The streets of Iran have spoken with a clarity that cannot be ignored. For weeks, protests have surged across the country, defying bullets, batons, and the machinery of repression. Tehran’s rulers responded with a ferocity that betrays their fear: mass arrests, violent crackdowns, and a chilling escalation of executions, more than 2,000 last year alone. More than 3,900 reportedly died, and 50,000 were arrested during this year’s uprising.
The government’s bloody crackdown has chilled the protests, and while the regime, under pressure, has suspended executions, these are not the actions of a confident regime. They are the death throes of a system that has lost its legitimacy.
The Islamic Republic was built on the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, absolute clerical rule. That principle has become the cornerstone of tyranny, fusing religion and state into an apparatus of control that suffocates every aspect of life in Iran. Protesters are rejecting this. Their chants and banners call for a government where sovereignty flows from the people, not from a self-appointed caste of clerics.
The protesters are not pleading for reform. They are demanding a transformation.
What should that transformation look like? The answer begins with freedom of many kinds: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of political parties, and freedom of the press and the internet. For decades, Iranians have lived under a regime that criminalizes dissent and polices thought. The new order must dismantle this architecture of repression and replace it with a culture of openness.
That commitment to liberty must extend beyond politics to the realm of human rights. A future Iran must anchor itself in the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming individual and social freedoms as inviolable. This means ending the grotesque spectacle of arbitrary arrests and torture and building institutions that protect rather than persecute.
Central to this vision is the separation of religion and state. Faith should be a matter of conscience, not a lever of power. Theocracy has failed Iran and poisoned its politics. A secular republic that guarantees freedom of religion and belief is essential to healing these wounds.
No less urgent is the demand for gender equality. Women have borne the brunt of the regime’s cruelty, from compulsory veiling to systemic exclusion from leadership. Yet, women have also stood at the forefront of resistance, leading protests with courage and clarity. A new Iran must honor that sacrifice by enshrining complete equality in political, social, cultural, and economic life, and by opening the doors of power to women.
Justice cannot flourish without an independent judiciary. The mullahs’ Sharia courts and Revolutionary Tribunals have been instruments of terrorism, dispensing death sentences with impunity. They must be abolished and replaced with a legal system that is impartial, transparent, and rooted in the rule of law.
Iran’s diversity is a source of strength. Yet, under the current regime, ethnic minorities have endured political marginalization and economic neglect. A democratic Iran must recognize the autonomy of its nationalities and guarantee equal rights for all communities, weaving pluralism into the fabric of governance.
Economic renewal is equally vital. Decades of corruption and mismanagement have hollowed out Iran’s economy, leaving millions in poverty. The new order must create equal opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship, fostering a free market that rewards innovation. Prosperity cannot be the privilege of the few.
The environment, too, demands urgent attention. Years of neglect have ravaged Iran’s natural resources, imperiling health and livelihoods. A responsible government must commit to protecting and rehabilitating the environment, recognizing that sustainability is not a luxury.
THE U.S. MUST STAND WITH THE IRANIAN PEOPLE
Finally, Iran must renounce the pursuit of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction. The regime’s militarism has isolated the country and drained its wealth. A peaceful Iran, integrated into the global community, is indispensable for regional stability.
These are the minimum conditions for a nation that has endured four decades of darkness and now stands at the threshold of light. The fall of the regime is no longer a question of if, but when. The challenge is to ensure that what rises from its ashes reflects the will of the people and the values of freedom, justice, and equality.
The world must stand with the people of Iran as they fight to topple a regime and build a republic worthy of their courage.
Dr. Cyrus Samet is the chairman of the Iranian American Community of Maryland and an associate professor at the University of Maryland Medical System