From Prison, Mostafa Tajzadeh Rejects War and Sanctions, Calls for Peaceful Democratic Transition in Iran
Iranian political prisoner and former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh told the French weekly Le Point that neither war, sanctions, nor foreign intervention can bring democracy to Iran.
In an interview published on December 16, 2025, Iranian political prisoner and former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh told the French weekly Le Point that neither war, sanctions, nor foreign intervention can bring democracy to Iran, arguing instead that only a peaceful, people-driven democratic transition can end clerical rule. The interview was conducted in writing from Evin Prison, where Tajzadeh is currently held.
Addressing the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025, Tajzadeh rejected claims by Iranian and Israeli authorities that the conflict ended in victory. He argued that neither side achieved its objectives. Despite Israel’s initial surprise attacks on Iran’s air defenses and senior military commanders, he said, Israel failed to fully paralyze Iran’s military capabilities or prevent retaliatory missile strikes.
At the same time, Tajzadeh emphasized that Iranian society did not interpret the bombings as liberation and did not rise up in response. Even political prisoners, he noted, did not view the bombing of Evin Prison as an opportunity to escape. He expressed hope that the war had at least shattered the illusions of both sides and demonstrated the futility of military escalation as a path to change.
Tajzadeh warned that external military intervention would only lead to catastrophe, saying it would either plunge Iran into deeper chaos or result in the establishment of an even more brutal military regime. “Neither outcome is a solution,” he said, firmly rejecting the idea that democracy can be imposed through force from abroad.
He was equally critical of economic sanctions, stating that sanctions—and certainly war—harm Iranian society far more than they weaken those in power. According to Tajzadeh, sanctions erode civil society, deepen poverty, and place the heaviest burden on the most vulnerable segments of the population. He argued that the only defensible form of sanctions are targeted measures against human rights violators, not broad economic restrictions that punish ordinary citizens.
Tajzadeh, now 69 years old, is among Iran’s most well-known political prisoners, having spent much of the past 16 years behind bars. A former senior reformist official, he supported the 2009 Green Movement and opposed the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for which he served seven years in prison between 2009 and 2016. He was arrested again in July 2022, two months before the emergence of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of conspiring against national security.
Reflecting on imprisonment, Tajzadeh said he does not feel defeated. He described prison as a period of intense reflection that allowed him to reassess power, society, and human nature, and said he harbors no personal resentment toward interrogators, judges, or security officials. He emphasized that he refuses to live with hatred and believes that prison has amplified, rather than silenced, his voice.
Commenting on the re-arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi following her speech at a memorial for human rights lawyer Khosro Alikordi, Tajzadeh said the detention reflects the authorities’ fear of any gathering, even peaceful commemorations. He stressed that many of those detained are women aligned with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and argued that their arrests underscore women’s decisive role in shaping Iran’s future. He warned that continued detention carries greater political cost than their release.
Tajzadeh said the post-war escalation of repression reflects the ruling establishment’s belief that another conflict is not imminent, allowing it to revert to intimidation and judicial harassment. However, he argued that this strategy is unsustainable in a society burdened by drought, water shortages, air pollution, runaway inflation, inequality, and systemic corruption. According to Tajzadeh, fear is no longer concentrated among citizens but increasingly among those in power.
He described the growing rejection of compulsory hijab as an irreversible social transformation, noting that even many religious Iranians now oppose enforced veiling and recognize its damage to faith itself. He argued that the ruling establishment has already retreated in practice and can no longer restore control through force.
Explaining why he moved beyond advocating reform from within the system, Tajzadeh said efforts since 1997 ultimately collapsed due to the concentration of power in the office of the Supreme Leader, particularly after 2017. While stressing that the failure of reform does not justify violence, he argued that civil resistance and non-violent disobedience—as demonstrated in the struggle over compulsory hijab—can compel the ruling clergy to retreat.
Tajzadeh called for the election of a constituent assembly, a national referendum, and a revision of the constitution, including the removal of velayat-e faqih, describing this route as the safest and most peaceful path out of Iran’s deepening crisis. While acknowledging that such proposals may seem unrealistic today, he argued they may soon become the only viable option.
On foreign policy, Tajzadeh reiterated his opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and called for a comprehensive new agreement with the West. He said Iran’s development depends on balanced relations with the United States and Europe, adding that the destruction of Israel or the expulsion of the United States from the region is neither Iran’s mission nor within its capacity.
He concluded by rejecting the notion that Iranians must wait for the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for change, noting that major social and political shifts—such as the weakening of compulsory hijab and the breaking of taboos around negotiations with Washington—have already occurred during his lifetime and could continue with less turmoil if pursued now.