Sometimes the Western and Arab press speak of the absence of a ready alternative to the mullahs’ regime. The lost alternative is the missing link in the Iranian case.

And when an alternative becomes a point of political debate, this means that the regime is in the process of demise.

This is what has been happening in Iran for about a year, since the expansion of the protests and uprisings across Iran. All reports from various sources agree first that the Iranian people are seeking to get rid of the ruling regime. Second, the regime was unable to quell the uprisings and protests despite the use of various forms of repression.

The slogans raised by the Iranian people in their demonstrations and protest movements have strategic importance. For example, since the beginning of the uprising, we have heard chants of, “Reformers, hardliners, the game is over”; “Our enemy is here, they are lying that it is America”; “They use Islam as a ladder to humiliate the people”; “We turn our backs on the enemy, and we face our homeland”; “No to humiliation”. In addition, hundreds of slogans of down with Khamenei and Rouhani and the whole system have been chanted.

We can talk about other aspects of this great event in the history of Iran. For example, these popular uprisings have continued in various forms and by different strata and segments of the population, despite the use of the most severe repression. It is also clear that the ruling regime is unable to solve the economic and social problems that were the basis of these protests. Participation was wide across Iran, where different races and religions took part, and slogans targeting the foundations of the regime were chanted. The people of Ahwaz echoed the slogans of the people of Isfahan.

Another characteristic of these uprisings is the role of the Iranian Resistance and the Mojahedin-e Khalq in organizing and furthering the uprising through the Resistance units and councils. Various indicators show that Iran is on the verge of a major change. There is no doubt that change in Iran heralds the fall of the international union of extremism and terrorism led by Iran’s mullahs, and its positive implication of restoring stability and tranquillity to our countries in the Middle East and to the Arab and Islamic world as a whole.

Economic and social problems will not be solved under the current regime in the near future. Every day these contradictions are exacerbated by the widespread corruption in the government, by sanctions and by the disbursement of Iranian wealth to wars and terrorism in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and other countries.

Moreover, this regime will not be able to retreat from its interventions in other countries and limit its expansionist and interventionist policies. This will push the Arab and Islamic countries to take a stand against this regime. In the same context come the projects of the mullahs’ missile and nuclear system.

Thus, the regime of the “velyate faqih” (or Supreme Leader) remains hated internally, regionally and internationally. This means that the popular movement, demonstrations and protest movements directed and organized by the resistance councils and the strongholds of the uprising are pushing this system towards its demise. This is expressed and recognized by regime officials every day, and they blame the Mojahedin-e Khalq for being behind this popular movement.

This is how we can understand the alternative in Iran. The alternative is the party that has its roots in popular resistance, and has a clear political agenda in the interests of the people. It has a platform and future plans for tomorrow’s Iran. It must also have a competent political organization to lead the people’s struggle and to be prepared to pay the price.

It is the Iranian resistance that began its struggle 54 years ago, 13 years before the mullahs came, against the dictatorship of the Shah. And it has stood since the first day in the face of the Khomeini attack against the interests of the people, and paid a heavy price to defend the cause of the Iranian people and to achieve freedom and democracy. Some 120,000 people were killed during the massacres and mass executions by the regime of the mullahs, including the massacre in 1988 against 30,000 political prisoners.

This resistance has broad and clear lines for all aspects of political, economic, cultural and other life, and specific programs and projects. These programs were summarized in the 10-point plan announced by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance. The National Council of Resistance of Iran is the Parliament of the Resistance in exile, and has 25 committees that are the nucleus of future ministries for the transitional period.

In addition to the National Council of Resistance, there are thousands of cadres of this movement spread throughout the world, especially more than 2,500 of them in Albania at what is called “Ashraf 3”. These groups are the essence of the struggles of the Iranian people against the Shah and the Mullahs.

They are ready and competent to transform Iran into a democratic, peaceful, prosperous and advanced country, to be the oasis of stability and prosperity in the Middle East.

We hear these days a lot about the positions of the US administration under President Trump on the regime in Iran. Since his campaign, the US president has sharply criticized Barack Obama’s policy on the Middle East, particularly on Iran and Iraq. Trump announced that the United States spent more than $7 trillion in Iraq, and then presented the country on a silver platter to the ruling mullahs in Iran. Moreover, the current US leadership has stated many times that America has erred in attacking Iraq, overthrowing the Iraqi regime and disrupting the strategic balance in the Middle East.

Here we must point to the experience of Iraq during the fall of the former regime, where the Americans erred and created instability and imbalance. The result was that the mullahs took control of the fate of Iraq and made that country of history and wealth a country of death, destruction and poverty.

Therefore, everyone should know and recognize that there is a popular democratic trend rooted deep in Iranian society and a key actor both internally and internationally. This is the movement that has worked and struggled for decades to overthrow the mullahs’ regime. This is the alternative to the regime. This alternative is a guarantee for the future of Iran and the region, and any other attempt will lack credibility in the eyes of the Iranian people.

Sid Ahmed Ghozali is a former Prime Minister of Algeria and Chairman of the Arab Islamic Solidarity Committee with the Iranian Resistance.