Over a century ago, the people of Iran set out on a long journey toward freedom and self-determination. Yet, generation after generation, the fundamental promise of true citizen rule remains unfulfilled. We have seen centralized authority shift from one form to another, while the real power has remained locked away from the hands of the people.
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to lift our nation from the sands of centralized rule to the solid rock of direct citizen sovereignty.
I say to you today, my fellow citizens, that despite the struggles of yesterday and the uncertainties of today, I still have a dream.
I have a dream that one day, power in Iran will no longer sit in a single office, behind closed doors in Tehran, but will rest permanently in the hands of every individual citizen.
I have a dream that one day, the diverse provinces of our land—from the peaks of Kurdistan to the shores of Hormozgan, from Baluchistan to Azerbaijan—will govern their own local affairs, manage their own local resources, and shape their own destinies through true radical decentralization.
I have a dream that one day, our laws will no longer be dictated from above, but chosen directly by the people through frequent, transparent referendums, where every voice carries equal weight and every ballot shapes the future.
I have a dream that one day, no single leader will hold a monopoly on power, but that a collective council of equals will serve the nation with humility, rotating leadership, and true consensus.
I have a dream that one day, Iran will stand as a secular, open republic where state power and private belief are cleanly separated, guaranteeing that every citizen—regardless of faith, background, or political thought—walks under the protection of equal justice under the law.
This is our hope. With this faith, we can transform the discord of our past into a beautiful symphony of shared self-governance. With this faith, we can build a nation where the law is not something imposed upon the people, but something created by the people, for the people.
Let direct democracy ring from every province. Let freedom and citizen rule be the foundation of a new dawn.
