The Time For ‘Dialogue’ With The Islamic Republic Is Over

It’s time to finally cut all remaining ties with the butchers of Tehran.

Originally Published 1/30/26 On Steve Dew-Jones

When the Internet was cut off in Iran, we all knew what would follow: a violent crackdown, with protesters gunned down in the streets.

Nevertheless, as witness testimonies, videos, and images have started to trickle through in the weeks since, while Iranians still wait to be fully reconnected with the outside world, the scale of the atrocities remains shocking.

The latest estimates suggest some 35,000 protesters may have been killed, over 25,000 arrested, and more than a quarter of a million injured.

To put this into context, when the last mass protests unfolded in Iran, back in 2022/23 – following the death in custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, arrested for her “bad” hijab – over 500 people were killed.

During the previous protests, in 2019, during what became known as “Bloody November”, the figure was around 1,500.

So while the brutal response of the Islamic Republic itself may not be a surprise, the level of cruelty shown this time is truly jaw-dropping.

Iranians are calling it a massacre.

One friend of mine reacted by saying he believes this moment signals the end, not only of the Islamic Republic, but of Islam in Iran for decades.

There certainly appears to be new hope among many Iranians that there can surely be no way back to the world stage for this brutal regime now, given the scale of its atrocities.

In protests past, and even last year, following the short but bloody conflict with Israel, as time has gone by, outrage has diminished, and on the international stage at least, it has almost appeared as though, after a while, things have returned to “business as usual” for the Islamic Republic. But this time, there appears to be a shared perception that the regime has gone too far.

This can be seen in some of the language of the resolution passed by the European Parliament on 22 January, which paved the way for the IRGC to finally be officially recognised for what they are: terrorists. It can also be seen in the convening of a special session on Iran at the UN Human Rights Council last month, and by the decisions of the World Economic Forum and Munich Security Conference to rescind invitations to speakers from the Islamic Republic, and in the latter’s case to invite the exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, instead.

The European Parliament’s resolution even went so far as to openly call for a “free and democratic transition” of power in Iran, pledging “full support” for the opposition.

This followed the banning of diplomatic staff and representatives of the Islamic Republic from the parliament, with the resolution calling on member states to follow suit.

It added that “any normalisation of relations” would depend upon the “unconditional release of all political prisoners, a verifiable cessation of systematic repression, and genuine progress towards democracy and the rule of law” - all of which sounds like an unrealistically high bar for the Islamic Republic.

Whether it takes days, weeks, months, or even longer, many believe we are now witnessing the inexorable final bloody days of the Islamic Republic. I don’t suppose there will be many who will miss it, once it has finally gone - whenever that day comes.

Indeed, during a meeting with colleagues, even before the reports came out of the massacre that had taken place, one colleague was in tears as he cried, “I just want to go back home!”

For this dear colleague and many other Iranians in exile who cannot currently return home for fear of arrest, the future of this regime is of utmost importance, speaking to their deepest emotions.

Yet, even at times like these, Iranians find time to look at the positives, and other colleagues have been discussing which places we might all visit together once Iran is finally free.

In protests past, we have dreamed of having our next gathering in Tehran, or even of one day having an office there, which for an Iranian human rights organisation should not be particularly extraordinary, but which sadly is simply not possible today.

For all these reasons, and so many others, the time has come for the world to finally cut all ties with the Islamic Republic and to embrace the vision of a new, secular and democratic Iran, with the potential to bring positive change not only to the country of Iran, but the region as a whole.

At the Human Rights Council in Geneva last month, the UN’s High Commissioner, Volker Turk, suggested “the only way out of this frightening escalation is through dialogue”, and this is certainly a sentiment that the leaders of the Islamic Republic would welcome, but the world must learn from past mistakes by taking a tougher line this time, recognising that dialogue with mass murderers is futile.

Meanwhile, the next step for this dying regime will no doubt be to execute some of the thousands of arrested protesters, with reports starting to surface that this process may already have begun, in spite of the reported pledges that the killings had stopped.

Indeed, the trouble at the moment is that the Islamic Republic and its support base - believed to be little more than 10% of the population these days - are the ones still holding the weapons inside the country.

But the Islamic Republic can no longer credibly claim even a shred of legitimacy, after literally millions of Iranians have taken to the streets over the past month to demand an end to their rule, dispelling any notion of popular support.

It’s time for the world to rally around the Iranian people instead and to finally and definitively turn their backs on their oppressors.

Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.