Iranian Opposition Rallies in New York for Democratic Change

Thousands of Iranian-Americans and supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gathered at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza in New York on September 22, 2026. The rally, timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly, focused on demands for a transition to a secular, democratic republic and an end to executions in Iran. Protesters explicitly rejected both the current clerical regime and a return to the Pahlavi monarchy.

Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, urged the UN Security Council to refer Iran's human rights violations to the International Criminal Court. She further called for international recognition of the National Liberation Army's right to fight the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Former U.S. and NATO officials speaking at the event emphasized that internal forces are the only viable path to regime change. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Wesley Clark and former U.S. Ambassador Carla Sands highlighted the role of indigenous forces and the NCRI as the primary vehicles for political transition. Former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg identified Resistance Units operating across all 31 Iranian provinces as the engine for this internal change.