Iran’s democratic horizon: Europe’s turning point and the power of the third option

Iran stands at a decisive moment, shaped by internal resistance, international recalibration, and a growing recognition that past approaches have failed. One of the most significant recent developments is the mounting call within Europe to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Such a move would not merely be symbolic; it would mark the starting point of a fundamental shift in European Union policy toward Iran, writes Ali Bagheri, [resident of the International Freedom of Speech Alliance (IFSA).

The IRGC is not a conventional military body. It is the regime’s principal instrument of repression at home and destabilization abroad—overseeing crackdowns on protests, running vast intelligence and economic networks, and projecting violence through regional proxies. The United States, Canada, and Australia have already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Pressure is now mounting for the United Kingdom to follow suit, reinforcing an international consensus that accountability—not appeasement—is overdue.

Yet much of the media discourse remains narrowly focused on speculative futures, often framed around the possibility of U.S. military intervention. Such scenarios dominate headlines but offer little clarity on how a durable transition could occur. Military action, aside from its catastrophic human cost, does not provide a credible roadmap for dismantling a deeply entrenched theocratic system. More importantly, Iranians themselves have made clear that they will not accept a cosmetic change—replacing one faction or figure within the same regime with another, or any externally imposed “puppet” alternative.

What is consistently missing from this debate is the central factor shaping Iran’s real future: the organized resistance of the Iranian people. The policy shift now unfolding in Europe did not emerge in a vacuum. It was articulated, refined, and persistently advocated by the Iranian resistance long before it became politically convenient. For over two decades, the resistance warned that the IRGC was the backbone of repression and that any serious Iran policy must confront it directly.

In particular, Maryam Rajavi, the \president-elect of the Iranian resistance (NCRI), has called for the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist entity for years. Over the past 15 years alone, she raised this demand in more than 117 conference speeches, urging Europe to abandon illusions about “moderation” within the regime. Europe’s eventual movement in this direction has come at a terrible cost—the blood of thousands of Iranian protesters who paid with their lives for demanding basic freedoms. This heavy price underscores a grim truth: delayed action by the international community translated into prolonged suffering inside Iran.

Despite this history, a democratic future for Iran remains achievable. The viable solution lies in what the Iranian resistance describes as the “third option”: no to war, no to appeasement—regime change by the people of Iran themselves. Any lasting transformation must come from within, rooted in popular will and organized civic struggle. The nationwide protests of recent years have demonstrated not only the depth of public rejection of the ruling theocracy, but also the resilience, coordination, and courage of Iranians facing brutal repression.

The growing legitimacy of this alternative will be powerfully demonstrated on 7 February 2026, when tens of thousands of Iranians will gather in Berlin for a grand rally. This massive demonstration has a clear and unified message: Iranians overwhelmingly reject dictatorship in all its forms and demand a free, democratic, secular republic.

What Iranians need today is not foreign intervention, but international recognition of their legitimate struggle—particularly their demand to dismantle the IRGC, the regime’s most powerful pillar of control. Designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization is a concrete step that weakens the machinery of repression and aligns international policy with the aspirations of the Iranian people.

Ultimately, Iranians seek nothing less than a free, democratic, secular republic. As Maryam Rajavi has declared: “Just as the Iranian people once demanded the dissolution of the Shah’s SAVAK, they now insist on the dissolution of the IRGC. They reject SAVAK, the IRGC, and MOIS alike, and seek a democratic republic based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” The future of Iran will not be decided in foreign capitals or through military gambits, but by a people determined to reclaim their country—and a world finally willing to listen.

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