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People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
please note:
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{{EngvarB|date=November 2020}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
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- {{nowrap|Camp Ashraf 3, Albania{edih} {{nowrap|{{small|(2018–)}}}}
- {{nowrap|Paris, France}} {{nowrap|{{small|(1981–1986; 2003–)}}}}
- {{nowrap|Camp Liberty, Iraq}} {{nowrap|{{small|(2012–2016)}}}}
- {{nowrap|Camp Ashraf, Iraq}} {{nowrap|{{small|(1986–2013)}}}}
- {{nowrap|Tehran, Iran}} {{nowrap|{{small|(1965–1981)}}}}
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History
Early years (1965–1971)
{{multiple image| width = 100| image1 = Hanif-nejad.jpg| alt1 = Mohammad Hanifnejad| image2 = Badie-zadegan.jpg| alt2 = Ali-Asghar Badizadegan| footer = Hanifnejad (left) and Badizadegan (right), two of the founders of the organization}}The Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) was founded in 1965 by a group of Tehran University students whose radical ideas focused on an armed rebellion against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom they considered corrupt, oppressive, and a puppet of the United States.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1982|p=489}}{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=2}} They considered the mainstream Liberation Movement too moderate and ineffective.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1982|p=489}} They aimed to establish a socialist state in Iran based on a modern and revolutionary interpretation of Islam,ENCYCLOPEDIA, Michael, Newton, Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia, 1, 2014, ABC-CLIO, 978-1-61069-286-1, 28, Bahonar, Mohammad-Javad (1933–1981), {{sfn|Clark|2016|p=66}}{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=1–2}} that originated from Islamic texts like Nahj al-Balagha and some of Ali Shariati’s works.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=81–126}}Maziar Behrooz, Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran, page vi MEK founders included Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, and Ali Asghar Badizadegan,{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=87}} and it attracted primarily young, well-educated Iranians.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=227-230}}While MEK publications were banned in Iran, in its first five years, the group primarily engaged in ideological work.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=88}} Despite their Marxist influence, the group never used the terms “socialist” or “communist” to describe themselves.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=81–126}}During the 1970s, the MEK carried out a series of attacks against the Iranian and Western targets{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=2}} and tried to kidnap the U.S. Ambassador to Iran Douglas MacArthur II in 1970.NEWS, Abedin, Mahan, Mojahedin-e-Khalq: Saddam’s Iranian Allies - Jamestown,jamestown.org/program/mojahedin-e-khalq-saddams-iranian-allies/, Jamestown, 11 September 2018, Some sources attribute the attempted kidnap to other groups.{{citation|last=Taheri|first=Amir|title=The Spirit of Allah: Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution|date=1986|publisher=Adler & Adler Pub|page=168|isbn=978-0-917561-04-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQYPAAAAMAAJ}}{{citation|last=Steele |first=Robert |title=The Shah’s Imperial Celebrations of 1971: Nationalism, Culture and Politics in Late Pahlavi Iran|date=2021|publisher=I.B. Tauris|page=118|quote=During this period the threat from militant organizations in Iran was high. An attack on a military outpost in the village of Siahkal, by a radical Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group named Fadaiyan-e Khalq (Martyrs for the Masses), on 8 February 1971, ushered in a new phase of opposition to the Shah’s regime. Moreover, and alarmingly for the security services, the group made it one of their principal objectives to disrupt the Celebrations. Around the time of the festivities, US Ambassador Douglas Macarthur was almost kidnapped by gunmen who ambushed his limousine, and a plan to kidnap the British ambassador, Peter Ramsbotham, was also uncovered. More attempted kidnappings prompted an increase in security, as the Dutch ambassador explained in a report in early October... SAVAK later claimed that sixty members of the Iranian Liberation Organization were charged with plotting to carry out kidnappings during the Celebrations.