February 2, 2026
Dear Mr. Minister Hakan Fidan,
 
The peoples of Iran and Türkiye share centuries of intertwined history, cultural exchange, and regional interdependence. Regardless of political changes in Tehran, the Iranian people will continue to value a close and constructive relationship with the people of Türkiye long after the Islamic Republic has passed into history.
 
It is precisely for this reason that your recent remarks—widely interpreted by Iranians as signaling support for the Islamic Republic—have caused deep concern. At a moment when millions of Iranians are risking their lives to end a regime they view as illegitimate and violently repressive, such statements risk being remembered as standing on the wrong side of history.
 
The Islamic Republic lost its legitimacy decades ago. In recent years, it has relied not only on domestic repression but also on armed forces and mercenaries drawn from outside Iran to suppress its own population. Since January 8, the scale and brutality of the violence unleashed against unarmed civilians have shocked Iranians at home and abroad. This is not law enforcement; it is systematic repression aimed at survival through fear.
 
 
Iranians across the political and social spectrum have appealed to the international community, and especially the United States, to help narrow the vast imbalance between a defenseless population and a regime that resorts to massacre and planned violence. Silence—or perceived political cover—only emboldens further atrocities and deepens the wounds that future regional relationships will have to heal.
 
The days of the Islamic Republic are widely understood to be numbered. A new, sovereign, secular, and democratic Iran will soon emerge, one that seeks stability, cooperation, and mutual respect with its neighbors. This transition will unfold under the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi, as a national and unifying figure for Iran in the post–Islamic Republic era, grounded in the commitment of Iran’s pro-change forces to four fundamental principles: the preservation of territorial integrity, the separation of religion and state, equality of citizenship and respect for individual rights, and the free and democratic determination of the nation’s future.
 
In the interest of preserving and strengthening the historic ties between our nations, we respectfully urge you to stand with the Iranian people in their legitimate aspirations—or, at the very least, to refrain from remarks that may be interpreted as political support for Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime.
 
History is watching, and the Iranian people will not forget who stood with them in their darkest hour.
 
Respectfully,
 
Director of International Affairs, The New Iran
Akbar Moarefy