interview
The religious leader personally agitated against the exiled Iranian woman. In an interview with CH Media, Masih Alinejad talks about the “hypocritical” West, possible US interventions and feelings of guilt.
Feb 13, 2026, 9:14 p.mFeb 13, 2026, 9:14 p.m
The mass protests on Iran’s streets have fallen silent. Once again the regime succeeded in suppressing the uprising with violence. There is talk of tens of thousands of deaths and even more arrests. However, the discontent towards the mullahs has not abated one bit. One of the loudest critics is Masih Alinejad.
Exiled Iranian woman and journalist Masih Alinejad is one of the loudest critics of the Islamic regime.Image: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Ali Khamenei, the religious leader of the Islamic regime, has already personally incited the 49-year-old Iranian woman. She has survived three murder attempts since fleeing to the USA in 2009. Her trademark is a flower in her hair – as a symbol of protest against the compulsory headscarf for women.
Alinejad laughs and blames her voluminous hair for her slight delay to the video interview. At the same time, Washington is toughening its tone towards Tehran. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump considered the possibility of sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
Trump speaks openly about the choice between a new agreement with Iran or “very tough measures”. Is there a need for a US military strike against the Iranian regime?
Masih Alinejad: It is the only solution. People have been fighting peacefully against the regime for 40 years. They’ve tried everything. Recently, Iranians once again took to the streets empty-handed – and faced machine guns. A massacre took place. I talk to people in Iran every day. They are all convinced that only targeted military actions against the spiritual leader Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the political leadership can significantly weaken the regime.
In late January 2026, Washington again deployed a carrier strike group to the Middle East, while Tehran warned of retaliation in the event of a US attack.Image: keystone
Western military interventions often leave chaos in their wake. Why should things be different in Iran?
People in the West immediately think of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. But history also shows us cases in which targeted military actions have stopped massacres and prevented humanitarian catastrophes. For example, in Gambia in 2017. The dictator Yahya Jammeh refused to give up his post after his election defeat. But diplomatic pressure from regional powers combined with the targeted deployment of Senegalese troops led to a peaceful transfer of power.
Is the USA the right actor to intervene militarily in Iran?
The USA could take the lead. But the Europeans also have a responsibility to stand by the people of Iran. Iran is the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world. Be it with weapons that Russia uses in the war in Ukraine or the support of Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis. Iranians are not just fighting for themselves – they are defending democracy and security worldwide.
The Iranian authorities have brutally suppressed the recent protests and largely sealed off the country. The government acknowledges 3,000 deaths, but others report more than ten times as many. How do you get reliable information?
It’s sad that we don’t have the exact numbers. This shows how a regime can still control information in the 21st century and thus prevent the world from recognizing the true extent of a massacre. This is precisely why democratic states have a duty to initiate independent investigations. My sources in Iran – doctors, nurses, human rights activists and political dissidents with whom I am in daily contact – are already reporting executions. They send me videos from Tehran that show security forces storming hospitals and killing the wounded. Doctors and nurses who want to help the injured are systematically arrested. These people urgently need help.
Thousands of people were killed in the latest wave of protests in Iran.Image: keystone
How difficult is it to stay in touch with people in Iran today?
Thanks to Starlink, young Iranians in particular can circumvent censorship to some extent. But that’s not easy – and above all, life-threatening. Anyone who passes on information to me or other independent journalists outside Iran knows that they are risking their lives. And yet they do it. Because they know that freedom is not free.
A month ago you sharply criticized Iran in the UN Security Council and confronted the Iranian representative with three assassination attempts against you. The video went viral. How did you feel at that moment?
If I’m honest: I didn’t even want to go. I have seen with my own eyes how the UN has become a place where dictators legitimize each other. Just recently, Secretary General António Guterres congratulated the regime on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. This is the reality of the United Nations. The only reason I went was for the opportunity to confront this terrorist regime head-on. The victims whose names I read out gave me the strength to do this. When I testified against the Iranian regime, when I compared them to the Islamic State, the Iranian representative’s legs began to visibly shake. That showed me: They fear the people more than some democratic heads of state or the UN. Because they see that they can kill their people without fearing serious consequences from the international community.
I am a woman from a small village in northern Iran.
Jailed for protesting.
Beaten for showing my hair.
Expelled from parliament for exposing their corruption.
Forced into exile.
My sister was paraded on state TV to publicly disown me.
My brother was imprisoned as punishment.
My… pic.twitter.com/jJHuunjLOh— Masih Alinejad (@AlinejadMasih) January 16, 2026
How do you determine the lack of consequences?
In 2019, Iran shut down the internet and killed 1,500 innocent people in three days. The result? The UN gave them a seat to monitor human rights worldwide – an insult to an entire people. Impunity emboldens them.
They have been speaking out openly against the regime for years. Assassins tried to kill you. Two were convicted in the US last year. Ali Khamenei has already personally incited you. Does constant danger make you more cautious?
Not at all. On the contrary: it only strengthened my determination to finally overthrow this damn regime. If the young people of Iran are willing to die for a free Iran, then so am I. But I also feel guilty. In the USA, the FBI prevented three assassination attempts against me. Unarmed people in my country have no such protection. I am alive because law enforcement in the United States protected me.
On February 18th you will come to Switzerland to appear at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy – organized by non-governmental organizations. What is your destination?
I will use the summit to address the West’s double standards. Some people in the West, especially on the left and liberal spectrum, are loudly shouting “Free Palestine”. But when it comes to demanding “Free Iran,” they remain silent. I also want to denounce Europe’s hesitancy. I have this opportunity because I am not a politician, but an activist. I will name those who waited seven years to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization: the European Union.
Switzerland has not done this to date. A mistake?
Yes, I will also denounce Switzerland. I will mention the names of the countries that are still hesitant to designate an organization as a terrorist organization even though they have used military weapons against unarmed civilians, children and women. I also demand concrete action: the representatives of the Iranian regime must be isolated and expelled from Europe. Investigations are also needed into the companies that are linked to the Revolutionary Guard and continue to trade with Europe despite sanctions.
Switzerland is neutral. It is present in Tehran with its embassy and serves as a communication channel between Iran and the USA as part of the protecting power mandate. What do you expect from Switzerland in this role?
From what I’m hearing right now, the mass arrests following the recent protests could soon turn into mass executions. Iran is using its diplomatic channels to buy time and deceive the US government. When Iran recently told President Trump that executions had stopped, it was a lie. In fact, the number of executions has increased. Thanks to its protective power mandate, Switzerland is most likely to have reliable information and could warn the world. It could and should make it clear to the United States and Europeans through diplomatic channels that this is a major deception. Maybe then the world would finally act. (aargauerzeitung.ch)