On Feb. 28, as Operation Epic Fury was launched, President Donald Trump addressed the Iranian people directly in his opening statement. It remains one of the most consequential statements in American presidential history.
“Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
“For many years, you have asked for America’s help. But you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want.”
“America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach,” the president said.
Such a victory cannot be achieved solely on the battlefield. Just as Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill proclaimed the Atlantic Charter in August 1941, the president must win the hearts and minds of the Iranian people, as well as our friends and allies, through an Iran Charter. This would include a plan and set of principles that will establish the moral framework, meaning, purpose and vision capable of uniting the Iranian and American people for generations to come.
1. Speak to the Iranian people
Deliver a major speech to the Iranian people, highlighting the principles of peace, prosperity, freedom and justice that will guide our relationship. Reinforce the historical bonds of faith and friendship between the United States and Iran, and present the Iranian people with a vision of a future beyond the Islamic Republic — a future rooted in our shared celebration of life, love and liberty.
2. Build trust and address fears
Reaffirm our commitment to Iranian civilization, including the principles of sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of Iran. Dispel the regime’s false narratives and claims that the United States and Israel aim to destroy and partition Iran by inciting sectarian and ethnic conflicts.
3. Build a united coalition against clerical rule
Condemn the principle of Velayat-e Faqih and the usurpation of political power by clerics and the IRGC. Call for the dissolution of the Office of the Supreme Leader, the Assembly of Experts and the Council of Guardians. Unite our friends and allies in Europe, the Islamic world, and the Shia world against the Talibanization of Iran.
4. Reject the IRGC’s candidate for supreme leader
Call on the Iranian people and the international community to reject the illegitimate assumption of power in Iran by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei — a usurpation of Iranian sovereignty. Khamenei is the IRGC’s candidate and protects the interests of a large economic mafia responsible for corruption, exploitation and poverty among the Iranian people.
5. Economic relief
Provide the Iranian people with a clear plan to lift economic sanctions, especially those affecting food and medicine. Uncover the illicit, corrupt networks that have exploited the nuclear issue and sanctions to manipulate and exploit the Iranian people.
6. Stop foreign intervention
Demand that Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries sever their political, economic and military connections with the IRGC. Call for an end to the illicit smuggling and theft of Iranian oil revenues, as well as ending the transfer of funds, arms and technology used to suppress the Iranian people.
7. Mobilize the Iranian diaspora
Mobilize the Iranian diaspora to reclaim their historic role as a global civilizational bridge, reconnecting the Iranian people with the family of nations. Show the world — and the Iranian people — that there is another Iran, one that embodies principles of humanity, science, entrepreneurship and creativity. An Iran that can defeat Islamic fundamentalism as surely as the West defeated Nazism and Communism.
8. Convene a coalition for Iran’s transition
Lay the groundwork for a political alternative to the Islamic Republic by acknowledging the need for an Iranian-led transition from the Islamic Republic to a secular, democratic Iran. Invite Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and other prominent Iranian political, economic and cultural leaders to the White House with a clear mandate and message to collaborate with the United States to free Iran.
9. Put together an Iran A-team
Appoint Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead Iran policy. As the son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio has consistently supported the Iranian people and clearly distinguished them from the regime. He commands bipartisan respect and is uniquely positioned to advance the administration’s Iran agenda.
10. Remind the Iranian and American people of the geopolitical stakes
Russia and China view Iran as a strategic partner, a battering ram for breaking peace in the Middle East. A victory in Iran is not only a win for the United States and Israel but also a win for Europe against Russia, a win for the Indo-Pacific against Chinese dominance, and a win for the Islamic world against religious fanaticism.
The Iranian people have been on the front lines of the fight against the Islamic Republic since 1979. Time and again, our leaders have betrayed them by making deals with Iran’s mullahs, and time and again, innocent lives pay the price. If we do not stand by our principles in this moment of danger, this corrupt terrorist regime will recover and resume its war against the Iranian people, the United States, Israel and the rest of the world. Their threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz proves they will go to any lengths, harm any number of nations and jeopardize the security and prosperity of Iran, the region and beyond to avoid accountability.
The time for Iran’s freedom has truly arrived. Let’s not miss this crucial moment. Let’s seize this opportunity — a moment only Trump has demonstrated the courage and vision to create — to speak to the Iranian people, to unite them around our highest ideals and to revive Iran’s civilization, which has been hidden behind a veil of death and darkness, back into life and light. Let us offer the Iranian people what Churchill and Roosevelt offered the world in 1941 — a charter for Iran, an enduring vision of freedom and the future.