}}{{citation|last=Zanchetta|first=Barbara |title=The Transformation of American International Power in the 1970s|date=2013|page=254|publisher=Cambridge University Press}} By August 1971, the MEK’s Central Committee included Reza Rezai, Kazem Zolanvar, and Brahram Aram.{{sfn|Vahabzadeh|2010|p=168}} During August–September 1971, SAVAK managed to strike arrested and executed many members of MEK including its co-founders.ENCYCLOPEDIA, COMMUNISM iii. In Persia after 1953, Encyclopædia Iranica, 27 October 2011, 15 December 1992, Bibliotheca Persica Press, New York City,www.iranicaonline.org/articles/communism-iii, VI, ḤaqÅ¡enÄs, TorÄb, Yarshater, Ehsan, Ehsan Yarshater, 12 September 2016, Fasc. 1, 105–112, Some surviving members restructured the group by replacing the central cadre with a three-man central committee. Each of the three central committee members led a separate branch of the organization.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=136}} Two of the original central committee members were replaced in 1972 and 1973, and the replacing members were in charge of leading the organization until the internal purge of 1975.Schism (1971–1978)
{{See also|Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class}}{| class=“wikitable” style="text-align:center; margin-left:1em; float:right;”, 1976,books.google.com/books?id=KvgIAQAAIAAJ, Ten terrorists were sentenced to death... The condemned terrorists were Vahid Afrakhteh... The terroirsts were charged with the murders of Brigadier-general Reza Zandipur, United States Colonels Hawkins, Paul Shaffer and ack Turner, the U.S. Embassy’s translator Hassan Hossnan, WEB,2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2005/65275.htm, Chapter 8 -- Foreign Terrorist Organizations, U.S. Department of State, or Islamist branch of the MEK.
1979 Iranian Revolution and subsequent power struggles
By early 1979, the MEK had organized themselves and recreated armed cells, especially in Tehran and helped overthrow the Pahlavi regime.{{sfn|O’Hern|2012|pp=27-28}}In January 1979, Massoud Rajavi was released from prison and rebuilt the MEK together with other members that had been imprisoned.{{sfn|O’Hern|2012|pp=27-28}}{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=171-172}}The group supported the revolution in its initial phases,JOURNAL, Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle, Ali, Mohammadi, Post-Revolutionary Iranian Exiles: A Study in Impotence, Third World Quarterly, January 1987, 9, 1, 108–129, 3991849, 10.1080/01436598708419964, and became “a major force in Iranian politics” according to Ervand Abrahamian.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=1}} Although it soon entered into conflict with Khomeini,{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=171-172}} and became a leading opposition to the new theocratic regime.NEWS, Kingsley, Patrick, Highly Secretive Iranian Rebels Are Holed Up in Albania. They Gave Us a Tour.,www.nytimes.com/2020/02/16/world/europe/iran-mek-albania.html, The New York Times, 16 February 2020, Its candidate for the head of the newly founded council of experts was Massoud Rajavi in the referendum of August 1979. He was not elected.The MEK further launched an unsuccessful campaign supporting total abolition of Iran’s standing military, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, in order to prevent a coup d’état against the system. They also claimed credit for infiltration against the Nojeh coup plot.BOOK, Zabir, Sepehr, The Iranian military in revolution and war, 2011, Routledge, 125, 978-0-415-61785-7, The MEK was one of the supporters of the occupation of the American embassy in Tehran after the Iranian revolution although MEK has denied it.The MEK refused to participate in the December 1979 Iranian constitutional referendum organized by the Islamic Republican Party to ratify the Constitution drafted by the Assembly of Experts,{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=197}} arguing that the new constitution had failed in many aspects “most important of all, accept the concept of the ‘classless tawhidi society’”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=197}} Despite the opposition, the 3 December 1979 referendum vote approved the new constitution.{{sfn|O’Hern|2012|p=208}}{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=197}}Once the constitution had been ratified, the MEK proposed Rajavi as their presidential candidate. In his campaign, Rajavi promised to rectify the constitution’s shortcomings.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=197}}Electoral disenfranchisement and opposition activity (1980–1981)
