‘Regime change in Iran by the people of Iran’

Iranian Americans gathered on Capitol Hill to chant “regime change in Iran by the people of Iran” — a chorus echoing blocks away, accompanied by dozens of drums — on Saturday, marking the first week of the U.S. military operation in Iran.

Hundreds gathered to support the provisional government for Iran’s transition announced this week by Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, to facilitate a transition to establish a secular and democratic republic in Iran.

The U.S. and Israel launched massive strikes against Iran, followed by President Trump calling on the Iranian people to “help take back your country.”

Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in one of the first strikes, propelling possible regime change after 47 years of unyielding Islamic rule in Tehran.

Those at the rally, sponsored by the Organization of Iranian American Communities, a group calling for a secular Iranian republic, issued one unified message: The responsibility of overthrowing the regime and organizing a new government is on the Iranian people.

Ms. Rajavi’s 10-point plan outlines a transitional government, offering a “clear vision for the future,” said Shirin Nariman, a refugee who came to the U.S. after being imprisoned in Iran four decades ago.

“If you don’t have a plan, and if you don’t have a leadership, the whole country is going to go to chaos. You need a concrete plan so you can bring unity and leadership,” she added.

She warned that the regime will not go by means of attack only; the Iranian people on the ground are needed in the fight.

“And that’s what we support. We want to bring this regime down by ourselves,” Ms. Nariman said.

Many of her friends were executed in the Iranian Revolution, she said, prompting her to continue her opposition to the regime: “I have to be their voice.”

Seena Saiedian, a frequent volunteer with Iranian American organizations, said that “true progress, true peace and freedom in the Middle East, will not come until there is regime change in Iran.”

He added, “But regime change must come from the people of Iran, not through outside intervention,” underscoring that Saturday’s message is that “true regime change will not come from airstrikes alone. True regime change requires a grassroots movement within the country.”

He said the Trump administration must recognize the organized opposition inside Iran that carries decades of support and infrastructure to facilitate combat fighting against the regime and a transition period for a new government led by Ms. Rajavi and her 10-point plan.

“And I think we have to have trust that there are people there that are able to build up those institutions after the downfall of the current regime to create a smooth transition to democratic institutions, rather than a power vacuum,” Mr. Saiedian said.

If Mickey Mohammadi, who was at the rally, could send a message to Congress and the White House, she would say, “If you want sustainable change, and you want this not to repeat itself and to have another 1979 Iranian Revolution, let the people inside of Iran take care of the transitional government.”