INTERNACIONAL
Iranian dissident leader outlines vision for regime change, says it’s ‘inevitable’

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As President Donald Trump’s historic ceasefire takes effect, uncertainty over the future of Iran and the push for regime change has the main Iranian opposition groups verbally fighting it out to persuade Iranians that they are most capable of taking over from the mullahs.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), answered questions on the group’s positions and policies that she hopes will lead the Iranian people to rise up against the regime.
Rajavi leads the controversial group, which is affiliated to Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). Once listed as a terrorist organization in the U.S., the group was taken off the list in 2012 and is credited with first exposing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Excerpts of Fox News Digital’s interview with Maryam Rajavi follow.
IS REGIME CHANGE A POSSIBILITY IN IRAN? ASSESSING NEXT STEPS FOR US
Maryam Rajavi, leader of the NCRI.
Fox News Digital: Do you think regime change will occur in Iran?
Maryam Rajavi: Absolutely. Regime change in Iran is not merely a possibility but a historical imperative — inevitable and within reach. An explosive and discontented society and an organized resistance willing to pay the highest price for their homeland’s freedom exist today. Conversely, the regime of the supreme leader has lost all legitimacy due to deep-rooted structural corruption, ruthless repression, and widespread economic incompetence.
The waves of popular uprisings—from 2009 to 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022 — with powerful slogans like «Death to the Dictator, Death to Khamenei» and «Death to the oppressor, whether Shah or Leader,» clearly reflect the Iranian people’s unwavering resolve to end this regime.

People wave flags during an event in Ashraf-3 camp, which is a base for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) in Manza, Albania, July 13, 2019. (Reuters/Florion Goga)
What does your group offer to the Iranian people?
Maryam Rajavi: We offer the Iranian people a democratic and inclusive alternative: a republic based on separation of religion and state, complete gender equality, respect for the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, and abolition of the death penalty. The Ten-Point Plan I presented 19 years ago to the Council of Europe is rooted in universal principles of human rights and provides a comprehensive and practical roadmap for a free and just Iran. Unlike the regime, which rules through fear and repression, we believe in the power of the people and their free choice.

People who followed the call of the German-Iranian Society in Berlin demonstrate in front of the Iranian Embassy against the so-called «moral police» in their home country, in Berlin on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (Wolfgang Kumm/dpa via AP)
At the core of our resistance stands the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK), with its 60-year history of confronting two dictatorships, presenting a tolerant and democratic Islam that embraces coexistence among followers of different religions. It represents a cultural alternative — indeed, the antithesis — to the backward and reactionary culture of the clerics. From the outset, our slogan confronting the clerics has been clear: «No to compulsory veiling, no to compulsory religion, and no to compulsory governance.»
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One of the most distinctive features of this resistance against misogynistic religious tyranny is its steadfast commitment to gender equality. For more than three decades, women have exercised hegemony and held commanding roles within the MEK, the principal constituent of the NCRI—a pioneering phenomenon that represents a profound and unprecedented transformation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised New Year speech, in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, March 21, 2022. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Many say your group is unpopular among ordinary Iranians — how do you respond?
Maryam Rajavi: Under conditions of absolute tyranny, when has the popularity of our resistance ever been genuinely tested through free elections or reliable polling? Under these circumstances, the sole measure is the legitimacy of resistance itself.
Such accusations are part of a deliberate and extensive demonization campaign by the regime against its principal opposition. Annually, the regime spends hundreds of millions of dollars producing films, television series, hundreds of books, thousands of articles, recruiting mercenaries posing as oppositionists, forging documents, and conducting cyber operations, as well as hiring foreign journalists and media outlets—all to disparage the Iranian resistance and cast doubt on its credibility. Their goal is to persuade international counterparts that no legitimate alternative exists and that engaging with this regime is their only option.