As a result of the boycott, Khomeini subsequently refused to allow Massoud Rajavi and MEK members to run in the 1980 Iranian presidential election.BOOK, Presidential Elections in Iran: Islamic Idealism since the Revolution, 45, Cambridge University Press, 2012, Mahmoud Pargoo, {{sfn|Cohen|2009|p=15}} Khomeini declared that “those who had failed to endorse the Constitution could not be trusted to abide by that Constitution”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=198|ps=. “The Mojahedin also refused to participate in the referendum held in December to ratify the Constitution drafted by the Assembly of Experts [...] Once the Constitution had been ratified, the Mojahedin tried to field Rajavi as their presidential candidate [...] Khomeini promptly responded by barring Rajavi from the election by declaring that those who had failed to endorse the Constitution could not be trusted to abide by that Constitution.“}}And the MEK was also unable to win a single seat in the 1980 Iranian legislative election.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=206}} Instead, Rajavi allied with Iran’s new president, Abolhassan Banisadr, elected in January 1980,{{sfn|O’Hern|2012|pp=27-28}} and the group began clashing with the ruling Islamic Republican Party while avoiding direct and open criticism of Khomeini.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|p=250}} The MEK was in turn suppressed by Khomeini’s revolutionary organizations.BOOK, Bakhash, Saul, The reign of the ayatollahs, 1990, Basic Books, 978-0-465-06890-6, 123,books.google.com/books?id=b-7CAAAAIAAJ, 17 December 2014, On June 20, 1981, the MEK organized a demonstration against Khomeini with the aim of overthrowing the regime. Some 50 demonstrators were killed in the protests.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=206-207,219|ps=. “by the fateful day of 20 June, the Mojahedin - together with Bani-Sadr - were exhorting the masses to repeat their ‘heroic revolution of 1978-9’...The success of 1978-9 had not been duplicated. Having failed to bring down the regime, Bani-Sadr and Rajavi fled to Paris where they tried to minimize their defeat by claiming that the true intention of 20 June had not been so much to overthrow the whole regime.“}}The MEK responded by declaring war against the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran,{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=212}} and initiating a series of bombings and assassinations targeting the clerical leadership.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|p=250}}Hafte Tir bombing
This culminated in the Hafte Tir bombing on 28 June 1981, when the MEK was implicated in the bombing at the Islamic Republican Party headquartersBOOK, Colgan, Jeff, Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War, 2013, Cambridge University Press, 978-1-107-02967-5,books.google.com/books?id=enReCU97-zQC&pg=PA167, 19 July 2019, BOOK, Ismael, Jacqueline S., Ismael, Tareq Y., Perry, Glenn, Government and Politics of the Contemporary Middle East: Continuity and change, 2015, Routledge, 978-1-317-66283-9,books.google.com/books?id=7AKpCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA181, 19 July 2019, BOOK, Newton, Michael, Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes], 2014, ABC-CLIO, 978-1-61069-286-1,books.google.com/books?id=F4-dAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA27, 19 July 2019, {{sfn|O’Hern|2012|p=32}} which killed 74 party officials and other party members, including Mohammad Beheshti, the party’s secretary-general and Chief Justice of Iran, 4 cabinet ministers, 10 vice ministers and 27 members of the Parliament of Iran.BOOK, Hamid Reza, Qasemi, Eradicating Terrorism from the Middle East, Policy and Administrative Approaches, Chapter 12: Iran and Its Policy Against Terrorism, 17, Alexander R., Dawoody, 978-3-319-31018-3, 10.1007/978-3-319-31018-3, 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 201, {{citation|first1=Barry |last1=Rubin |author2=Judith Colp Rubin|title=Chronologies of Modern Terrorism|publisher=Routledge|year=2015|page=246}}Two days after the incident Ruhollah Khomeini accused the MEK.