Iran’s Organized Resistance and the Failure of Appeasement

2026-03-19 - 15:50

Following the massive nationwide uprisings of December 2025 and January 2026, the Iranian regime finds itself at a historic impasse. The ruling clerics only managed to maintain their fragile grip on power through the massacre of thousands of protesters. However, recent developments inside the country demonstrate a profound shift in the dynamics of the Iranian street: the homegrown resistance movement has not been stifled. Instead, it is rapidly evolving, moving beyond unorganized protests into a capable, organized force systematically dismantling the regime’s machinery of repression. The illusion of appeasement and the reality of organized resistance For years, Western policymakers have harbored the illusion that the Iranian regime would either moderate itself, collapse spontaneously, or be overthrown through social media campaigns alone. This miscalculation has only fueled a destructive policy of appeasement. Speaking in Brussels on March 18, 2026, Mohammad Mohaddessin, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), urged European leaders to abandon these failed policies. “We have repeatedly warned that this regime is incapable of reform,” Mohaddessin said, adding that appeasement is “like nurturing a snake in one’s sleeve — it inevitably leads to war.” At today’s press conference in Brussels, I emphasized that: The EU’s policy of appeasement has been the most significant external factor in sustaining Iran's regime and preventing its overthrow. We are not asking the EU for money, weapons, or foreign troops. We call for an end to... pic.twitter.com/n13IxjBHio — Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) March 18, 2026 Addressing the flawed notion of passive regime change, he emphasized: “Experience in recent years has proven that illusions such as regime collapse on its own, or change through social media networks and satellite television, are baseless. Overthrow requires a powerful, indigenous force rooted within Iranian society.” This force is the resistance movement led by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and its network of Resistance Units. Operating across all 31 provinces for nearly a decade, these units carried out 3,000 operations in the past year alone and played a decisive role during the January uprising. Mohaddessin said that these localized units are now “gradually evolving into a liberation army.” Piercing the heart of the dictatorship: The February 23 operation The transformation of these units into a National Liberation Army (NLA) was undeniably displayed during the unprecedented February 23 assault on the regime’s most fortified stronghold in Tehran. A force of 250 NLA members breached the Motahari Complex, which housed Ali Khamenei’s headquarters and other high-level state offices. The compound, measuring 620 by 770 meters, was protected by 8,000 elite personnel—including the IRGC Vali-e Amr Protection Corps and the Ansar al-Mahdi Corps—as well as four-meter-high reinforced concrete walls and anti-drone barriers. Despite the sheer scale of the regime’s defenses, the operation resulted in heavy enemy casualties. While 100 PMOI fighters were killed or arrested, 150 NLA members safely returned to their bases. The bold attack sent shockwaves through the regime’s hierarchy. Bultan News, an IRGC-run outlet, captured the internal panic, asking: “What has happened to us that the enemy now covets the heart of Tehran and dares to reach out toward it?... none of us has the right to pass even a single night in comfort.” As Mohaddessin noted, “This operation ... sent a powerful message: that a capable and organized force exists within Iran that can confront the regime at the highest levels, even in Tehran.” Relentless nationwide defiance despite maximum suppression Terrified of a renewed surge in uprisings, the regime has resorted to extreme measures, including heavily deploying armed personnel, issuing shoot-to-kill orders, and tripling street patrols. The IRGC Intelligence Organization even warned that any new demonstrations would be met with “a blow harder than January 8.” Yet, the resistance remains unbowed. During the March 15 Charshanbe Suri (Fire Festival) campaign, PMOI Resistance Units carried out 15 coordinated operations across major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, and Tabriz, successfully torching IRGC Basij bases and state propaganda billboards. Tehran Member of Resistance Units sets fire to a poster of Khamenei while shouting "Salute to Rajavi" pic.twitter.com/sF6wKnbGQt — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 18, 2026 The very next day, on March 16, an NLA unit launched a daring attack on the governorate building in Ahvaz. This operation served as a direct and crushing response to the regime’s brutal suppression and torture of inmates in Khuzestan’s Sheiban and Sepidar prisons, demonstrating the NLA’s firm determination to shatter the machinery of suppression. #Breaking Iran News Alert Simay Azadi Exclusive Ahvaz – March 16, 2026 PMOI Resistance Units target the Ahvaz governorate building ahead of Iran's national Chaharshanbe-Suri (Fire Festival). While holding a National Liberation Army flag, they chant: "Viva Rajavi." pic.twitter.com/RvtAWUjTtW — SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) March 16, 2026 A fragile hereditary dictatorship vs. a democratic alternative Following the death of Ali Khamenei, the installation of his son, Mojtaba, has formalized the regime’s transformation into a hereditary clerical monarchy. This desperate move has only narrowed the regime’s power base, making it more dependent on the IRGC and consequently more fragile. The appointment faced significant internal backlash, with over 30 percent of the Assembly of Experts boycotting the vote and only 44 members supporting Mojtaba, who now controls assets exceeding $1 trillion. In stark contrast to this crumbling, corrupt dictatorship, the Iranian Resistance offers a clear, democratic alternative. On February 28, the NCRI announced a provisional government based on Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, designed to transfer sovereignty to the Iranian people within six months of the regime’s overthrow—an initiative backed by over 1,000 parliamentarians in the US and Europe. As the Iranian people continuously risk their lives to dismantle this dictatorship, the international community must align its policies with the reality on the ground. It is time for governments to recognize the Iranian people’s legitimate right to resist, acknowledge the provisional government, and hold Tehran’s leaders accountable for their crimes against humanity. “We are not asking for money, weapons, or foreign troops,” Mohaddessin said. “We call for an end to appeasement.”