Former U.S. Ambassador Says Women’s Leadership Key to Iran’s Democratic Future

By Amr Gohar

Washington DC , Carla Sands, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and the Faroe Islands, said female leadership within Iran’s opposition movement represents the strongest guarantee for ending clerical rule and establishing a democratic republic.

In remarks delivered at a gathering of Iranian opposition supporters, Sands argued that the liberation of Iranian women is inseparable from the liberation of the country as a whole.

“We all recognize the institutionalized discrimination women face under the Velayat-e Faqih system,” Sands said. “But today, our focus must be on women who have moved from being victims to leaders of the national resistance movement.”

Rejecting Both Theocracy and Monarchy

Sands criticized both Iran’s current clerical establishment under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the former monarchy, rejecting claims that women enjoyed meaningful equality during the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

She referenced past interviews in which the late Shah made controversial remarks about women’s equality, arguing that dictatorship — whether secular or religious — cannot deliver equal rights.

“The Iranian people,” she said, “are not seeking a return to any form of authoritarianism, whether symbolized by the crown or the turban.”

Backing Organized Opposition

Sands highlighted the role of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), describing it as a resistance movement that has been led by women for more than three decades. She praised the leadership of Maryam Rajavi, stating that her Ten-Point Plan — which calls for separation of religion and state, gender equality, abolition of the death penalty, and democratic governance — outlines a framework for a future republic.

“These women have demonstrated political, moral, and intellectual commitment,” Sands said, noting that many have faced arrest and imprisonment in Iran.

Women at the Center of Recent Uprisings

Referring to nationwide protests in 2022 and subsequent unrest, Sands said women played a decisive leadership role, calling them “the driving force for democratic change.”

She described the current moment as a historic opportunity for transformation, arguing that organized resistance — rather than reform within the existing structure — represents the viable path forward.

A Democratic Republic as the Goal

Sands concluded by emphasizing that the future of Iran must be determined by its people and rooted in democratic principles.

“Freedom will not come from illusions of the past,” she said. “It will come from establishing a democratic republic based on separation of religion and state.”

Her remarks add to growing international debate over Iran’s political future, as opposition groups in continue to advocate for systemic change while Tehran maintains firm control domestically.