{{sfn|O’Hern|2012|p=32}} The MEK declared that this bombing was a “natural and necessary reaction to the regime’s atrocities”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=220}}According to Kenneth Katzman, there is much speculation among academics and observers about who carried out the bombing.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=101}} According to the United States Department of State, the bombing was carried out by the MEK.WEB, Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations,2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/10300.pdf, www.state.gov, 10 December 2018, However, the MEK never claimed responsibility for the attack.BOOK, Axworthy, Michael, Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic, 2016, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-046896-5,books.google.com/books?id=c0YSDAAAQBAJ&pg=PR4, 19 July 2019, 214, en, According to Ervand Abrahamian, Whatever the truth is, the Islamic Republic used this incident to fight the MEK.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=220}}Open conflict with the Islamic Republican Party
File:8shahrivar1360.jpg|thumb|Bomb debris after assassination of President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad BahonarMohammad-Javad Bahonar{{Further|1981 Iranian Prime Minister’s office bombing|List of people assassinated by the People’s Mujahedin of Iran}}In July 1981, the MEK then formed the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) with the stated goal of uniting the opposition to the Iranian government under one umbrella organization.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|pp=59-60}} Rajavi assumed the position of chairman of the organization.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|pp=13–14}}On 30 August 1981, they bombed the Prime Minister’s office, killing the elected President Rajai and Premier Mohammad Javad Bahonar. Iranian authorities announced that Massoud Keshmiri, an MEK member was probably responsible.{{Sfn|Moin|2001|pp=242–3}}{{citation|title=Iran’s rebels getting bolder day by day|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0915/091530.html|first=James|last=Dorsey|date=15 September 1981|work=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=1 June 2018}}NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=VPhLAAAAIBAJ&pg=976%2C5687157, Iran: Secret agent was bomber, 15 June 2017, Associated Press, The Spokesman-Review, 14 September 1981, BOOK, Hiro, Dilip, Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge Revivals), Routledge, 2013, 978-1-135-04381-0, The reaction to the Hafte Tir bombing and the bombing of the Prime Minister’s office was intense, with many arrests and executions of Mojahedin.{{Sfn|Moin|2001|p=243}} The MEK responded by targeting key Iranian official figures for assassination, as well as attacking low-ranking civil servants and members of the Revolutionary Guards, along with ordinary citizens who supported the new government.BOOK, Terrornomics, 2016, Routledge, Costigan, Sean S., Gold, David., 978-1-315-61214-0, London, 948605022, During the fall of 1981, the MEK was in charge of 65 percent of assassinations carried out in Iran{{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=253}}From 26 August 1981 to December 1982, the MEK orchestrated 336 attacks.{{Citation|first1=Hamid Reza|last1=Qasemi|title=Eradicating Terrorism from the Middle East|series=Policy and Administrative Approaches|chapter=Chapter 12: Iran and Its Policy Against Terrorism|volume=17|editor-first=Alexander R.|editor-last=Dawoody|isbn=978-3-319-31018-3|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-31018-3|year=2016|publisher=Springer International Publishing Switzerland|page=204}} Likewise, between June 1981 and April 1982, approximately 3500 MEK members were killed.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=253-254}} In July 1982, 13 IRGC members and Mohammad Sadoughiwere killed by MEK members.Exile and underground opposition activity (1982–1988)
