Yalda Bulorchi speaks about transformative leadership and the fabric of Iranian Resistance
New York, Sept. 23, 2026 – Thousands of freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance gathered outside United Nations headquarters for two days to protest the reception of Masoud Pezeshkian, arguing that Iran’s UN seat belongs to the people of Iran. Yalda Bulorchi, one of the young women joining the rally addressed the participants on the second day of the rally.
The full text of her speech appears below:
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.”
Hello all! My name is Yalda Bulorchi and I’ve come from Washington, D.C. to support the event today.
Maya Angelou once said, “Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” Today, we see that truth unfolding across Iran.
In Iran, women’s defiance has taken a distinctly political form. Women have not merely endured the repression of the ruling regime. They have organized against it, assumed positions of responsibility and leadership, and sustained a resistance spanning across generations.
Generations of Sacrifice
For me, this history is deeply personal. My grandmother, Farideh Hafezi, and my aunt, Nilofar Bulorchi, represented two generations of women who made the ultimate sacrifice for a free Iran. I am proud that they were among the women who joined the National Liberation Army and stood on the front lines against the IRGC.
We also see the transformative leadership of Maryam Rajavi, who opened a path for women to assume the highest political, operational, strategic, and organizational responsibilities within the Resistance. My generation is proud to stand with these women. Their leadership is inseparable from Iran’s broader struggle for political, social, and cultural transformation.
This is one of the greatest guarantees of Iran’s coming revolution: Women of every generation are woven into the fabric of the Resistance. Through their courage and leadership, they have planted the seeds of a democratic revolution shaped neither by foreign war nor by Western appeasement.
And this is not just a theory. It is already visible on the ground, today.
Power Beyond Foreign Intervention
This January, the town of Abdanan effectively slipped from the regime’s control. In Malekshahi, security forces pulled back rather than confront the people in the streets. No foreign army accomplished that. Iranian men and women did.
That is the model for change: organized resistance within families, neighborhoods, universities, factories, and even prison cells, where political prisoners continue to resist while facing execution. We are witnessing a movement led by people who understand precisely what capture, torture, and death can cost, yet still choose to move forward.
During the protests in the recent past, I have seen very young teenagers, showing no fear, engage in resisting the regime. They see the only meaningful future in the fall of the regime. The Resistance Units of the MEK are therefore very appealing to these teenagers, who frighten the regime.
When Massoud Rajavi speaks of the army of the Iranian people, this is what he means. And when Maryam Rajavi speaks of the Third Option, she means recognizing the Iranian people’s right to overthrow this regime and acknowledging the role of their organized Resistance.
Regimes Built on Fear Run Out of People Willing to Be Afraid
So, let us be precise about what we are demanding.
We are calling for an end to the world’s treatment of this regime’s survival as the price of regional stability.
Rejecting foreign military intervention does not mean accepting submission. Standing with Iran’s revolution does not mean waiting for someone else to begin it, because the Iranian people already have.
And to Masoud Pezeshkian, know this: Your days, and the days of the regime you represent, are numbered.
Regimes built on fear eventually run out of people willing to be afraid. That is what is happening inside Iran today. Change will come through the courage, determination, and organized resistance of the Iranian people, AND YES, the NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY OF IRAN.
The World Is Watching: Stand with Iran
Stand with them. Recognize their struggle. Declare that their fight for freedom matters.
Because somewhere in Iran, at this very moment, someone is deciding whether to keep resisting. Knowing that the world is watching, and that the world stands with them, may make all the difference.
We salute the courageous people of Iran, the political prisoners, the resistance units, Ashraf 3 and yes, the emerging NLA.
