Crashing Iran: Regime in Economic Freefall as People Brace for Impact; 100,000 members of NCRI Murdered by Ayatollah’s Regime
Iran’s economy is spiraling deeper into crisis, and the consequences are becoming increasingly difficult for the regime to contain. NCRI representatives Alireza Jafarzadeh, Shahin Gobadi, Ali Safavi, Col. Wes Martin and former political prisoners are available for interviews about the worsening economic conditions inside Iran, the desperation facing ordinary Iranians and whether President Trump’s threat of even greater economic pressure could push the Islamic Republic toward a breaking point.
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
Dr. Kazem Kazerounian: Iranian American Engineer
Shirin Nariman: Former Political Prisoner in Iran
Homeira Hesami: Former Political Prisoner in Iran
Col. Wesley Martin (Ret): Worked with MEK at Camp Ashraf
**Other Speakers, to include former Political Prisoners in Iran available upon request**
The timing could hardly be more consequential. The Trump administration is preparing additional economic pressure on Iran, raising the prospect of a dramatically intensified campaign against a regime already struggling to keep its economy functioning. Tehran is being squeezed at a moment when its population is confronting an increasingly bleak economic reality.
- Iran’s economy is collapsing as inflation and desperation intensify.
- Trump is threatening even greater economic pressure on Tehran.
- Ordinary Iranians are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis.
- Regime corruption and spending deepen Iran’s financial problems.
- Economic desperation could fuel another nationwide uprising.
Iranian People hit Hardest
For ordinary Iranians, the crisis is not an abstract collection of economic statistics. It means declining purchasing power, rising prices, a weakened currency and growing difficulty affording basic necessities. For the regime, however, the stakes are even higher: Economic desperation can quickly become political desperation.
Iran has experienced repeated waves of protests in recent years, many of which have been driven by economic grievances before expanding into broader challenges to the Islamic Republic. The question now is whether another economic shock could produce an even more explosive reaction.
The NCRI argues that Iran’s economic problems cannot simply be blamed on American sanctions. Decades of corruption, systemic mismanagement and the regime’s prioritization of its military and ideological ambitions have drained resources that could otherwise benefit the Iranian people. Tehran continues to spend enormous resources supporting its security apparatus, missile and nuclear programs and regional activities while Iranian families struggle with deteriorating living standards.
That creates a potentially dangerous dilemma for the regime. If Tehran gives in to U.S. economic pressure, it risks losing resources and leverage. If it refuses to yield, ordinary Iranians could face even greater hardship—and increasingly blame the regime for their suffering.
President Trump’s willingness to threaten additional economic pain therefore raises a larger question: Can the Islamic Republic withstand another round of economic warfare when its economy is already under extraordinary strain?
Jafarzadeh, Gobadi, Safavi, Col. Wes Martin and former political prisoners can provide firsthand perspective and analysis of Iran’s deteriorating economy, the regime’s vulnerabilities and whether worsening economic conditions could once again send millions of Iranians into the streets.
They can also address what an economic breaking point would look like—and whether Tehran is closer to it than the regime wants the world to believe.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE NCRI WEBSITE
Relevant Article(s):
Up First briefing: Iran’s economy; Trump’s ballroom; Bond market : NPR
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- What does Iran’s worsening economy look like for ordinary Iranians right now?
- How close is Iran to an economic breaking point?
- How much more economic pain can the regime absorb before facing a political crisis?
- Is Trump’s threat of additional economic pressure likely to accelerate Iran’s economic collapse?
- How is the regime’s spending on its military and regional ambitions contributing to the economic crisis?
- Could worsening economic conditions trigger another nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic?
- How much popular anger is being directed at the regime over inflation, poverty and unemployment?
- Could economic collapse become the catalyst for the fall of the Iranian regime?
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.
ABOUT DR. KAZEM KAZEROUNIAN…
Dr. Kazem Kazerounian is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Connecticut and served as Dean of the College of Engineering from 2012 to 2024.
A passionate advocate for democracy and human rights, Dr. Kazerounian is also an expert on Iran and the Middle East, particularly regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, and human rights situation in Iran. He has contributed widely through scholarly articles, invited talks, and media interviews on regional affairs and the democratic movement in Iran.
Nationally, he has held leadership roles with ASEE and ASME, shaping engineering policy and education. His honors include the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Award, AIMBE Fellowship, and induction into the Connecticut Academy of Science & Engineering.
An ASME Fellow, his research spans kinematics, robotics, and biomechanics. He has authored over 160 scholarly works and co-founded AcademicKeys.com and AcademicJournal.com, a professional platform and an online journal for academics.
At one point, while Shirin Nariman was a young political prisoner in Iran, she was tortured and buried up to her neck. Today, she is a human rights advocate, and entrepreneur residing in the U.S.
At just 15 years old, during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she became involved in pro-democracy activities and supported the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). Less than two years later, she was arrested for her activism—becoming one of the youngest political prisoners of her time and enduring severe torture in Evin Prison. Her case drew international attention and intervention from the Red Cross.
During her imprisonment, Shirin witnessed the regime’s brutality firsthand, including the executions of children, elderly women, and pregnant prisoners. After her release, she eventually sought refuge in the United States, where she has dedicated her life to advocating for human rights, women’s rights, and a free, democratic, non-nuclear Iran.
Shirin holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and has worked with leading wireless and financial corporations.
ABOUT HOMEIRA HESAMI…
Homeira Hesami was born in 1966 in Iran. At age 16, she graduated from high school with honors but was denied acceptance to Iranian universities due to her political beliefs and activism. Her activism forced her to spend a significant period of time in prison in Iran as a teenager. She was eventually able to immigrate to the United States, where she pursued her education further, obtaining both her Master’s from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
She has remained active in the political scene to help establish a free, democratic, secular, and non-nuclear Iran. Homeira was a member of the Iranian American Women’s Delegation that attended the World Conferences on Women in Beijing in 1995. She has spoken at the University of Virginia to educate students about the current plight of women in Iran. She has also spoken at The National Convention of Iranian Americans in Washington, D.C., as well as the Texas Convention of Iranian Leaders in Houston, TX. She is married with two children, and working as a medical physicist in Irving, Texas.
ABOUT COL. WESLEY MARTIN…
During his combat tours he served as the senior Antiterrorism/Force Protection Officer for all coalition forces in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 and 2, as Senior Operations Officer for Task Force 134 (Detention Operations), and as Commander of Forward Operating Base Ashraf, working with the Iranian Mujahedin (MEK / NCRI).
As the Antiterrorism Officer in Iraq, Colonel Martin’s “lead from the front, and spend as much time outside the perimeter as possible” style of leadership resulted in blocking Al Qaeda from killing the moderate Shia Grand Ayatollah Sistani and blowing up the Baghdad doctors’ convention. He also prevented the theft of over one thousand Cobalt 60 radioactive sources and an attack on the Baghdad trade fair.
As a captain he served in Field Command, Defense Nuclear Agency as a security inspector of U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force commands throughout the free world. More can be found at www.colonelwesmartin.com
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