The Iranian people have once again taken to the streets. Over recent days, protests have erupted across the country, driven by deep frustration with the Islamic regime’s economic mismanagement, energy shortages, inflation exceeding 40 percent, and a system of laws enforced through intimidation and brutality. Protesters chant “Death to the dictator” not as a slogan of anger alone, but as a rejection of dictatorship itself.
They are demanding something simple and universal: dignity. Job security, freedom of expression, gender equality, and the ability to live without fear. The Iranian people deserve a far better future than the one imposed on them by a regime that has systematically failed to govern and chosen repression over reform.
Over the past two years, and especially following the military confrontation with Israel in 2025, the regime’s traditional pillars of power have eroded. Its proxy forces have suffered severe setbacks, its military capabilities have been exposed as vulnerable, and its international isolation has deepened. What ultimately preserved the regime was not strength, but the absence of a nationwide revolt.
That lesson has not been lost on Tehran. The regime now treats its own population as a strategic battleground. It speaks openly of “soft war,” of narrative control and psychological pressure, while simultaneously intensifying repression. Executions have surged. Civil society remains under siege. Anxiety, not confidence, defines the regime’s behavior.
Yet Iran is not the regime. The Iranian people are heirs to one of the world’s great civilizations, a civilization of poetry and philosophy, science and medicine, creativity and resilience. From Cyrus the Great to the great poets and scholars who shaped human thought, Iran’s historical contribution to humanity is profound. When freed from repression, the Iranian people can reclaim its rightful place in the international community, not through fear or violence, but through cooperation and progress.
The Cyrus Accords
It is precisely because of this historic moment, when the regime is weaker than at any point in decades, that new thinking is required.
This conviction led me to initiate the Cyrus Accords, inspired by the Abraham Accords and rooted in a far older history. More than 2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. Cooperation between Iranians and Jews is not an anomaly; it is a return to history.
The Cyrus Accords envision a future relationship between Israel and the Iranian people, not with the regime that oppresses them. A future grounded in practical cooperation: water management, energy, medicine, environmental protection, and advanced technology. A future in which Iranians know that when they demand their rights and freedom, they will find in Israel not an enemy, but a partner.
As protests spread across Iran, one reality stands out. The demonstrators are not merely protesting what they oppose; they are searching for what comes next. During recent protests, one name has been repeatedly invoked as a symbol of national rehabilitation and renewal: Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. His consistent advocacy over decades for secular governance, economic reconstruction, reintegration into the international community, and national reconciliation has positioned him, in the eyes of many Iranians, as a unifying figure for a post-regime transition.
Iran’s future will not be determined by missiles, militias, or slogans imposed from above. It will be determined by the Iranian people themselves.
The international community must recognize this moment for what it is. Tehran already treats its citizens as a strategic pawn. The world must do the opposite. It must recognize the Iranian people as the key to lasting regional stability and support their aspirations for human rights, freedom, and self-determination, not only through words of sympathy, but through concrete actions whenever and wherever possible.
History shows that regimes built on fear eventually collapse. When that moment arrives in Iran, the question will not be whether change was inevitable, but whether the world helped prepare the ground for a better future. The Cyrus Accords are a statement of intent: that such a future is possible, and that the Iranian people will not stand alone when they claim it.
Let’s make Iran great again!
Gila Gamliel is the Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister and a member of the Security Cabinet of the Israeli government.