February 8 saw a pivotal conference convened in Berlin focused on the situation in Iran. Held on the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 anti-monarchial revolution, the gathering took place under the shadow of a tectonic shift in Iranian politics: the nationwide uprising of late December 2025 and January 2026.

Distinguished political figures from the United States, the European Union, and Germany gathered to assess the situation. The consensus among the speakers—ranging from former heads of state to senior diplomats and military experts—was stark and unified. They concluded that the religious dictatorship in Iran has entered its terminal phase following the regime’s brutal massacre of thousands of protesters during the recent January uprising. The conference focused on the failure of appeasement, the illegitimacy of the clerical regime, the rejection of a return to monarchical dictatorship, and the recognition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as the viable democratic alternative.

The event, occurring shortly after a massive rally by freedom-loving Iranians in Berlin, served as a policy roadmap for Western governments grappling with the reality of a regime that can now only sustain itself through mass slaughter.

Maryam Rajavi: A Roadmap for the “End of the Ending”

Opening the conference, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, delivered a determined address. Paying tribute to the late Professor Rita Süssmuth, a steadfast supporter of the Iranian Resistance, Mrs. Rajavi framed the recent events in Iran not merely as protests, but as a “profound transformation” and an “earthquake” that has shaken the foundations of the theocracy. She argued that the sheer scale of the January uprising—spanning all 31 provinces and involving the active disarmament of Revolutionary Guards by rebellious youth—proved that the overthrow of the regime is now “inevitable.”

Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that the regime’s resort to mass killings, including the shooting of unarmed civilians and children, demonstrated that Ali Khamenei has lost the capacity to govern. Addressing the fear of post-regime chaos, she pointed to the NCRI’s extensive network and the plan for a provisional government to hold elections for a Constituent Assembly within six months of the regime’s fall.

“The January uprising,” Mrs. Rajavi stated, “demonstrated that the process of overthrowing this regime is both irreversible and inevitable.” She outlined six specific demands for the international community:

Recognizing the struggle of the rebellious youth against the IRGC.

Immediate UN action to halt executions.

Facilitating internet access for Iranians.

Prosecuting regime leaders for crimes against humanity.

Closing regime embassies and expelling its agents.

Severing the regime’s financial lifelines.

Mrs. Rajavi concluded with a definitive message to world leaders: “Now that world leaders have heard the voice of Iran’s bloodstained uprising, it is expected that they also heed the legitimate demands of the Iranian people.”

The January Uprising: A Point of No Return

A central theme of the conference was the analysis of the recent uprising, which speakers described as fundamentally different from previous protests in 2017, 2019, or 2022. The involvement of the Tehran Bazaar and the merchant class was........

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