On July 17, 2026, the Luigi Einaudi Foundation in Rome hosted an important international conference dedicated to the geopolitical crisis in Iran and the sustainable path toward a democratic alternative. At the center of the event was Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), together with prominent figures such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator Giulio Terzi, President of the Senate’s 4th Standing Committee on EU Affairs, and Senator Andrea Cangini.
The Clerical Regime in Terminal Decline
The speakers analyzed the fragile state of the Iranian clerical regime, which is deeply divided by intense internal rivalries, structural economic collapse, and its inability to control a restive population. The conference reached a clear international consensus: the complete rejection of the current religious dictatorship and of any regressive monarchical restoration under the Pahlavi family. Participants strongly supported the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan as the blueprint for a secular and democratic republic. They also called for an immediate end to the West’s policy of appeasement and the strict enforcement of sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Maryam Rajavi: An In-Depth Analysis of the Regime’s Crisis
In her keynote address, Maryam Rajavi described a regime in irreversible decline. She emphasized that the clerical dictatorship has reached a political and economic deadlock. The regime uses regional conflicts as a shield to carry out mass arrests and executions of dissidents, including members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), in order to suppress popular mobilization. Nevertheless, recent developments such as deep cracks within the Assembly of Experts over a memorandum with the United States and internal opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei’s succession have left the state extremely vulnerable. Iranian society, according to Rajavi, is like an active social volcano, fueled by generational grievances, negative economic decline, and the destruction of the private sector by the Revolutionary Guards.
“Even during Khamenei’s funeral last week, some regime loyalists chanted ‘Death to compromise!’ against Masoud Pezeshkian and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf,” she said. She added that a country with vast oil and gas reserves cannot even meet its own energy needs because of the Guards’ total control over the economy. “Even if oil revenues increase, the money will go to missiles, drones, and proxy forces,” Rajavi warned.
She emphasized that the regime will never abandon its nuclear program, war, and terrorism, but it will not survive in the face of uprisings and organized resistance.
The Decisive Role of the Internal Resistance
Rajavi declared that “the overthrow of this regime can be achieved only by the people of Iran and their organized resistance.” She spoke about the structural growth of the internal network and the Resistance Units, which are making the uprising more organized and focused. “The Resistance Units are evolving into the Liberation Army and represent the decisive force for change.”
Italian Support and Liberal Values
Senator Andrea Cangini welcomed the delegation, recalling that one year earlier, at the same foundation, the memory of Mahsa Amini had been honored. He emphasized the alignment between Western liberal values and the NCRI’s platform, highlighting gender equality and state secularism as key points. Cangini condemned the military cooperation between the IRGC and Russia and called for opposition unity, because “the more united the opposition is, the more the regime will suffer.”
Rudy Giuliani: Rejection of Monarchy and Support for the MEK
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered a passionate endorsement of the internal resistance and completely rejected the Pahlavi monarchist faction. He described the clerical leadership as chaotic and desperate, relying only on violence and proxy forces. Giuliani sharply criticized the corruption of the former Shah’s regime and stated that “we do not want another Shah.” “The NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan is a path toward freedom, equality, and basic human values,” he said. “The mullahs must go. What Mrs. Rajavi represents is the democratic government that will replace them.”
NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Senator Giulio Terzi at the Luigi Einaudi Foundation on July 17, 2026
Senator Giulio Terzi: The IRGC as a Terrorist Octopus
Senator Giulio Terzi reaffirmed the strong alliance between the Italian Parliament and the Iranian Resistance. He rejected any attempt at monarchical restoration and recounted an episode from a session of the Human Rights Committee, where an academic suggested good relations between parts of the IRGC and Reza Pahlavi. Terzi described the IRGC as a “terrorist octopus” that must be cut off globally.
“The IRGC is the Iranian state, and the Iranian state is the IRGC,” he said, stressing that around 210,000 to 220,000 people are integrated throughout the banking and economic system. He honored the sacrifices of the martyrs and the courage of Iranian citizens, emphasizing that the wave of freedom is being led by Mrs. Rajavi’s movement.
The conference at the Luigi Einaudi Foundation marked an important moment of international unity around a democratic, secular, and republican alternative for Iran, fully supported by the organized resistance of the Iranian people under Maryam Rajavi’s leadership. Participants agreed that the time for appeasement is over and that the full enforcement of sanctions against the IRGC is essential to support democratic change in Iran.
Source: ncr-iran.org
