Amb. Carla Sands: Women’s Equality in Iran Requires Rejecting Both Monarchy and Theocracy

Staff WriterFebruary 22, 2026
Amb. Carla Sands: Women’s Equality in Iran Requires Rejecting Both Monarchy and Theocracy
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla

Former U.S Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands addresses an international meeting honoring the 2026 International Women’s Day on February 21, 2026
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Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands used remarks on February 21, 2026, at a meeting honoring International Women’s Day 2026, to argue that women’s rights in Iran cannot be separated from the struggle to end dictatorship in all forms. Framing her remarks around what she called myths about the Shah-era monarchy and the achievements of Iranian women in the Resistance, Amb. Sands rejected nostalgia for the Pahlavi period and said, “A dictatorship, by definition, cannot offer gender equality.”

To support the point, she cited the Shah’s own recorded remarks, including his assertion that women had equality “in law, but not … in actual ability,” and his dismissive comments in interviews with Oriana Fallaci and Barbara Walters, which she presented as proof that misogyny was embedded in the monarchy, not an accident of history.

Amb. Sands then shifted to the women of the Iranian Resistance, saying their role had transformed the struggle from one centered on suffering to one defined by leadership, discipline and political purpose. She praised Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s leadership, credited her with helping shape a generation of women leaders, and linked that trajectory to the movement’s call for a democratic republic.

In her closing remarks, the former American ambassador said Iranian women’s freedom would come only through ending authoritarian rule “whether crowned or turbaned,” and she endorsed Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s plan for women’s rights and empowerment as part of a free Iran.

The full script of Carla Sands’ speech follows:

Madam Rajavi, distinguished guests, it’s a great pleasure to be here among you to discuss the situation of women in Iran. We have all heard and read about the subjugation of women under the theocratic regime. We are familiar with its discriminatory laws, its degrading treatment of women, and the deep institutionalized misogyny that defines the ruling dictatorship.

This regime is, in every sense of the word, a monster—a system whose record in every field is not just zero, but less than zero. Today, I want to focus on two issues: first, a false narrative or, at best, a misguided perception; and second, the achievements of Iranian women rather than only their suffering.

There is a persistent misperception that women had rights under the Shah and enjoyed equality. This claim is false. The Shah’s regime was a brutal dictatorship, ruling by torture, execution, censorship, and fear. That is why the Iranian people do not wish to return to a monarchy and why they see Reza Pahlavi as a continuation of that same legacy.

A dictatorship, by definition, cannot offer gender equality, and the Shah himself made this absolutely clear. Let me be specific, and I quote from Oriana Fallaci’s interview with the Shah on December 1, 1973, where he said: “In a man’s life, women only count if they’re beautiful and graceful and know how to stay feminine. I don’t want to seem rude,” he said. “You may be equal in the eyes of the law, but not, I beg your pardon for saying so, in actual ability.”

Fallaci responded with, “Aren’t we?”

“No,” he said, “you’ve never produced a Michelangelo or a Bach. You’ve never even produced a great cook. Have you ever lacked the opportunity in history to give a great cook? You’ve produced nothing great, nothing.” Then he added: “All I can say is that women, when they are in power, are much harsher than men. Much more cruel, much more bloodthirsty. You’re schemers, you’re evil, every one of you.”

He reconfirmed this same misogynistic view again in his interview with Barbara Walters in 1977, when she asked: “Do you think women are equal to men?” The Shah responded: “Well, there are cases, sure. But on the average, no. I repeat again, where have you produced a great scientist?”

Barbara Walters then asked, “Do you think your wife can govern as well as a man?” The Shah responded, “I prefer not to answer. I can’t say. The reaction that she might have eventually under crisis, these are unanswerable questions.”

What I just quoted are not interpretations. These are the Shah’s own words, recorded on camera for history. With this, the first point becomes clear.

Let me turn now to the second issue: not the oppression of Iranian women, but their remarkable achievements. Throughout their struggle for equality, Iranian women have reached a profound understanding: they cannot gain their rights under a misogynistic regime. Their personal liberation is inseparable from the liberation of the entire nation.

This realization transformed them from victims into leaders of the national Iranian Resistance movement. They have made enormous sacrifices: tens of thousands arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and executed.

Many gave up the possibility of a personal or family life for the sake of a higher cause: to end misogyny in Iran once and for all. This level of sacrifice is not only political; it is deeply moral. For more than three decades, women have led Iran’s principal resistance movement, the MEK.

This is not about a few exceptional women; this is an entire generation of women who rose to leadership, disproving everything the Shah once said about women’s supposed ability. Their achievements deserve special recognition today on International Women’s Day.

These women have shown courage that is not just a moment, but a lifelong commitment. They have demonstrated that leadership is not granted; it is earned through resilience, clarity of purpose, and moral conviction. They proved through action and sacrifice that Iranian women are the driving force in the struggle for a free Iran.

Mrs. Rajavi, I deeply admire your leadership. Iranian women have assumed responsibility for guiding a movement to freedom. You shattered old taboos about women’s participation in political leadership. You inspired women to join the Iranian Resistance in fighting the regime.

They learned from you and they transformed the motto “Iran, Resistance, Freedom” into a living thing. We have seen them in Ashraf. We saw their decisive presence in the 2022 uprising, and once again we witnessed their courage in the recent uprising in January of this year. These women are not waiting for history to change; they are changing history themselves under your leadership.

Yes, Iranian women will be free. But their freedom will not come from illusions about the past, nor through the return of any form of authoritarian rule, whether crowned or turbaned.

Their freedom will be achieved by ending this misogynistic regime and by establishing a free, secular, democratic republic—the very vision embodied in your Ten-Point Plan, Mrs. Rajavi, and further detailed in your comprehensive plan for the rights and empowerment of women.

A free Iran and gender equality are not a dream. They are a commitment and a promise shaped by courage, sacrifice, and the leadership of Iranian women—a force more powerful than any dictator, past or future.

Thank you.

Staff WriterFebruary 22, 2026
Arab-Islamic Committee in Defence of Ashraf
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