The Islamic Republic of Iran has been significantly impacted by Israeli and U.S. attacks. The public, aware that the regime’s goals led to conflict on their own soil, did not rally in its support. Furthermore, Iranians have not protested, and there is a valid reason for this. Currently, a government that is both paranoid and humiliated is seeking negotiations, as it does. However, the Trump Administration should avoid discussions that do not incorporate a pathway to a more representative political framework, one that allows expression for Iranians who wish to avoid ongoing hostility with the West.
For several decades, Western policymakers have undervalued Iran’s non-military influence, concentrating primarily on dismantling its military and nuclear capacities with the belief that this alone would bring peace. Israel’s actions and strikes on various nuclear sites on June 21 marked the culmination of this strategy. Yet, it has proven unsuccessful. Even an Iran without nuclear weapons continues to pose a significant threat to the region and the West, let alone to its own citizens.
Various strategies toward Iran—including isolation, containment, engagement, and maximum pressure—have failed to curb the regime’s harmful activities. The Islamic Republic’s allied militant groups are currently quiescent, but the regime persists in exerting influence through foundations, schools and universities, and mosques across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The Supreme Leader’s speeches and propaganda are accessible in eight languages on his official website. This operational network radicalizes communities, recruits operatives, launders funds, and carries out other activities.
Iranians who desire peace and prosperity have no say in their nation’s foreign policy. The existing laws and customs are designed to ensure that decision-making remains in the hands of those loyal to revolutionary ideals, and dissent is suppressed. Even officials inclined toward reform are unable to overcome these barriers. Elections are controlled, opposition is deemed criminal, political parties are prohibited, and dissenters—even peaceful ones—are silenced.
Expecting Iranians to rise up during Israel’s bombing campaign was, at best, impractical. They have been enduring suppression since March 1979. They faced death, physical abuse, imprisonment, and torture. My organization has documented the execution of at least 4,376 activists—including 175 children—following the large-scale protest of June 20, 1981. The regime has continued to violently suppress protests ever since, including the recent Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
In 2025 alone, Iran has executed at least 629 individuals—102 of whom were executed last month. A number of ethnic and religious minorities, including Baha’is, are among those who have been put to death. Hundreds more have also been arrested on suspicion of being part of an “Israeli spy network” following the 12-day Iran-Israel war that began on June 13, and many potentially face execution.
Today, Iran’s leaders are weakened and isolated. Their legitimacy is at an unprecedented low. They have lost regional influence with the Abraham Accords and Israel’s recent assaults on Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas. This disadvantaged position presents a rare opportunity for the international community—in consultation with experts as well as Iranian activists and victims—to demand concrete, verifiable steps toward genuine political inclusion.
What would that entail?
1. Prioritize Iranians’ rights in negotiations. Any agreement should be legally binding and include guarantees for freedom of religion and belief, association, expression, and the right to fair elections. Iran is already obligated by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—demand compliance under international oversight.
2. Connect sanctions relief and economic incentives to political achievements. Examples include the release of all political prisoners, the repeal of laws that criminalize dissent, and the dismantling of bodies such as the Guardian Council that impede free participation and dissidents’ access to media.
3. Engage and empower Iran’s civil society. This involves sustained support for independent media, human rights defenders, labor unions, and women’s rights activists, among others. They are the West’s natural partners in fostering lasting peace.
4. Maintain consistency. Past strategies—isolation, containment, or short-term engagement—have failed by focusing on weaponry rather than people’s rights and the regime’s control mechanisms. An effective strategy must be innovative and consistent, aiming for long-term rather than immediate outcomes.
There is still uncertainty regarding the full extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, and the regime’s next moves. However, it is crucial to recognize that no Israeli or U.S. bomb can dismantle Iran’s apparatus of repression. No airstrike can uproot its indoctrinated global networks. Only a credible political opening—supported by conditions, pressure, and strong backing for Iranians—can erode the foundations of clerical rule.
Now is the moment to pursue something better than just another nuclear deal. This is the chance to seek a durable agreement that benefits both Iranians and the world, one that incorporates the majority of Iranians who reject a regime that seizes their resources, isolates their nation, and impoverishes them. Many Iranians have fought for this right, at great sacrifice. Their voices are essential to any discussions.