Thousands of Iranian Americans, political activists, and former U.S. officials gathered in Washington, D.C. on May 16 for one of the largest recent demonstrations in support of democratic change in Iran. The “Washington Free Iran Rally” focused on Iran’s escalating execution campaign, internal unrest, and the activities of organized opposition networks inside the country.
Held against the backdrop of mounting tensions inside Iran following nationwide protests and a surge in political executions, the event brought together members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and several American political and military figures.
Throughout the rally, speakers repeatedly pointed to what they described as deepening instability within Iran’s ruling system. Many framed the increase in executions and security crackdowns as evidence of growing concern among authorities over renewed anti-government protests.
In a televised address broadcast to the gathering, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi said the Iranian regime had reached what she described as a “terminal impasse” following the nationwide unrest of January 2026. She argued that authorities were increasingly dependent on “internet blackouts, arbitrary street searches, and a bloody purge of political prisoners” to contain dissent.
Mrs. Rajavi honored eight PMOI members and 17 protesters reportedly executed in recent weeks, highlighting the words attributed to political prisoner Vahid Bani-Amerian before his execution: “Rest assured, if you execute me and those like me, we shall only multiply.”
She also claimed that the continued activities of the Resistance Units demonstrated that “the regime has failed to obstruct the impending uprising.” Rejecting both engagement policies toward Tehran and monarchist currents abroad, Rajavi described supporters of a return to monarchy as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” attempting to revive the legacy of SAVAK, the Shah’s former intelligence organization.
Calling for stronger international pressure on Tehran, she urged Western governments to “block all diplomatic concessions,” designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and recognize “the Iranian people’s impending march toward a democratic society governed by the ballot box, gender equality, and pluralism.”
Dr. Anahita Sami, an Iranian-American attorney and community organizer, opened the rally by focusing on the human cost of the crackdown inside Iran. She said a “new, fearless generation has looked dictatorship squarely in the eye and refused to kneel before tyranny.”
Reading the names of executed political prisoners, including Pouya Ghabadi, Vahid Bani-Amerian, and Babak Alipour, Sami argued that the authorities’ reliance on executions had backfired, saying “every martyr” had become “an uncontainable wildfire.”
Former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy used his remarks to draw attention to the execution of political prisoners, including elderly dissidents and professionals accused of opposition activity. “A confident regime does not rush architectural and electrical engineers to the gallows,” Kennedy said, referring to recent executions of PMOI supporters and activists.
He argued that the execution of longtime opposition figures, including 67-year-old PMOI supporter Abolhassan Montazer, reflected “a deep-seated, paralyzing fear of another domestic uprising.”
Kennedy also referenced reported operations carried out by Resistance Units across multiple Iranian cities in recent weeks, saying the activities demonstrated a level of organization inside Iran that policymakers could no longer ignore. He described the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan as “a precise roadmap for free elections and an independent judiciary.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands criticized decades of Western engagement policies toward Tehran, arguing that diplomatic outreach had marginalized organized opposition movements.
“The existence of a highly organized, disciplined democratic alternative like the NCRI effectively shatters the false narrative that the world must choose between the current theocracy or absolute chaos,” Sands said.
She also addressed the debate surrounding monarchist groups abroad, accusing some organizations aligned with former crown prince Reza Pahlavi of glorifying SAVAK. Sands said some monarchist groups in Europe had openly marched with “insignia representing an era defined by torture chambers and political repression.”
Retired General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, approached the issue from a strategic and security perspective. Clark argued that military pressure alone would not resolve tensions surrounding Iran’s regional activities or nuclear ambitions.
“Airplanes flying at 35,000 feet, aircraft carriers, and bunker-busting bombs are merely peripheral,” Clark said. “The root cause of regional instability rests inside the regime itself.”
Referring to the January 2026 protests, Clark argued that previous protest waves had demonstrated the limits of peaceful dissent under current conditions. He said “organized, internal armed resistance” would ultimately determine the country’s future trajectory.
The rally also featured representatives from Iran’s ethnic minority communities. Hejar Berenji, representing the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI/KDPI) in the United States, advocated for a political system recognizing the rights of Kurds, Baluch, Arabs, and Azeris.
“Real national unity cannot be built through forced silence or another centralized dictatorship,” Berenji said. He summarized his position with the slogan: “No dictatorship with turban, no dictatorship with crown.”
Berenji also criticized ongoing negotiations with Tehran, calling for “an immediate end to negotiations over the heads of the Iranian people.”
Younger Iranian-American speakers focused heavily on the role of women and youth in recent protest movements. Kimia Arya, a biology student at the University of Houston, spoke about the participation of women during the January 2026 demonstrations and the impact of the subsequent crackdown.
“The current wave of executions does not project state strength,” Arya said. “It exposes a paralyzing weakness from a regime that is deeply terrified of its students and youth.”
She added that younger generations in Iran would accept “nothing less than a forward-looking republic completely free of both the turban and the crown.”
Ali Ziaie, a former Canadian Wushu champion and political science graduate, offered a personal account of growing up in a family affected by political imprisonment in Iran. He said he learned from childhood that “simply uttering the name of the MEK carried the penalty of execution.”
Ziaie argued that every execution carried out by the authorities now served as “an official confession by the mullahs that they have lost control of the nation’s soul.”
The event concluded with a message from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who described the current political system in Iran as “rapidly collapsing from both the inside and the outside.” He called the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan “an essential constitutional guidepost for a post-regime transition.”
Across the rally, speakers repeatedly returned to three themes: opposition to executions and repression inside Iran, rejection of both clerical rule and monarchical restoration, and support for organized networks seeking political change from within the country itself.