Smoke rises from the building of Iran’s state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo)
If our resistance truly lacked popular support, why is the regime so fearful of its influence and impact inside Iran? Why, over the past 46 years, has the permanent slogan at all official regime ceremonies—even in parliament—been «Death to the MEK?» Why have over 100,000 MEK supporters and members been executed? Why has the regime consistently targeted gatherings and representatives of the resistance abroad in its terrorist plots and operations?
Look at the NCRI’s international gatherings, sometimes attracting crowds of up to 100,000 people. These are representatives of the Iranian people, especially from the urban middle class. Look at the list of MEK martyrs, encompassing diverse social classes, and the MEK’s financial independence, funded entirely by Iranian contributions at home and abroad.
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We fight on behalf of tens of millions of Iranians for freedom and a better future, pursuing the very ideals George Washington fought for—fundamental human rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, under a government deriving its power from the consent of the governed.
What’s your message to President Trump?
Maryam Rajavi: Our message to the President and all world leaders is clear: regime change is within reach, achievable by the Iranian people and their organized resistance. We have consistently emphasized we need neither money nor weapons. What we seek from the international community is a firm policy against the regime and recognition of the Iranian people’s right to self-determination—free from any form of dictatorship, whether religious or monarchical—and acknowledgment of the Resistance Units’ struggle against the IRGC to overthrow the regime. This approach benefits not only the Iranian people but also ensures lasting peace and stability in the Middle East and the world.
Twenty-one years ago, at the European Parliament, I warned that neither war nor appeasement would resolve the Iran crisis. I advocated the realistic third option: regime change by the people and their organized resistance. I warned then that appeasement would embolden the regime and eventually impose war on the West. Today, this warning has, all too bitterly, become reality.
Many opposition groups exist inside and outside Iran. Isn’t it time to put aside differences and unite — including monarchists, minorities, and your group — for the greater good?
Maryam Rajavi: Within Iran, all those committed to overthrowing this regime stand united.
Politically, since its founding in 1981, the NCRI has demonstrated, as the broadest and longest-lasting political coalition in Iranian history, its readiness to cooperate with all political groups and currents committed to democracy, human rights, secularism, and a republican form of governance. This council encompasses diverse organizations, representatives of various ethnicities, including Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs, Turkmens, and political figures with varied perspectives. In 2002, the NCRI proposed the National Solidarity Plan, urging all political currents and groups to unite around three principles: regime overthrow, democratic republic, and secularism.

An Iranian flag above the skyline of Tehran at sunset. (istock)
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The NCRI fully supports minority rights oppressed under both the [Mohammad Reza] Pahlavi and clerical dictatorships, and our plan for autonomy in Iranian Kurdistan, adopted 42 years ago, serves as a model for other ethnic groups.
However, [the]monarchy has no place in Iran, and any alliance with monarchists benefits only the regime, which seeks to associate its opponents with the past dictatorship. Remnants of the Shah have neither influence nor significant organizational presence within or outside Iran.

People move past a large banner featuring portraits of slain leaders from Iran-aligned armed groups, including Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, in central Tehran, Iran, on May 1, 2025. (Photo by MOHAMMADALI NAJIB/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
If the regime falls, how should the next Iranian leader be selected?
Maryam Rajavi: Only through a democratic process—free and fair elections.
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According to the NCRI’s plan, the provisional government established after the regime’s fall is obligated to organize elections for a Constituent and Legislative Assembly within six months—free elections through direct and secret ballot. Once convened, this Assembly will assume governance, tasked with drafting a new constitution and managing national affairs. The provisional government’s mandate will conclude upon the Assembly’s establishment, which will then appoint a new interim government reflective of the people’s vote.
The Iranian people look neither to the past nor the current status quo but forward—to a free and democratic future, where legitimacy derives solely from the ballot box.
INTERNACIONAL
El jefe de la Agencia de Energía Atómica de la ONU, Rafael Grossi, dice que Irán debe mostrar sus instalaciones nucleares para evaluar el daño real

Qué dijo Rafael Grossi
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¿Qué pasó con el uranio enriquecido?
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INTERNACIONAL
Belarusian dissident thanks Trump admin for his freedom, demands the UN act

