Reporter’s Notebook: Calls for a Free Iran Resonate at the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his address to the United Nations General Assembly to cast Iran as a target of terrorism carried out by the United States and Israel.

Just beyond the chamber, however, thousands of demonstrators demanded that Pezeshkian be detained, accusing him of terrorism.

“They are terrorists. They must go!” protesters shouted repeatedly as they waved green, white and red flags associated with the resistance movement.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told the crowd that the Iranian president repeatedly lies and accused him of murder and terrorism.

Giuliani said negotiations with Iran’s leaders were futile, comparing any attempt to reach an agreement with them to negotiating with Adolf Hitler.

A number of former senior government officials echoed those accusations, condemning what they described as a radical Islamic government that has brutally repressed the Iranian people for decades. Estimates indicate that more than 20,000 people may have been killed after taking part in freedom protests across Iran earlier this year, while reports of political prisoners being executed continue to emerge weekly.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who served in both Trump administrations, called for an end to clerical rule in Iran. He said the country had a pathway toward becoming a secular, non-nuclear republic and rejoining the free world as an ally.

Former U.S. Ambassador Marc Ginsberg called on Congress to approve the Maximum Support Act. The proposed legislation would target Iran’s financial resources, seize government assets and expand internet access and online freedom so Iranians could organize and make their voices heard.

Ginsberg appealed to President Trump to provide funding, political backing and the tools he said Iran’s people need. Such assistance, he argued, would fulfill a previous promise, help move the United States toward an end to the conflict and strengthen support for what he called Iran’s “arsenal of democracy.”

Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said in a video message that Iranians have rejected every type of dictatorship, whether based on religion or monarchy.

Rajavi said the demands of Iran’s oppressed population were reaching the international community. She also denounced the continued presence of the country’s clerical leadership in Iran’s seat at the United Nations.

The demonstration unfolded across two days, with speakers delivering a steady message to diplomats gathered at the United Nations.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI’s Washington office, told Fox News that Iran’s government responds only to strong and decisive action. He described sanctions and sustained international pressure as the most effective external tools for confronting the regime.

Jafarzadeh argued that Iran’s ruling system is unable to reform itself, saying meaningful change would have happened long ago if the regime were capable of delivering it. He said the country’s future instead depends on its people, adding that negotiations, concessions and diplomatic talks would not alter the government’s conduct.

“The real Iran is represented by the people of Iran,” he said. “The real change has to come from within.”