In 1982, the Islamic Republic cracked down MEK operations within Iran.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|p=14}}On February 8 Mousa Khiabani, Rajavi’s deputy and the MEK’s field commander in Iran was killed following a three hour gunfight at a North Tehran safehouse.WEB, Singleton, Anne, 2003, Iran Chamber Society: History of Iran: Saddam’s Private Army: How Rajavi changed Iran’s Mojahedin from armed revolutionaries to armed cult,www.iranchamber.com/history/mojahedin_khalq/mojahedin_khalq_armed_cult07.php, 2024-01-13, Alongside him died his wife Azar Rezaei, Ashraf Rabiei, Rajavi’s first wife and six others. Rajavi’s son Mostafa survived and was later sent to Paris. ENCYCLOPEDIA, Mujahideen-e-Khalq Organization, Erica, Pearson, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Second Edition, Martin, G., 2011, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Sage Publications, 405–406, 978-1-4522-6638-1,books.google.com/books?id=ClN2AwAAQBAJ, {{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=253-254}} This event significantly consolidated Rajavi’s leadership position since like him, Khiabani was one of the few surviving initial members who had undertaken the organizations original ideological training. The majority of the MEK leadership and members fled to France, where it operated until 1985.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|pp=101–102}}The organization gained a new life in exile, and continuing to conduct violent attacks in Iran.{{sfn|Cohen|2009|p=23}}In 1983, the MEK started an alliance with Iraq following a meeting between Massoud Rajavi and Tariq Aziz.BOOK, Shaul, Shay, The Axis of Evil: Iran, Hizballah, and the Palestinian Terror, October 1994, Routledge,books.google.com/books?id=uLo6DwAAQBAJ&q=1983+Tariq+Aziz+massoud+rajavi&pg=PT239, 978-0765802552, In June 1986, France, then seeking to improve relations with Iran, expelled the MEK and the organization relocated to Iraq. MEK representatives contend that their organization had little alternative to moving to Iraq considering its aim of toppling the Iranian clerical government.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|pp=101–102}}From 1982 to 1988, despite the mounting casualties on both sides, the lingering underground presence of the MEK in Iran remained operational and went on to perform an average of sixty operations per week, resulting in assassinations of important Khomeini deputies.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=253-254}} The MEK came to be considered Iran’s “largest and most active Iranian exile organization”,NEWS, Cody, Edward, GOP leaders criticize Obama’s Iran policy in rally for opposition group,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/22/AR2010122205180.html?noredirect=on, The Washington Post, 23 December 2010, 13 February 2023, Con Coughlin Khomeini’s Ghost: The Iranian Revolution and the Rise of Militant Islam, Ecco Books 2010 p. 377 n. 21{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=1}} and its publications were commonly circulated within the Iranian diaspora.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|p=256}}Operations Shining sun, Forty Stars, and Mersad
{{Further|Iran–Iraq War|Operation Mersad|Operation Forty Stars}}File:Saddam and Rajavi.jpg|thumb|MEK leader Massoud Rajavi with Iraqi president Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinIn 1986, after French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac struck a deal with Tehran for the release of French hostages held prisoners by the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the MEK was forced to leave France and relocated to Iraq.{{citation |author1-link=Dominique Lorentz|last1=Lorentz |first1=Dominique |first2=Carr-Brown |last2=David |title=La République atomique |trans-title=The Atomic Republic |date=14 November 2001 |language=fr |publisher=Arte TV}}By 1987, most MEK leaders were based in Iraq, where the group remained until the 2003 US invasion. According to the US State Department, the MEK was mainly supported by Iraq during that period and was fighting on the Iraqi side in the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War.BOOK, Martin, Gus, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Second Edition, 15 June 2011, SAGE Publication, 405–406, 9781412980166,books.google.com/books?id=I_jh4VBi_HYC&q=pmoi&pg=PA405, In 1987 Masoud Rajavi declared the establishment of the “National Liberation Army of Iran” (NLA). Its objective was to serve as an infantry force that included different militant groups members of the NCRI. Through a broadcast on Baghdad radio, the MEK extended an invitation to all progressive-nationalist Iranian individuals to join the NLA in overthrowing the government of the Islamic Republic.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|pp=20}}On 27 March 1988, the NLA launched its first military offensive against the Islamic Republic’s armed forces. The NLA captured 600 square-kilometres of Islamic Republic territory and 508 soldiers from the Iranian 77th infantry division in Khuzestan Province.