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EXCLUSIVE — Belarusian dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski is free after spending more than five years as a political prisoner, and now he is calling for those still behind bars to be released.
In a video message played before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, Tsikhanouski makes a desperate plea for international intervention.
«I was tortured, I was held in solitary confinement, I was frozen. I wasn’t even given a pen to write a few words. For years, I didn’t receive a single letter, not even from my daughter. They filled my ears with lies and propaganda. They tried to convince me that everyone had forgotten me. What is happening in Belarusian prisons is not law enforcement. It is torture, abuse, and the destruction of human beings. People are literally being killed behind bars,» Tsikhanouski said in the video, which was provided to Fox News Digital by UN Watch.
Siarhei Tsikhanouski calls for international action in his video message to the United Nations.
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Tsikhanouski credited the international community — especially the Trump administration — for his release, which was secured after U.S. Special Envoy on Ukraine and Russia Gen. Keith Kellogg met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. In addition to Tsikhanouski, 13 other political prisoners were released through U.S. mediation.
The Belarusian dissident said in the video that he would not have made it out alive if it were not for «international solidarity» and «the efforts of the USA administration.»

Belarus opposition leader Syarhei Tsikhanouski hugs his wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya after he was released from prison, in this screengrab taken from a social media video released on June 21, 2025. (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya via X/via Reuters)
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In his first address as U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Nils Muižnieks warned that, since Jan. 2025, the human rights situation has «continued to deteriorate.» He also noted that authorities in Belarus have abused «highly problematic» legislation, including a prohibition on insulting the president or other public officials.
«Belarus has a very large number of people behind bars who should not be there, including opposition politicians, human rights defenders, journalists, independent trade union activists, environmental defenders and lawyers,» Muižnieks said before Tsikhanouski’s video was played. He also described the ill-treatment of prisoners by Belarusian authorities.
After the council heard Tsikhanouski’s message, Muižnieks said that the recently-freed dissident’s words «carry extra weight.»
Following his release, Tsikhanouski was reunited with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and their children in Lithuania. Tsikhanouskaya is the exiled Belarusian opposition leader whom some countries recognize as the president-elect.
Tsikhanouskaya thanked President Donald Trump, Kellogg and the State Department for their efforts, which led to her husband’s freedom.
«My husband Siarhei is free! It’s hard to describe the joy in my heart,» Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X. «We’re not done. 1,150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released.»

Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a Belarusian opposition activist released from a prison by Belarusian authorities, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer joined the call to see the remaining 1,150 prisoners gain their freedom.
«Siarhei Tsikhanouski is a symbol of courage who paid a heavy price for daring to challenge Lukashenko’s dictatorship. United Nations Watch is honored to give him the floor at the UN Human Rights Council just days after his release from prison. His voice, silenced by the regime for more than five years as he was tortured in jail, now speaks for millions of Belarusians who continue to demand freedom and human rights,» Neuer told Fox News Digital.
Neuer said Tsikhanouski’s message to the U.N. was «a direct challenge to the regimes that continue to silence their critics.»

A freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski holds a photo of himself taken before he was held behind bars for more than five years. (Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya via X)
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Thursday, June 26, also marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X to mark the occasion and shared a photo illustrating the effects that five years in prison had on her husband.
«Today is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. My husband survived five years of isolation and cruelty in the Belarus regime’s prisons. Many others still endure it. If we had given up, Siarhei wouldn’t be free. That’s why we keep going—until everyone is home,» Tsikhanouskaya wrote.
According to NPR, Tsikhanouski lost more than 41% of his body weight. He went into prison weighing 298 pounds but weighed just 174 pounds when he was released on June 21.
In response to a request for comment on Tsikhanouski’s statement, UN Human Rights Council spokesperson Pascal Sim directed Fox News Digital to a recording of the hearing, particularly Muižnieks’ remarks.
The U.N. Human Rights Office also directed Fox News Digital to Muižnieks’ statement.
INTERNACIONAL
Las fábricas de EE. UU. enfrentan un reto: encontrar miles de empleados

