No Shah(ria): Iran’s People reject both monarchy and the mullahs’ religious rule
**ASK FOR EXCLUSIVE CLIPS FROM THIS INTERVIEW SCOOP**
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Presidential candidate, Maryam Rajavi SAID IT OUT LOUD. The group she represents does NOT WANT OR NEED foreign intervention to overthrow the regime. All of those American citizens out there who don’t want another foreign war should LISTEN!
Amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, American journalist Kyle Olson recently conducted a rare exclusive interview with Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a coalition of Iranian democratic opposition movements. This marks her first television interview in several years and comes at a moment when the country’s political future is under intense international scrutiny.
NCRI Speakers Available:
Alireza Jafarzadeh: Deputy Director of NCRI
Shahin Gobadi: Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Ali Safavi: Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Rajavi’s take on issues:
- Regime change comes from within: Rajavi says regime’s overthrow will be led by its own people—not foreign military intervention.
- People reject the regime’s narrative: Protest chants show political maturity and make clear the enemy is the ruling religious dictatorship, not America.
- Women at the center of movement to free their country: All regime-imposed restrictions—including compulsory hijab, religion, and rule—will be abolished.
- A democratic republic, not another dictatorship: Rajavi envisions separation of religion and state, full freedoms, gender equality, and a non-nuclear nation.
- Orderly transition, not chaos: The NCRI says its long-standing resistance network can manage a provisional period and hold free elections peacefully.
Mrs. Rajavi, based in France, has advocated for democracy in her home country for more than five decades under both the Shah and the current clerical regime. Her personal story reflects that struggle: she lost one sister under the Shah and another under the mullahs.
The movement she leads maintains an extensive network inside her home country and reports losing more than 100,000 activists over 45 years of resistance. It has also played what supporters describe as a key role in nationwide uprisings, including the protests of January 2026.
Her coalition is known for exposing the regime’s covert nuclear activities in the past, revelations that helped trigger international inspections and sanctions.
Rajavi’s 10-point plan for her country’s future has been endorsed by roughly 4,000 legislators worldwide; in the United States, a bipartisan majority of House members has backed it in a bipartisan resolution.
In the timely interview, Rajavi addresses a broad range of urgent topics, including:
- the prospects and consequences of potential U.S. military action
- whether regime change is realistic and what it would require
- Public sentiment toward the United States
- the role of women in the resistance movement and future political system
- her vision for a democratic Iran
- transition and guarantee for not having chaos
The full interview, as well as shorter broadcast-ready segments, is available upon request. Gusts can be also offered to comment on the topics with the video.
Relevant Article(s):
National Council of Resistance of Iran – NCRI
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- How close is your country’s regime to a breaking point?
- Is regime change realistic without U.S. military action, and what would actually trigger it from inside the country?
- How should Americans understand public sentiment toward the United States beyond what the regime projects?
- What role do women play inside Iran’s resistance movement today, and how would that change a future government?
- How credible are claims that the opposition has an active network inside Iran after decades of repression?
- What lessons should policymakers draw from the NCRI’s past exposure of Iran’s covert nuclear program?
- How does Rajavi’s 10-point plan address fears of chaos or power vacuums after the fall of the clerical regime?
- Why is this moment different from past uprisings, and what signals suggest the regime is weaker now?
ABOUT ALIREZA JAFARZADEH…
Alireza Jafarzadeh serves as the Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). He is also the author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2008).
A recognized expert on Iranian policy, Jafarzadeh has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. His groundbreaking work in 2002 and 2003 led to the discovery of key illicit nuclear sites in Iran, including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Arak heavy water plant, the Kalaye Electric centrifuge testing facility near Tehran, and the Lashkar Ab’ad laser enrichment facility. These revelations prompted the first-ever inspections of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Jafarzadeh is a frequent guest on major television and radio networks, including CBS Evening News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and France 24. His insights have also been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time, and The Hill.
ABOUT SHAHIN GOBADI…
Shahin Gobadi, a U.S.-educated nuclear engineer, is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
An astute observer of Iranian affairs for over three decades, Gobadi is an expert on topics including Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, proxy groups in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, Western policy toward Iran, and internal Iranian affairs.
He has been interviewed by major international media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky TV, GB News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Gobadi’s writings have appeared in prominent media across the U.S. and Europe.
ABOUT ALI SAFAVI…
Ali Safavi is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
A sociologist by training, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. He was an active participant in the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the United States and has been deeply engaged in Iranian affairs ever since.
Safavi has lectured and written extensively on Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Middle Eastern politics. He has appeared in interviews on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, Sky TV, Newsmax, and France 24. His articles and commentary have been published in leading outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times, and The Financial Times.
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CALL OR TEXT 512-966-0983 OR EMAIL BOOKINGS@SPECIALGUESTS.COM
CONTACT:
Jerry McGlothlin
Special Guests Publicity
919-437-0001
This material is distributed by Special Guests Publicity LLC on behalf of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) / Media Strategy Consulting LTD. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
