We are pleased to present this guest essay from Gen. Charles Wald, a retired four-star Air Force general and former deputy commander of the United States European Command. As always, the opinions expressed by the guest author do not necessarily represent those of Hot Air or Townhall Media.
Iran’s People Deserve International Support for Their Resistance and Right to Self-Determination
Gen. Charles Wald
As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York this September, the world faces a critical test of principle and resolve. Masoud Pezeshkian, the newly installed president of the clerical regime in Iran, is expected to address the Assembly in an attempt to present a façade of legitimacy for a regime that is fundamentally illegitimate, both at home and abroad. Yet beyond the walls of the UN, thousands of Iranians and supporters of the democratic opposition will gather in New York to send a different, more authentic message: the Iranian people reject the dictatorship ruling their country and demand international recognition of their right to resist tyranny.
This year’s gathering follows the massive rally on September 6 in Brussels, where tens of thousands supported the Iranian Resistance. Their message will echo in New York: the international community must stop appeasing Tehran, trigger the snapback mechanism on UN sanctions, and acknowledge the Iranian people’s right to self-determination and resistance, including the right of Resistance Units to defend themselves against the regime’s brutal machine of repression.
The urgency is clear. In just three day, September 14-16, the regime executed at least 27 prisoners, continuing its record as the world’s leading executioner per capita. Nearly 1,800 have been executed since Pezeshkian took office in August 2024. These executions are meant to intimidate a restless population and to show contempt for international opinion. That contempt will deepen if world leaders once again turn a blind eye during the UN General Assembly.
For decades, the regime has relied on repression at home and deception abroad. Its officials arrive in New York seeking diplomatic cover and international legitimacy, while inside Iran, it tightens its noose around society through arrests, censorship, torture, and executions. The UN podium should not serve as a platform for tyranny but as an opportunity to amplify the voice of the oppressed.
At the heart of this struggle stand the organized Resistance and the Resistance Units across Iran. These men and women, operating at enormous risk, keep alive the flame of defiance. They embody the Iranian people’s right to resist tyranny—a right enshrined in international law. Just as the world recognizes the right of Ukrainians to defend themselves against aggression, so too must it recognize the right of Iranians to defend themselves against a regime that wages war on its own citizens daily.
The political alternative to the current dictatorship has been clearly articulated in the Ten-Point Plan put forward by Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This democratic platform envisions a free Iran based on universal suffrage, gender equality, separation of religion and state, abolition of the death penalty, autonomy for ethnic minorities, and a non-nuclear policy in line with international peace and security. Far from being a theoretical proposal, the Ten-point Plan has received broad and bipartisan international support from lawmakers, jurists, human rights advocates, and former heads of state across the world. It represents a vision of an Iran that could become a constructive partner in the international community rather than a constant source of instability and threat.
The UN and its member states must draw the correct conclusions. Tehran has violated international obligations, exported terror, and accelerated its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of the global community. Granting another reprieve or another round of negotiations will not lead to moderation. On the contrary, it will embolden further repression at home and aggression abroad. The responsible course is to reimpose sanctions through the snapback mechanism and to isolate the regime diplomatically until meaningful change occurs.
Sanctions alone, however, are not enough. The world must lend political and moral recognition to the Iranian people’s demand for freedom and their right to resist tyranny. This includes support for the Resistance Units and acknowledgment of the NCRI as a legitimate democratic alternative. To ignore this reality is to betray the sacrifices of countless Iranians who have already paid with their lives for the dream of freedom.
As tens of thousands gather in New York alongside the UN General Assembly, the contrast could not be starker. Inside the UN, a regime that thrives on repression and deception will attempt to polish its image. Outside, the authentic voice of the Iranian nation will be heard: enough is enough. The Iranian people deserve freedom, justice, and democracy. They deserve international solidarity and recognition of their inalienable right to resist.
Supporting the Iranian Resistance is not only a moral imperative; it is a strategic necessity for peace and security in the Middle East and beyond. By standing with the people of Iran and their organized Resistance, the world can help ensure that next year’s General Assembly may no longer feature a representative of tyranny, but perhaps the emerging voice of a free and democratic Iran.
Mr. Wald, a four-star Air Force General, was Deputy Commander of United States European Command, 2002 – 2006.
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