After the helicopter crash on May 19, 2024, that claimed the life of former president Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian mullah regime swiftly scheduled early elections.

Not being a particularly competent bunch, they announced the fictional date of Friday, June 31. They held the vote on Saturday.

These elections were orchestrated under the watchful eye of the ailing 85-year-old Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who aimed to use this occasion to solidify his succession plan. While it appeared that Saeed Jalili, a former Revolutionary Guard general close to Khamenei, was set to win, the historically low voter turnout effectively transformed the electoral process into a referendum, expressing the Iranian populace’s overwhelming rejection of the regime and their desire for a transition to a democratic and secular government.

That was bad news for the mullahs, so they didn’t say anything.

But hundreds of the resistance units across Iran monitored more than 14,000 polling stations until midnight, revealing that a staggering 88% of eligible voters abstained. This act of mass boycott is particularly significant given that voting is compulsory for certain demographics, including soldiers and prisoners. As a result, in many areas under the regime's control, nullified ballots frequently topped the polls.

The Iranian populace has demonstrated a consistent preference for regime change through various uprisings and protests. Notably, during the November 2019 uprising, Reuters reported that at least 1,500 young people were fatally shot under direct orders from Khamenei as they clamored for their freedom.

Similarly, the 2022 uprising saw Ali Khamenei manage to quell dissent only temporarily through severe and unmatched brutality.

These elections have once again amplified the Iranian people’s call for change, a sentiment robustly supported by tens of thousands of Iranians in Berlin the day following the presidential elections.

The Iranians have been heartened to see that they have supporters from the West. Among them, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo strongly advocated for change in the Iranian leadership.

Alongside a significant protest in Berlin, the annual gathering of the Iranian Resistance took place in Paris, surrounded by tight security measures. The event was inaugurated by Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian Resistance, and was attended by notable American figures such as former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

During his address to the Iranians in Germany and the attendees in Paris, Pence remarked, “The new president of Iran will take over a regime that is not only weaker and less stable but also more prone to falling apart. Yet, this regime won't crumble by itself. Thus, it requires a robust, organized, and proven resistance to drive enduring change—a movement that motivates, has consistently opposed the regime without yielding, and is prepared to endure sacrifices and pay the price needed for liberty. Fortunately, such a movement exists. It is the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Indeed, the mullahs' greatest fear is the NCRI.”

Mike Pompeo, who also spoke, highlighted the presence of a viable alternative that could address the broader issues of the Middle East: “We are often told that there is no substitute for the current regime. However, the ongoing activities of resistance units in hundreds of locations across Iran each week prove otherwise. The People’s Mojahedin Organization-MEK, the main component of the NCRI, presents viable solutions not just for Iran’s challenges but for the entire region. Indeed, an alternative does exist.”

It’s safe to say they oppose appeasement, but that isn’t the case in the halls of power in all of the West. It’s time to end the policy of appeasement.

Despite the wishes of the Iranian people, the Biden administration and Western governments continue their policy of appeasement towards the faltering regime. In the United States, decisions have been made to deposit over one hundred billion dollars of Iranian assets into the regime's treasury, aiding the sale of oil which finances the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy forces, further supporting their aggressive actions.

In Belgium, compelled by public pressure due to the hostage-taking of a Belgian citizen in Iran, the government last year extradited a diplomat who had been convicted of terrorism and sentenced him to 20 years in prison for transporting a bomb intended for a massive attack at an opposition gathering in Paris in 2018.

In Sweden, although a court resolutely sentenced an individual responsible for the massacre of thirty thousand political prisoners in Iran in 1988 to life imprisonment, last month the government handed him over to the clerical regime, where he was received in Tehran with a red carpet and a garland. Once again, the tactic of taking a Swedish diplomat hostage in Iran proved effective.

During her opening speech at the Resistance conference, Maryam Rajavi admonished the governments that persist in appeasing the Iranian regime: “You have assisted this regime in nearing nuclear capabilities, paved the way for Khamenei’s militaristic endeavors in the region, and emboldened the clerics to such an extent that it sparked protests in Ukraine. For years, your media have spread the falsehood that religious fascism is without an alternative and that we must accept it. Yet, sustaining this dying regime and forestalling its inevitable downfall is unfeasible.”

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