La promesa del presidente Donald Trump de reactivar la industria manufacturera estadounidense se está chocando con el obstinado obstáculo de la realidad demográfica.
La reserva de obreros que pueden y quieren realizar tareas en una fábrica estadounidense está disminuyendo. A medida que los baby boomers se jubilan, pocos jóvenes se han ofrecido para ocupar su lugar.
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Según la Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales, actualmente hay alrededor de 400.000 empleos sin cubrir en el sector manufacturero, un déficit que seguramente aumentará si las empresas se ven obligadas a recurrir menos a la fabricación en el extranjero y a construir más fábricas en Estados Unidos, señalan los expertos.
Desde 2017, los fabricantes estadounidenses han hablado constantemente de la dificultad para atraer y retener una fuerza laboral de calidad como uno de sus “principales desafíos”, dijo Victoria Bloom, economista jefe de la Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes, que elabora una encuesta trimestral. Esto apenas recientemente descendió en la lista de desafíos, al ser rebasado por la incertidumbre relacionada con el comercio por los aranceles del gobierno de Trump y por el aumento de los costos de las materias primas, explicó Bloom.
Sin embargo, la escasez de obreros cualificados sigue siendo un problema a largo plazo, según Ron Hetrick, economista de Lightcast, empresa que proporciona datos laborales a universidades e industrias.
“Nos pasamos tres generaciones diciéndole a todo el mundo que el que no iba a la universidad era un perdedor”, dijo. “Ahora estamos pagando el precio. Aún necesitamos que la gente use las manos”.
Los retos de contratación que enfrentan las fábricas estadounidenses son complejos.
Las medidas del presidente Trump contra la migración, que incluyen intentos de revocar las protecciones contra la deportación para los inmigrantes procedentes de países con problemas, podrían eliminar a trabajadores que podrían haber ocupado esos puestos de trabajo.
(Foto: The New York Times)
A muchos estadounidenses no les interesa trabajar en fábricas porque a menudo no pagan lo suficiente como para atraer a trabajadores que ya tienen empleos en el sector servicios, los cuales pueden ofrecer horarios más flexibles o entornos laborales más cómodos.
Para algunas empresas, seguir siendo competitivas a nivel mundial implica el uso de equipos sofisticados que requieren que los empleados tengan una amplia formación y estén familiarizados con ciertos programas informáticos. Y los empresarios no pueden limitarse a contratar a gente recién egresada de la preparatoria sin ofrecerles programas de formación especializados para que se pongan al día. Eso no ocurría en el apogeo de la fabricación estadounidense.
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Atraer a jóvenes motivados a carreras de fabricación también es un reto cuando los orientadores de las escuelas siguen siendo juzgados por la cantidad de estudiantes que van a la universidad.
Por otra parte, los egresados de universidades no suelen tener las aptitudes adecuadas para tener éxito en una fábrica.
El país está inundado de egresados universitarios que no encuentran trabajos acordes con su formación, afirmó Hetrick, y no hay suficientes obreros cualificados para cubrir los puestos que existen actualmente, por no hablar de los puestos que se crearán si se construyen más fábricas en Estados Unidos.
The Business Roundtable, un grupo de presión cuyos miembros son directores ejecutivos de empresas, ha puesto en marcha una iniciativa en la que los ejecutivos colaboran en estrategias para atraer y formar a una nueva generación de trabajadores en oficios cualificados. En un acto llevado a cabo la semana pasada en Washington, los ejecutivos compartieron sus frustraciones sobre lo difícil que era encontrar personal cualificado e intercambiaron consejos en el escenario sobre cómo superar la brecha.
Sus ideas incluían revisar las descripciones de los puestos de trabajo existentes en las empresas para dar prioridad a la experiencia relevante sobre los títulos universitarios y reclutar a estudiantes de preparatoria desde segundo año para brindarles experiencias que despierten su interés en carreras en el sector manufacturero.
“Actualmente, por cada 20 ofertas de empleo que tenemos, hay un candidato cualificado”, dijo David Gitlin, presidente y director ejecutivo de Carrier Global, que fabrica aires acondicionados y hornos y da mantenimiento a equipos de calefacción y refrigeración.
