Thousands Rally in New York to Confront Iran’s President at UNGA
“Citizenship must mean something. If my own government won’t act, who will?” — Sara Saleem
The narrative matters
Thousands of Iranian Americans and supporters are in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza today as Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the United Nations. Organized by the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) and supported by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the protest is the largest Free Iran demonstration during this year’s U.N. General Assembly.
The rally coincides with the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, a moment that ignited Iran’s 2022 uprising. Protesters raise portraits of victims and candles for those executed, demanding enforcement of U.N. resolutions and accountability for Tehran’s nuclear program.
A Week of Action
The New York rally is the centerpiece of a week-long campaign of vigils, photo exhibits, and marches. Survivors and former political prisoners testify publicly about torture and repression. On the eve of the rally, hundreds lit candles in memory of Amini and thousands more killed in crackdowns.
Today’s press briefing features Ambassador Sam Brownback, Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, Ambassador Carla Sands, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, and survivors including Dr. Firouz Daneshgari and Mitra Samani. Their remarks connect Iran’s human rights record to global instability, warning that silence enables the regime.
Iran’s Record
Since Pezeshkian took office in 2024, watchdogs report more than 1,670 executions and 21,000 political arrests (NCRI report). Iran continues to expand uranium enrichment capacity, ship drones to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East (Reuters), and back proxy militias across the region.
Human Rights Watch has documented systemic targeting of women and minorities. Amnesty International reports arbitrary detention and torture remain widespread. In March 2025, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Iran warned that prison conditions amount to “state-sanctioned cruelty” and called for binding accountability measures.
U.S. Policy Crossroads
For Washington, Iran remains a central foreign policy challenge. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates Tehran is weeks from weapons-grade enrichment. Speakers at the rally urge the U.S. to end courtesies extended to the regime and call on Congress to back NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for a secular republic.
In 2023, House Resolution 100 affirmed the Iranian people’s right to establish a democratic republic and condemned human rights abuses. Members of Congress continue to cite the NCRI plan as a framework for U.S. support.
The Human Dimension
For demonstrators, this is not abstract policy. Families speak of relatives imprisoned without trial, children killed in protests, and decades of exile. Survivors describe solitary confinement, forced confessions, and torture designed to break dissent.
The visuals are stark: giant banners of victims, long marching lines of flags, candles flickering against the skyline. Chants of “Free Iran” roll down Second Avenue.
A Parallel Story: Sara Saleem
Amid the rally’s demands, another voice resonates—that of Kurdish American businesswoman Sara Saleem, whose case shows how Iran’s reach extends beyond its borders. In your interview for The Narrative Matters, Saleem described being kidnapped in Iraq for 43 days, allegedly linked to business partners with Iranian ties.
“They kidnapped many. They raped many. They tortured many. They killed many,” she said. Despite reporting her ordeal to U.S. authorities, Saleem underwent nine FBI interviews with no action taken. Her federal lawsuit in Virginia names individuals connected to her abduction and financial losses.
Saleem’s experience mirrors the protesters’ message: U.S. institutions must do more to protect citizens and counter Iranian influence. A Government Accountability Office report found federal agencies lacked systems to track Americans detained abroad. The 2023 Free Iraq from Iranian Influence Act was introduced to curb Tehran’s role in Iraq, but advocates say enforcement lags.
Her words cut to the core of today’s rally: “Citizenship must mean something,” she told you. “If my own government won’t act, who will?”
What Comes Next
Protests continue through the week. On September 24, demonstrators will stage a counter-rally timed to Pezeshkian’s UNGA speech. Organizers vow to sustain visibility with testimony, art, and exhibits documenting abuses.
For Iranian Americans, the campaign is not temporary. Communities in 46 states mobilized caravans to New York. Their strategy is long-term: keep Iran’s repression visible, press Congress and the U.N., and demand accountability that extends from New York to Tehran.
Closing Note
At UNGA 80, while leaders deliver speeches on cooperation, voices outside demand justice. Saleem’s story and the chants in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza converge on the same message: repression in Tehran has consequences that reach Americans at home and abroad.
“We carry the voices of those who cannot be here,” one survivor said at the plaza. “The world cannot look away.”
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