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Former UK Speaker of the House John Bercow Joins Free Iran Convention As Regime Faces Revolt, Defections

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  November 14, 2025 10:15 AM

Tomorrow, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and other organizations will meet in Washington, D.C. for the 2025 Free Iran Convention, an all-day event that aims to "explore a growing roadmap for change" towards a "democratic, prosperous republic in Iran."

The NCRI, which has a U.S. division, "acts as the parliament-in-exile with some 500 members (half of them women), including representatives of ethnic and religious minorities such as the Kurds, Baluchis, Armenians, Jews and Zoroastrians." It was founded in 1981, after the Iranian Revolution, and "aims to establish a democratic and non-nuclear republic in Iran, based on the separation of religion and state."

Three years later, in 1984, the U.S. designated Iran the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, including funding Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias. In recent years, Britain's MI5 reported Iran was behind at least ten attempts to kidnap or kill people in Britain in 2022 and the government elevated Iran to a "persistent and unpredictable" threat in the U.K. In 2025, the U.S., the U.K., and a dozen other nations issued a joint statement condemning Iran and its threat activity to Western nations:

The United States of America, the United Kingdom, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden condemn the growing number of state threats from Iranian intelligence services in our respective territories.  

We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty.  These services are increasingly collaborating with international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials in Europe and North America.  This is unacceptable.   

We consider these types of attacks, regardless of the target, as violations of our sovereignty.  We are committed to working together to prevent these actions from happening and we call on the Iranian authorities to immediately put an end to such illegal activities in our respective territories.

Iran has been a hotbed of unrest and revolution for years, with the citizens pushing back against the regime. In 2020, Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, sparking protests and demonstrations throughout the country. The following year, a severe drought and water mismanagement sparked more protests in Khuzestan, and in December, farmers in Isfahan rose up against the government. In 2022, the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran's morality police caused massive uprisings in the nation. Amini was arrested for not adhering to the nation's hijab laws and beaten while in custody. The morality police continue to push back on hijab enforcement.

Presently, Tehran is facing a severe water shortage and rationing, making the region a powder keg once again, and it appears members of Iran's military are also calling for change. On November 12, it was reported Colonel Ebrahim Aghaie Komazani and called for uprising.

"I invite the people of Iran to, on Sunday, November 16, with the flag of the Lion and Sun, initiate a million-strong march for the transition from the Islamic Republic regime," Komazani said.

Yesterday, it was reported Colonel Sajjad Azadeh defected from the regime.

Azadeh said in the video, "This regime of lies, deceit, and occupation will come to an end."

With all of this as a backdrop, the 2025 Free Iran Convention feels that the time is right to push for real change in Iran. One of the speakers slated to appear at the convention is the former Speaker of the U.K. House of Commons, John Bercow.

Townhall spoke with Bercow yesterday before his departure for the convention. One of the issues he highlighted was the ongoing number of mass executions and lawfare against opponents of the Iranian regime.

"There is an ongoing crisis of an exponential scale of executions in Iran by the dictatorship," Bercow said. "Over 100,000 members of the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq) opposition to the regime and its supporters have been executed over the last 45 years, including 1988 massacre. Those executions continue to this day. Nine out of 10 killed are from the MEK, the principal opposition to the regime," Bercow added. This includes 1,500 people who were killed in an uprising in 2019. "Many were ordinary citizens, but several dozen were from organized opposition," Bercow said, pointing out Iran is "responsible per capita for a larger share of executions worldwide than any other country."

When asked about the Free Iran Convention, Bercow laid out its vision clearly. "The purpose of the convention is to reiterate focus and organize again the global resistance to one of the most appalling dictatorships on the face of the planet," he said. 

Bercow also said the NCRI is the "principled opposition" to the Iranian regime. "The primary element of legitimacy of an opposition, the willingness to pay the price and to carry on the resistance," he said, adding the NCRI is that legitimate opposition. "The sheer venom and frequency of attacks by the regime [against the NCRI] is a testament to that."

During the interview, Bercow also made it clear he wasn't calling for external intervention. "What we’re saying is two-fold: isolate the regime through the heaviest possible sanctions," and that the Iranian government, if they believe they speak to the people, should put it to a democratic vote. 

He also emphasized that Iran does not respect or tolerate weakness. "First, there is no doubt that [Iran] is a dictatorship that has no respect whatsoever for weakness and appeasement. It understands…can respect strength," Bercow said. "There’s no point thinking… we'd better be nice to them. That is a council of despair which will get the international community and long-suffering people of Iran nowhere," he added.

Bercow praised the work of the U.K. "The British government has made the right noises, and policy is a bit better now than it has been," he said. But he added, "The approach of the international community needs to be tougher." He pointed to economic sanctions, travel bans, and visa restrictions as tools to use against the regime. "What is being done in Iran cannot be allowed to stand."

There is also a reason for hope and optimism, Bercow said. " I have to tell you, I know of no other foreign affairs cause that enjoyed such united support across parliament than that for the Iranian opposition."

The Free Iran Convention takes place tomorrow, November 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It will also be livestreamed on the convention's website, here.