A Titan of the EU Establishment Guy Verhofstadt is a titan of the EU establishment, widely regarded as one of Brussels’ most influential power players—a veteran Europhile whose decades at the center of EU politics has made him a fixture in the Union's political machinery. As a former Belgian Prime Minister and long-time leader of the European Parliament’s liberal bloc, he built a reputation for shaping major EU debates from the inside, ranging from institutional reform to foreign policy.

Shaping Decades of European Policy His roles—as a key member of the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents, rapporteur of critical policy papers, drafter of the Laeken Declaration, and Co-Chair of the Conference on the Future of Europe—have further cemented his status as a Brussels heavyweight. Furthermore, as the Parliament’s former Brexit Coordinator, founder of the Spinelli Group, and current President of the European Movement International, he maintains direct leverage over the most consequential movements in recent EU history. Known for his unapologetically federalist vision and his ability to rally cross-party coalitions, Verhofstadt remains a symbolic force in the EU capital—an orator whose voice can shift the tone of a debate and whose presence signals undeniable political gravity.

A Strategic Pivot Away from Appeasement As a politician defined by profound foresight, it was Verhofstadt who, as early as 2009, authored the definitive work and report titled The New Age of Empires. He correctly diagnosed that the world was moving into an era of civilizational giants, where the traditional nation-state would be rendered obsolete. This same strategic clarity is evident in his current shift on Iran; he has now called for the European Commission to pivot its engagement directly with the NCRI and the democratic alternative led by Maryam Rajavi, rather than continuing a failed policy of appeasement with the mullah regime.

He stated:

“My request is: create a sort of a coalition. Go to our leaders in the Commission, High Representative, and the Council to ask for a change in strategy. And that means very important things: that is to recognize, first of all, the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

And then we need, like I said, to stop our appeasement strategy by one thing: that is to open the channel to the democratic opposition. I want that the European Union recognize the democratic opposition—and especially Mrs. Rajavi—as the real representative of the Iranian people, and not longer the mullah regime, as is the case now. And if we all do that, we can change the strategy.”

The Origins of the NCRI: Iran's Government-in-Waiting So, who is the NCRI, and how did they become Iran’s government-in-waiting?

The story begins with the NCRI being born from the fires of the 1979 revolution; they formed two years later in Tehran in 1981, establishing a broad-based democratic alternative to the clerical dictatorship. They endured a harrowing period beginning on June 20, 1981, when the MEK organized a mass protest in Tehran involving approximately 500,000 to 1,000,000 participants.

Khomeini issued a fatwa for the "uncompromising" suppression of the protest, and IRGC units opened fire on the crowds. Within 24 hours, the regime began summary executions. Thousands of protesters were detained in Evin Prison, while many others went underground or escaped Iran.

Between 1981 and 1985, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 members of the resistance utilized an "underground railroad" to reach Europe and the United States. Key leaders arrived at the Évreux airbase in France, where they announced the formation of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). They did not arrive as refugees; they arrived as a Government-in-Exile.

The 1988 Extrajudicial Executions In the summer of 1988, as the Iran-Iraq war was ending, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a secret fatwa ordering the execution of all political prisoners who remained loyal to the MEK. The regime established three-member panels across the country known as "Death Commissions." Prisoners were brought before them and asked short questions about their political and religious beliefs; if they refused to denounce the resistance, they were sent immediately to the gallows. While the regime has never officially acknowledged the toll, the NCRI and human rights organizations document that 30,000 political prisoners were extrajudicially executed in a matter of months.

Global Intelligence and the Threat on European Soil In 1993, Maryam Rajavi was elected as the President-elect for the transitional period following the regime's eventual collapse. They have maintained constant connection with resistance units within Iran, and their numbers have grown; they are currently represented in all 31 provinces. The NCRI has consistently informed global governments of the status of Iran's nuclear program and other clandestine actions, such as the regime's infiltration of EU political parties and think tanks.

The IRGC has targeted their members on European soil and attempted to bomb their gatherings. In 2018, an Iranian diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, utilized his diplomatic pouch to smuggle TATP explosives onto a commercial flight from Tehran to Europe to orchestrate a bombing of the NCRI’s "Free Iran" gathering in Paris. He was discovered by police before reaching the event.

The Path Forward for Western Diplomacy The NCRI has been the eyes of the world revealing the misdeeds of the Iranian regime. While the mainstream media has often failed to report on their significance—evidenced by coverage of Reza Pahlavi and the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee inviting him while ignoring the NCRI—this is due in part to Iranian propaganda planted within EU institutions. Nevertheless, they have gained recognition from EU heavyweights like Guy Verhofstadt and former Council President Charles Michel. It remains to be seen if the United States will follow suit.

As Verhofstadt concluded:

"My request is to go to our leaders in the Commission, the High Representative, and the Council to ask for a change in strategy. That means very important things: first of all, to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and then to stop our appeasement strategy by opening the channel to the democratic opposition. I want the European Union to recognize the democratic opposition, especially Mrs. Rajavi, as the real representative of the Iranian people and no longer the mullah regime. If we do that, we can change the strategy of the Union."

This has been Erika Grey of The Twist.