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|pp=22}} The operation was named “Shining Sun“{{sfn|Cohen|2018}} (or “Operation Bright Sun“){{sfn|Piazza|1994|pp=22}} in which according to Massoud Rajavi, 2000 Iranian soldiers were killed.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|pp=22}}Operation Forty Stars was launched on June 18, 1988. With 530 aircraft sorties and heavy use of nerve gas, they attacked to the Iranian forces in the area around Mehran, killing or wounding 3,500 and nearly destroying a Revolutionary Guard division. The forces captured the city and took positions in the heights near Mehran, coming close to wiping the whole Iranian Pasdaran division and taking most of its equipment.BOOK,csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/9005lessonsiraniraqii-chap10.pdf, Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Lessons of Modern War – Volume II: Iran–Iraq War, The Combination of Iraqi offensives and Western intervention force Iran to accept a cease-fire: September 1987 to March 1989, 29 October 2018, 7 June 2013,csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/9005lessonsiraniraqii-chap10.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20130607155707csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/9005lessonsiraniraqii-chap10.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20130607155707csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/9005lessonsiraniraqii-chap10.pdf, While some sources claim that Iraq participated in the operation,BOOK, The Iran-Iraq War, Pierre Razoux, Harvard University Press, 454, “On June 18 the Iraqi army launched an offensive against the Mehran salient on the central front, working in close coordination with Massoud Rajavi’s People’s Mujahidin.”, The MEK and Baghdad said Iraqi soldiers did not take part.{{harvnb|Piazza|1994}}: “On June 19, 1988, the NLA launched its offensive entitled Chehel Setareh or “40 Stars” in which twenty-two organized brigades of Mojahedin recaptured the city of Mehran, which the regime had wrested from Iraqi control after the Mojahedin had set up its “provisional government” there. The Mojahedin and claimed that absolutely no Iraqi soldiers participated in this operation, and Iraqi Culture and Information Minister, Latif Nusayyif Jasim, later denied that Iraq had deployed air units to help the NLA or had used chemical weapons to drive the Islamic Republic’s troops from Mehran.“MAGAZINE,content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,967851,00.html, The Gulf: Fraternal Drubbing, Time, 4 July 1988, Near the end of the Iran–Iraq War, a military force of 7,000 members of the MEK, armed and equipped by Saddam’s Iraq and calling itself the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA) was founded.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=3}} On 26 July 1988, six days after Ayatollah Khomeini had announced his acceptance of the UN-brokered ceasefire resolution, the NLA advanced under heavy Iraqi air cover, crossing the Iranian border from Iraq.BOOK, The Longest War: The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict, Dilip Hiro, Routledge, 246–7, “On 26 July the NLA, advancing under heavy Iraqi air cover, seized Karand and Islamabad-e Gharb on the Baghdad-Tehran highway.”, It seized the Iranian town of Islamabad-e Gharb. As it advanced further into Iran, Iraq ceased its air support and Iranian forces cut off NLA supply lines and counterattacked under cover of fighter planes and helicopter gunships. The MEK claims it lost 1,400 dead or missing and the Islamic Republic sustained 55,000 casualties. It claims to have killed 4,500 NLA during the operation.Hiro, Dilip, The Longest War (1999), pp. 246–247. The operation was called Foroughe Javidan (Eternal Light) by the MEK and the counterattack Operation Mersad by the Iranian forces.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=102}} Rajavi later stated that “the failure of Eternal Light was not a military blunder, but was instead rooted in the members’ thoughts for their spouses”.1988 execution of MEK prisoners
