Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran


The Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran is a political alliance of political parties and advocacy groups, operating mostly underground or exiled, which campaigns for the replacement of the current Islamist government system in Iran with a secular, democratic, federal system. Many of the member groups are concurrent advocates for the rights or self-determination of non-Persian Iranians, including Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Baloch.
The CNFI does not have a formally designated single leader, though prominent figures such as Mustafa Hijri, leader of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, have played influential roles within the alliance. The CNFI emerged from a conference held in London on 20 February 2005. The alliance was formally co-founded by representatives of Kurdish, Azeri, Baloch, Turkmen, and Arab political groups.
Following its formation, the CNFI issued a foundational manifesto after a February 2005 summit. The manifesto outlined key principles such as:
It has also called for antipersonnel landmines to be banned in Iran.
The CNFI seeks to address Iran's multi-ethnic composition, in which Persians make up approximately 61% of the population, through decentralized governance. The organization argues that federalism is a solution to ethnic marginalization and unrest caused by centralized theocratic rule.
The alliance promotes federalism as a middle ground between authoritarian centralism and ethnic secession. However, critics within Iran have accused the CNFI of promoting separatism under the guise of federalism.
The Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran held a conference in Frankfurt, Germany in 2016.

Member organizations