SouthernWorldwide.com – Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg has urged Iranian dissidents to capitalize on what he described as a critical opportunity to force regime change in Tehran.
Speaking at a gathering of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris, Kellogg asserted that the current rulers of Iran are in their weakest position in decades. He emphasized that this moment presents a historic opening that must be seized.
“The window is open wider than at any moment in a generation, and windows do not stay open forever,” Kellogg stated. He believes that the theocratic regime in Tehran will not relinquish power willingly and that it must be compelled to do so.
Kellogg, a former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, views any potential disarmament agreement with Iran not as a final resolution, but as a preliminary step toward a broader objective. He suggested that such an agreement should lay the groundwork for Iran’s future without its current leadership.
Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s president-elect, also addressed the conference. She argued that neither military action nor diplomatic negotiations have successfully countered the threat posed by the Iranian regime.
Rajavi posited that a peaceful and non-nuclear Iran is achievable only through the overthrow of the current regime by the Iranian people and their organized resistance. She also stressed that any international agreement to end hostilities should include provisions to halt executions of political prisoners and the suppression of protesters.
Recalling the NCRI’s 2002 revelation of Iran’s covert nuclear sites at Natanz and Arak, Kellogg highlighted the organization’s potential role in ensuring strict verification of any future agreements.
He stated, “When I say trust, but verify, understand that verification is not an abstraction to this Council. It is your legacy.” Kellogg urged the NCRI to act as a vigilant conscience, ensuring that all nuclear materials are accounted for and all commitments made are fulfilled.
The remarks were made as NCRI organizers anticipated a significant turnout of Iranian expatriates from North America and Europe for the two-day event in Paris.
However, French authorities had banned a planned outdoor rally, citing security concerns. A subsequent court ruling upheld this ban, based on intelligence indicating potential bomb threats and risks of violence involving rival Iranian opposition factions, as well as possible involvement of actors linked to the Iranian regime or monarchist groups.
Despite the official ban, demonstrators did gather at the designated site on Saturday. Police reportedly ordered the crowd to disperse and made approximately 20 arrests, according to a police source who spoke to AFP.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also voiced his disapproval of the French ban, characterizing it as a “tragic mistake.” He emphasized the importance of allowing Iranian opposition voices to be heard in Western capitals.
“If the voices of freedom are to be heard in Iran, then we in the West must allow those voices of freedom to be heard in our capitals and around the world,” Johnson declared in his speech.
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also addressed the event. He drew parallels between Ukraine’s struggle against Russia and the Iranian opposition’s fight against the Tehran regime.
Kuleba expressed that Ukrainians were eager to participate in the rally and were “appalled” by the French ban. He affirmed that the people of Ukraine stand in solidarity with those who defend democracy and freedom.
He further pointed to Iran’s support for Russia’s war efforts. Kuleba noted that while Russian ballistic missiles target Kyiv, drones utilizing technology supplied by the Iranian regime are also striking Ukraine.
“Like you, I know very well what it means to be attacked and killed and destroyed by the regime that currently holds its grip over the people of Iran,” Kuleba stated, underscoring the shared experience of facing oppressive regimes.
