Ola Elvestuen, former Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway, delivered a strong message of support for Iran’s organized democratic resistance, emphasizing the regime’s relentless efforts to discredit opposition groups, particularly the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Speaking at an international conference on January 11 in Paris, Elvestuen highlighted Tehran’s fear of the NCRI, evidenced by its persistent smear campaigns and attempts to portray the resistance as fragmented.
He described 2024 as a year of unprecedented crisis for the regime, with mounting economic collapse, internal protests, and strategic defeats across the region. Elvestuen praised the NCRI’s Ten-Point Plan for a democratic, secular Iran, calling it a blueprint for freedom and equality.
The former Norwegian minister urged the international community to reject Tehran’s propaganda, fully enforce sanctions, and engage with the Iranian people and their resistance. “A free and democratic Iran will bring transformative change,” he concluded, calling for unity against dictatorship and tyranny.
The full script of Ola Elvestuen’s speech follows below:
Mrs. Rajavi, prime ministers, distinguished speakers, I have careers and experiences that make me privileged to also be part of the speakers. Ladies and gentlemen, both here and also in Ashraf 3, it’s a privilege for me to be invited and to be here.
And, I will not try to sum up the speakers as I’ve been here, but I think one of the cores that are here is that 2024 has been a year of unprecedented crisis for the Iranian regime.
The Iranian regime is weak. The regime’s regional ambitions have suffered devastating blows. Hezbollah faces near destruction, the Houthis are in a very difficult situation. With the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the grip Iran maintained on Syria has slipped away causing shock waves in Tehran.
And that is something I think we should also take in, how hard a blow the loss of Syria is to the Iranian regime. I think it’s much harder than it is being recognized amongst majority in the democratic world.
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These strategic defeats are not isolated events. They are symbols of symptoms of a regime that is running out of both resources and credibility, that is regionally, and it’s also domestically.
As has been pointed out, at home, the Iranian people face an economy in free fall. It is a situation that it’s devastating for the economy. Severe energy shortages have made life very difficult, particularly during the harsh winter months.
In response to these dire conditions, protests have erupted across every sector of society. And as it has been pointed out, the regime’s response has been horrible, with nearly 1000 people that we know of that have been executed.
Amidst this internal crisis, as also many have said, Iran has alarmingly escalated its nuclear ambitions. So, the seriousness of the situation is obvious.
But we are also aware that, at great risk, the resistance within Iran is getting stronger. And as was mentioned also with the with uprisings that have been three years ago early with women’s life freedom, it is really also when you look at the picture from Iran, women are showing they’re here now, with all the risk. This has to be viewed as the start of a revolution and not just an uprising. And I think that is the core also for us to take in and understand.
And also, broadly, that is the parliament in Norway, other Nordic countries to the world also to take in the Ten-Point Plan from NCRI, because no one can argue against this Ten-Point Plan.
I mean, it has all the values that you cherish, free and democratic, non-nuclear, committed to gender equality, respectful of human rights and individual freedoms, abolishing the death penalty and Sharia law, granting autonomy to Iran’s national minorities, aligned with international peace and stability.
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And in this crucial moment, we must recognize that there is an organized and democratic alternative to the current regime, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. And that is what we have to work on.
And also, to understand that Tehran’s fear of the NCRI is evident through its persistent demonization. That I and others also, how to live with. We see this in Norway.
We witness this firsthand the extent of this campaign when and whenever the NCRI is favorably mentioned in the media, or we also when we set up meetings in the parliament, it is always met on social media and other areas with criticism.
They want and the regime wants to make up this picture that makes it difficult for our parliamentarians to see the real strong resistance over on, because it seemed it seems that it’s fragmented. And you have voices that criticize the regime, but they’re still playing on keeping it fragmented.
So, this is also the one of the reasons that I am here, because Iran because Iran stands at the tipping point, and we cannot hope that moderate elements within the regime can bring about change. That approach has failed, as has been mentioned many times. So we have to have a firm stance against the regime.
And has been as has been mentioned, full implementation of existing sanctions, introduction of new targeted sanctions, cutting off the regime’s financial lifelines, And even though, as former minister of climate and environment, I do not support drill, baby drill, we do have to stop the finances within also through the oil exports that the regime is having.
But sanctions are not enough. The international community must also recognize and engage with the true agents of change, the Iranian people, and their organized resistance.
And that and that again this is my first time here, but that again is what I need to work on, going back to Norway. Not to have the support that we need from individual parliamentarians, but to have political parties showing stronger support, and building coalitions showing stronger support.
And I truly and that is also the reason I now mention it. To me, I’ve been misled by climate and environment. It’s what I work with. I believe that the largest problem they have in front of us is global warming, is loss of nation, but it’s also standing up for freedom and democracy.
And to me, they’re closely interlinked. And as dictators now support and cooperate with each other, we, democrat democracies, everyone believing in democracy and freedom, have to stand together. That is in support of Ukraine, and it’s in the struggle to have a free democratic Iran.
And that is the core. A free, democratic, and peaceful Iran is within reach. What just happened in Syria shows how fast change can come. And when, and it is when, we have a free democratic Iran, that is, of course, tremendous achievement for all Iranians, but it will also bring tremendous change into the Middle East. And it’s a huge achievement that will change the world for the better.
So, I will conclude that, let us not relax. Before we had that situation where we could have meetings like this, not on discussion or supporting the resistance, but when we can have a meeting like this discussing the future and how to develop and support a free democratic Iran and have that meeting in the beautiful, wonderful, fantastic Iran.
Thank you.
Source » ncr-iran