Washington, DC, November 15, 2025. The Free Iran Convention 2025 convened in Washington, D.C., uniting an extraordinary gathering of Iranian scholars, professionals, and freedom fighters to examine the roadmap for change at a decisive moment of crisis for the ruling regime. Ms. Soona Samsami, the Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in the United States, delivered the opening remarks. Her speech emphasized the NCRI’s forty-five years of steadfast resistance and its role as the only democratic alternative committed to establishing a pluralistic republic through the dedication of its vast, experienced community. Below is the full text of her welcoming address.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished Iranian figures, esteemed guests,
My name is Soona Samsami, Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in the United States.
It is my immense pleasure to welcome you to the Free Iran Convention 2025.
Today, we are hosting an extraordinary gathering of Iranian men and women—scientists, professionals, freedom fighters, and young people whose hearts beat with unwavering determination for a free and democratic Iran.
At this decisive moment, when the regime is at its weakest and most crisis-ridden political and social point, the presence of such a broad, diverse, and experienced community—united in the shared demand for the overthrow of religious fascism and the establishment of a democratic, pluralistic republic, and here to examine the roadmap for change and the future of our country—is both essential and inspiring.
For 44 years, the NCRI has served as the only genuine democratic alternative to the mullahs’ regime. During this time, the NCRI has led a broad and inclusive coalition of democratic forces, offering the Iranian people a clear vision for the future and a concrete plan for the transition to a democratic republic. These programs will be realized through the dedication of thousands upon thousands of freedom fighters, specialists, and experts—many of whom are gathered here today.
A central strategic principle of the NCRI over these four decades has been the categorical rejection of both dictatorships: the theocracy of the mullahs and the monarchy that preceded it. This Resistance and its components—especially the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)—have not wavered for 45 years in their determination to overthrow religious fascism, and they have paid the highest possible price for this steadfastness. Just look at the long list of the martyrs of this Resistance.
The NCRI’s vision—reflected in the Ten-Point Plan of its President-elect, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi—outlines the fundamental pillars of a future free Iran, including:
- Separation of religion and state
- Full equality between women and men
- An independent judiciary• Freedom of speech, political parties, assembly, and the press; prohibition of torture; and abolition of the death penalty
- Autonomy and an end to discrimination against Iran’s ethnic and national minorities, in accordance with NCRI policy.
- A non-nuclear Iran,
Over the past four decades, the NCRI has played a decisive role in the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and has achieved historic accomplishments:
It was the NCRI that exposed the regime’s clandestine nuclear weapons program 34 years ago, preventing the ruling religious fascism from secretly reaching an atomic bomb and shocking the world.
It was the NCRI that put forward the peace initiative to end the Iran-Iraq War—a proposal that gained broad international support and laid the political foundation for ending the conflict.
And throughout these years, the NCRI has provided the most accurate and timely reports on executions, arrests, and systematic repression inside Iran, as well as on the regime’s war machine and terrorist networks—leading the most effective revelations and campaigns to counter them.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As we begin this convention, we gather with a shared purpose and a shared hope:
to help chart the path toward a free, democratic, and prosperous Iran.
I wish you all a productive, meaningful, and successful convention.