A century of tyranny ends: Maryam Rajavi outlines the path to a free Iran in Nowruz address

2026-03-20 - 21:41

As Iran marks the beginning of Nowruz for the year 1405 (March 20, 2026), coinciding this year with Eid al-Fitr, the nation stands at the threshold of a monumental historical transformation. The past year was marked by unprecedented national uprisings and the consequential death of the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. On this critical juncture, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), delivered a powerful Nowruz message to the Iranian people. Entering the forty-fifth spring of all-out resistance against the mullahs’ regime, Rajavi highlighted that the nation’s long-fought democratic revolution is finally positioned to blossom into a flourishing democratic republic. Despite the immense suffering, war, and pressure burdened upon the Iranian populace by the ruling regime, Mrs. Rajavi offered a message of enduring hope to the afflicted, declaring that the bitter days of clerical rule will soon pass. Honoring the sacrifices of the uprisings Over the past year, the Iranian people’s confrontation with the ruling regime reached a fever pitch. In her address, Mrs. Rajavi honored the constellation of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for freedom over the past year, alongside the steadfast political prisoners and the architects of the recent uprisings. She specifically praised the units of the Liberation Army who, without hesitation, fought on to their final breaths, striking directly at Khamenei’s headquarters. Message on #Nowruz 1405, the Beginning of the New Persian Year- On the 45th crimson spring of Iran’s Resistance, I extend my heartfelt congratulations on Nowruz, which this year coincides with Eid al-Fitr. Honored be the memory of the constellation of martyrs who gave their lives... pic.twitter.com/7P2LfTTTcC — Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 20, 2026 “The usurpers and thieves, especially those who have hijacked our people’s right to sovereignty, think that even blood and martyrdom can be stolen,” she noted. “They do not understand that blood unjustly shed brings forth justice and can never be taken away.” The Resistance paid tribute to a nation that has risen through continuous and immense struggle—from the uprisings of 1999, 2009, 2017–2018, 2019, 2020, 2022–2023, and culminating in the massive protests of 2025–2026. “Neither Shah nor mullah”: Rejecting all forms of dictatorship With Khamenei finally dead, the political landscape in Iran has laid bare the true nature of competing factions. Mrs. Rajavi unequivocally rejected the remnants of the monarchy, noting that their vision for tomorrow is merely a return to dictatorship and the suppression of oppressed nationalities. Throughout Iran’s history, the Shah’s “White Revolution” and Khomeini’s “Islamic Revolution” both relied heavily on execution squads and massacres to crush dissent. “Unlike the heirs of the mullahs and the Shah, we seek peace and freedom,” Mrs. Rajavi emphasized. “We seek justice and independence. We seek not power, but the transfer of power to the people of Iran.” The future can be built starting today. Its path lies in uniting around principles that command the agreement of the majority of Iranians: a democratic republic; separation of religion and state; autonomy for ethnic nationalities; gender equality; the abolition of the death... pic.twitter.com/hkG9bLYxAV — Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 20, 2026 Mrs. Rajavi reminded the Iranian people that they hold the absolute power to write a new destiny, a power proven through the Constitutional Revolution and the anti-monarchical revolution that shattered the Shah’s infernal SAVAK. Quoting Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi, she reminded Iranians of the critical juncture they face: “The people will rise to life again, provided we do not allow the fruits of struggle, suffering, and sacrifice to be lost, and the century-long cycle of tyranny to continue through the usurpation of popular sovereignty. Yes, this year is a year of advance, a historic test.” The vision for tomorrow: The Ten-Point Plan for a free Iran The path to tomorrow’s Iran can be built today by uniting around the democratic principles championed by the Iranian Resistance. Mrs. Rajavi reiterated the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan, which commands the agreement of the majority of Iranians. “Its path lies in uniting around principles that command the agreement of the majority of Iranians: a democratic republic; separation of religion and state; autonomy for ethnic nationalities; gender equality; the abolition of the death penalty; and a non-nuclear Iran living in peace and coexistence with the world,” she stated. To achieve this, a provisional government is explicitly tasked with transferring sovereignty to the Iranian people. In this free Iran, a council-based system will expand across all areas of governance, ensuring that social justice is inseparable from freedom and democracy, and ensuring that poverty and homelessness have no place in society. A call for national solidarity and the arrival of spring Concluding her Nowruz address, Mrs. Rajavi called for profound national solidarity. Decades of systemic oppression and plunder by the mullahs have driven large segments of the population into poverty, making it an immediate national duty to support them. She urged Iranians to stand beside the families of those martyred in the January uprising, honoring the martyrs who have fallen since June 20, 1981. Mrs. Rajavi painted a vivid picture of Iran’s political and social spring—a future where women participate in political leadership as the architects of development, and where youth are active, decisive citizens. Empowered by their free vote, the Iranian people will usher in an era free of tyranny. “The Nowruz of the republic of the people of Iran will blossom through their free vote, ushering in the joyful dawn of a new society, one in which every brick of its structure is founded upon free choice, and all share in determining their destiny,” she concluded. “Yes, tomorrow’s Iran will become a garden of freedom and justice.”