seena Saiedian. Mr. Saiedian, a second-year law student, drew parallels between the MEK’s intellectual roots in the 1960s student movements and the core values of America’s founding, such as the separation of church and state and equality under the law. His central argument is that the MEK is the only consistent organization that recognized from the outset that the only long-term solution is regime change and the establishment of a secular, democratic republic, not the delusion of reform or appeasement. He expressed pride in standing with the movement not just because it opposes tyranny, but because it stands for a future where Iran belongs to its people and their prosperity is secured.
Ms. Hannaneh Amanpour. Ms. Amanpour, an attorney whose father was killed in the 1988 massacre, shared her deeply personal connection to the MEK, which began with her parents’ anti-Shah activism and her father’s conviction to fight for human rights and women’s rights while rejecting the cleric’s distortion of Islam. She affirmed that she has chosen to join the movement based on these principles, declaring that the MEK is the “only force with the vision and credibility to deliver on these values”. Her core message is that the Iranian people’s resilience, demonstrated through uprisings and resistance units, means the will for freedom cannot be extinguished, giving her confidence that Iran will become a free, democratic, secular republic.
Dr. Azadeh Sami. Dr. Sami, a pediatrician, focused on the enduring core values of the MEK—sacrifice, compassion, and steadfastness—that have allowed the movement to persevere through severe trials like the terrorist listing and Camp Ashraf attacks. She shared a personal anecdote of collective solidarity at the 1998 World Cup to illustrate the movement’s spirit, even in the presence of regime agents. The core lesson is that the movement is “the epicenter of national unity,” which, through unwavering steadfastness, guarantees that the light of freedom will prevail and that a free Iran, born of sacrifice and united by compassion, is not only possible but “inevitable”.
Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield. Ambassador Bloomfield methodically traces the MEK’s history from its beginnings as an intellectual study group, detailing its transformation into an “unstoppable movement for freedom” by dismantling the propaganda campaign that falsely labeled it as terrorist. He focused on the principled stand of Masoud Rajavi, who defied Ayatollah Khomeini’s dictatorship, asserting that “Islam means freedom” and demanding “guaranteeing freedom for all parties opinions and writings”. The core conviction is that the NCRI and MEK represent the legitimate “third way”—no to war, no to appeasement, but yes to regime change from within by the Iranian people.
Professor Sascha Sheehan. Professor Sheehan celebrated the 60 years of the MEK’s uninterrupted resistance against both the Shah and the clerical regime, affirming that its perseverance proves it is “no fringe group, no manufactured opposition,” but a movement deeply rooted in grassroots support and prepared to topple the regime from within. He emphasized that the MEK’s commitment to democracy, human rights, and pioneering women’s leadership has made it a recognized global force. He declared that the NCRI and MEK represent the “third option”—an orderly transition to a democratic republic based on the 10-point plan—which is the ready and credible answer to what will come next after the fall of the Mullahs.
Ms. Claire Lopez. Ms. Lopez shared her 20-year commitment to the MEK, which involved co-founding the Iran Policy Committee and advocating for the organization’s removal from the FTO list, a process she believes was crucial to opposing the regime. She expressed concern that the weakened Iranian regime is now accelerating its race for a deliverable nuclear weapon. Her central message connected the MEK’s vision of a free, democratic, and non-nuclear republic, as outlined in Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan, to the foundational ideals of self-governance and the right of the people to “alter or abolish” destructive government, as articulated by Thomas Jefferson.