Con el auge de la inteligencia artificial, dijo Gitlin, se ha disparado la demanda de técnicos para dar mantenimiento a centros de datos, que se construyen con sistemas de refrigeración llamados enfriadores. Calculó que cada centro de datos necesitaría cuatro técnicos para dar mantenimiento a un solo enfriador.
“Hoy tenemos 425.000 técnicos”, dijo, refiriéndose a toda la industria de equipos de calefacción y aires acondicionados. “Vamos a necesitar contratar a otros cuatrocientos o quinientos mil en los próximos 10 años”. Pero la cantidad de jóvenes que acuden a escuelas vocacionales y colegios comunitarios, añadió, está disminuyendo, no creciendo.
En el evento de The Business Roundtable, los ejecutivos elogiaron los esfuerzos de Trump por reactivar la base industrial del país. Sin embargo, algunos ejecutivos reconocieron que las políticas migratorias del presidente representan un desafío para cualquier intento de llenar las fábricas que él se ha comprometido a reactivar.
Peter Davoren, presidente y director ejecutivo de Turner Construction Company, afirmó que le gustaría ver “un camino claro hacia la ciudadanía” para los inmigrantes del sector de la construcción y la industria alimentaria.
Los agresivos recortes del gobierno de Trump a los programas de formación para obreros también han perjudicado los esfuerzos por formar a una nueva generación de trabajadores industriales. El gobierno ha tomado medidas para eliminar Job Corps, un programa de 60 años de antigüedad que ofrece una vía hacia una carrera en oficios especializados a jóvenes de entre 16 y 24 años en situación de riesgo. Huntington Ingalls Industries, el mayor constructor naval de Estados Unidos, contrató en diciembre a 68 graduados de Job Corps en un intento de reforzar su fuerza laboral.
“La brecha entre las habilidades disponibles y las necesarias en la fuerza laboral es cada vez mayor”, dijo Chris Kastner, presidente y director ejecutivo de Huntington Ingalls Industries. “La tecnología evoluciona rápidamente, pero los sistemas de educación y formación se quedan atrás con demasiada frecuencia”.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
El gobierno de Trump ha puesto en marcha una iniciativa denominada Make America Skilled Again (Hagamos a Estados Unidos hábil de nuevo), que consolida los programas existentes de formación de mano de obra en una sola iniciativa que daría subvenciones a los estados si cumplen determinados criterios. Al menos el 10 por ciento de la nueva financiación de Make America Skilled Again debe destinarse a programas de aprendizaje.
En abril, Trump firmó una orden ejecutiva que ordenaba al secretario de Trabajo, al secretario de Comercio y al secretario de Educación que presentaran un plan para crear un millón de programas de aprendizaje registrados. Sin embargo, no está claro si ese ambicioso objetivo podrá alcanzarse con los fondos asignados en el proyecto de presupuesto de Trump, que recorta US$1600 millones destinados a la capacitación laboral.
En abril, el secretario del Tesoro, Scott Bessent, provocó la ira de muchos empleados federales cuando sugirió que las fábricas estadounidenses podrían obtener los trabajadores que necesitaban entre las filas de los empleados despedidos del gobierno. “Nos estamos deshaciendo del exceso de trabajadores en el gobierno federal”, dijo a Tucker Carlson, antiguo presentador de Fox News. “Eso nos dará la mano de obra que necesitamos para la nueva fabricación”.
Sin embargo, en el evento de Roundtable nunca se habló de reclutar empleados federales despedidos. En lugar de esto, los participantes hablaron de los esfuerzos para formar a estudiantes de preparatoria y veteranos.
Blake Moret, presidente y director ejecutivo de Rockwell Automation, una empresa especializada en automatización de procesos con sede en Milwaukee, dijo que su compañía había creado una academia de manufactura avanzada que capacitaba a exmilitares durante 12 semanas.
Sara Armbruster, directora ejecutiva de Steelcase, una compañía de Grand Rapids, Michigan, que diseña muebles, dijo que las empresas deben empezar a contratar personal en la preparatoria para que los estudiantes y sus padres aprendan lo gratificante que puede ser una carrera en la industria manufacturera.
Los estudiantes suelen cambiar de opinión sobre las carreras en el sector manufacturero cuando visitan el taller de la empresa y ven que una fábrica moderna es limpia, de alta tecnología y “cool”, añadió.
“Cuando tienen ese momento, realmente lo cambia todo en términos de las posibilidades que se les abren en su carrera”, dijo.
Por Farah Stockman.
EMPLEO, Estados Unidos
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