For more than 40 years, the people of Iran have lived under a suffocating dictatorship that has stripped them of their freedoms, denied them basic human rights, and crushed any glimmer of hope for a better future. Yet despite the unrelenting repression, the Iranian people have never stopped dreaming of liberty. They have taken to the streets again and again, often at unimaginable personal risk, demanding the right to live in dignity and determine their own future. Each time, they have been met with the full force of a ruthless regime that treats dissent as treason and humanity as an afterthought. This struggle for freedom is not a fleeting political cause — it is the very heartbeat of a nation that refuses to surrender its spirit.
Iran's brave uprisings have united students, workers, women and ordinary citizens, demanding change. They rose up in 1999, 2009, 2017, 2019, 2022 and beyond — each time with breathtaking courage. Sadly, every one of these movements was crushed brutally. Security forces flooded the streets, firing on unarmed crowds, arresting thousands and torturing detainees. Families have been left with no answers, their loved ones disappearing into the nightmare of the regime's prisons. Many who are arrested never return. Some who do return are permanently scarred, physically and emotionally. The message from Iran's rulers has been consistent: dissent will be extinguished by any means necessary.
During these moments of crisis — when the moral voices of the world should have been the loudest — Western governments often chose silence. The Obama administration, in particular, stood aside during the 2009 Green Movement, when millions of Iranians filled the streets, demanding their stolen votes back. Former President Barack Obama later acknowledged that he had made a mistake by not speaking out forcefully in support of the protesters. The question nevertheless remains: How can the West, particularly European states, which never hesitate to lecture others on democracy and human rights, stay silent when one of the most oppressed peoples in the world was risking everything for those very ideals? The answer is that political caution, fear and the lure of money, business and trade deals often outweigh moral clarity — a choice that history has never looked upon kindly.
It is high time for an approach that does not cower behind diplomatic fears or economic loss. Today, the only country with the political courage to openly declare its support for the Iranian people's freedom is Israel. In a display of great statesmanship, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month addressed the people of Iran regarding their country's worsening water crisis. His words went beyond mere political posturing — they were an open call to action. Speaking directly to Iranians in a video message, Netanyahu said:
"Greetings from Jerusalem, to the proud people of Iran... Your leaders forced the 12-Day War on us, and they lost miserably... In this brutal summer heat, you don't even have clean, cold water to give your children. Such hypocrisy...
"Israel is the #1 recycler of water in the world. We recycle 90% of our waste-water. And we lead the world in desalination. We know exactly what to do so Iran can also have plentiful water.
"Almost a decade ago, I opened a Telegram channel in Farsi to teach water management to Iranians. 100,000 Iranians joined almost instantly. The thirst for water in Iran is only matched by the thirst for freedom...
"The moment your country is free, Israel's top water experts will flood into every Iranian city bringing cutting-edge technology and know-how. We will help Iran recycle water, we'll help Iran desalinate water."
The statement was not just about infrastructure—it was about empowerment. "Take risks for freedom," he urged. "Take to the streets. Demand justice. Demand accountability. Protest tyranny. If you will it, a free Iran is not a dream."
This is the kind of unapologetic clarity that the West has been missing for decades. Instead of cozying up to Tehran's rulers for trade agreements or sanctions relief, world leaders should be supporting and amplifying the voices of the Iranian people. Yet, in the diplomatic halls of Europe, leaders continue to shake hands with Iranian officials, sign business deals, and extend economic relief, knowing full well that this money and legitimacy will be used to tighten the regime's grip on its citizens. This is not neutrality—it is complicity. Perhaps even more morally repugnant, it signals to the Iranian people that their suffering is unimportant compared to the West's economic and political interests.
To the European Union: stop delivering lectures on human rights while turning your back on those who fight and die for them. The time for timid statements and backroom diplomacy is over. Come out publicly and say, without hesitation, that you stand with the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom. Words matter. Public solidarity matters. When Iranians hear that the free world is behind them, they do not feel so alone in their fight. They feel empowered, valued, and recognized — not as a bargaining chip in geopolitical games, but as human beings whose freedom matters as much as anyone's.
The shift from empowering a regime to empowering its people would mark the first time in more than four decades that Western policy truly aligned with democratic values. Make no mistake, history will remember who chose to stand with the oppressed and who chose to stand with the oppressors for the sake of money, fear or convenience. When the regime finally falls, and it will, the Iranian people will remember who spoke up when it counted — and who hid behind "diplomacy."
It is also worth asking why is it considered acceptable for Iran's rulers to openly call for the assassination of a U.S. president and attempt to assassinate Western officials, yet somehow unacceptable for Western leaders to plainly say, "we support the Iranian people's right to freedom"? That double standard is moral bankruptcy.
For more than 40 years, European powers have shaken hands with dictators, cut deals, legitimized tyranny, and turned a blind eye when Iran's regime crushes dissent. These powers have watched women beaten in the streets for showing their hair, journalists imprisoned for telling the truth, and students killed for daring to speak out. They have watched this while profiting from trade and securing oil contracts. Meanwhile, Iran's regime's has been extending its malign influence and violence abroad. Iran's problem is a global one.
The choice facing the West, particularly European governments and the Trump administration, is simple. Continue down the path of quiet complicity, driven by fear and greed, or choose to be remembered as champions of freedom. Stop empowering Iran's rulers with trade deals and diplomatic recognition. Publicly and unequivocally declare your support for the Iranian people. A free Iran would be a stabilizing force in a volatile region, a partner instead of an adversary, and a symbol of what can happen when the free world stands together.
History does not remember as heroes those who stayed silent in the face of tyranny. It remembers them as complicit, enablers. This is the moment to choose which side you will be on.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
