By Amr Gohar
WASHINGTON, D.C. Alireza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), declared that the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader marks what he described as the “inevitable end” of the Velayat-e Faqih dictatorship and the beginning of a transition toward popular sovereignty and a democratic republic.
According to a brief release issued by the NCRI, Jafarzadeh stated that the passing of Ali Khamenei signals that the collapse of the religious dictatorship is now underway, emphasizing that the time has come for freedom and for the Iranian people to reclaim full sovereignty over their nation.
Jafarzadeh said the NCRI has announced the formation of a provisional government based on its Ten-Point Plan to transfer power to the people. He described the move as a historic step rooted in October 1981, when the Council first declared itself a national and democratic alternative to the ruling system in Tehran.
He stressed that, through years of nationwide uprisings, Iranians have demonstrated their rejection of both the current clerical establishment and any return to monarchical rule. “The Iranian people categorically reject both the mullahs’ dictatorship and the Shah’s dictatorship,” he said, adding that citizens are seeking a pluralistic democratic republic founded on separation of religion and state.
Addressing the international community, Jafarzadeh underscored that only the Iranian people possess the legitimacy to determine their political future. He stated that Iran’s destiny must be decided internally, without foreign military intervention or outside financial backing, and rejected the presence of any foreign forces on Iranian soil.
He further called for unity among opposition forces, urging collaboration to prevent what he described as attempts by remnants of the current system to undermine the democratic aspirations of the population. Jafarzadeh referenced the NCRI’s long-standing “National Solidarity Front” initiative and appealed to all groups committed to ending the Velayat-e Faqih system to set aside differences at what he characterized as a historic moment.
In his closing remarks, Jafarzadeh said that under NCRI resolutions, the proposed provisional government would organize free and fair elections within six months of establishing itself in Iran. Those elections, he said, would lead to the formation of a Constituent Assembly and National Parliament tasked with drafting a new constitution and defining the framework of a future republican system.
He reiterated that the NCRI does not seek to retain power but aims to oversee a democratic transition and transfer sovereignty to the Iranian people.