Following the MEK’s Operation Mersad against Iranian forces, thousands of imprisoned members of the MEK, along with members of other leftist opposition groups, were executed.NEWS, The Bloody Red Summer of 1988,www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/08/the-bloody-red-summer-of-1988.html, pbs, theguardian.com, BOOK, Sussan, Siavoshi,books.google.com/books?id=3tUoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA131, Montazeri: The Life and Thought of Iran’s Revolutionary Ayatollah, Cambridge University Press, 2017, 978-1-316-50946-3, 131, The Iranian government used the MEK’s failed invasion as a pretext for the mass execution of those “who remained steadfast in their support for the MEK” and other jailed opposition group members.WEB,www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE1394212018ENGLISH.PDF, Blood-soaked secrets with Iran’s 1998 Prison Massacres are ongoing crimes against humanity, 4 December 2018, 14 December 2018, On 19 July 1988, the authorities isolated major prisons, having its courts of law go on an unscheduled holiday to prevent relatives from inquiring about those imprisoned,BOOK, Ervand, Abrahamian, Tortured Confessions, University of California Press, 1999, 978-0-520-21866-6, 209–214, and as Ervand Abrahamian notes, “thus began an act of violence unprecedented in Iranian history”. Prisoners were asked if they were willing to denounce the MEK before cameras, help the IRI hunt down MEK members and name secret sympathizers. Those who gave unsatisfactory answers were promptly taken away and hanged. Human rights groups say that the number of those executed remains uncertain, but “thousands of political dissidents were systematically subjected to enforced disappearance in Iranian detention facilities across the country”, with those executed charged with “moharebeh” or “waging war on God”,NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/i-was-lucky-to-escape-with-my-life-the-massacre-of-iranian-political-prisoners-in-1988-must-now-be-8779679.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/i-was-lucky-to-escape-with-my-life-the-massacre-of-iranian-political-prisoners-in-1988-must-now-be-8779679.html, 25 May 2022, subscription, live, I was lucky to escape with my life. The massacre of Iranian political prisoners in 1988 must now be investigated, The Independent, and of “disclosing state secrets” and threatening national security”.Since the executions, Amnesty International has stated that “there has also been an ongoing campaign by the Islamic Republic to demonize victims, distort facts, and repress family survivors and human rights defenders.“WEB,www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/iran-top-government-officials-distorted-the-truth-about-1988-prison-massacres/, Iran: Top government officials distorted the truth about 1988 prison massacres, 12 December 2018, 14 December 2018, According to Professor Cheryl Bernard, the mass execution of political prisoners carried out by the Islamic Republic in 1981 caused the MEK to split into four groups: those that were arrested, imprisoned or executed, a group that went underground in Iran, another that left to Kurdistan and a final group that left to other countries abroad.BOOK, Bernard, Cheryl, Breaking the Stalemate: The Case for Engaging the Iranian Opposition, 2015, Basic Books, 978-0-692-39937-8, 109, By the end of 1981, the principal refuge for many exiled members of the MEK had become France.WEB, Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission,www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PC022006-PMOI-FINAL-JUDGMENT.pdf, Judicial Office UK, 9 March 2016,Post-war Saddam era (1988–2003)
{{See also|1991 uprisings in Iraq}}The Iranian government is believed to be concerned about MEK activities in Iran, and MEK supporters are a major target of Iran’s internal security apparatus abroad{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=4,104}}“Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security: A Profile.” A Report Prepared by the Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Washington, December 2012. pp. 26–28 weblink and it is said to be responsible for killing MEK members, Kazem Rajavi on 24 April 1990 and Mohammad-Hossein Naghdi, a NCRI representative on 6 March 1993.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=4,104}}In 1991 “In a sign of the group’s appreciation for Saddam’s generous hospitality and largesse”, MEK assisted the Iraqi Republican Guard in suppressing nationwide uprisings of Shias, Kurds and Turkmens against Baathist regime.WEB,www.cia.gov/library/abbottabad-compound/C3/C3091956B72C68A59DB7F7B666071904_TM_006_011.pdf, Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown Foundation, VI, 11, 29 May 2008, In April 1992, the MEK attacked 10 Iranian embassies including the Iranian Mission to the United Nations in New York using different weapons, taking hostages, and injuring Iranian ambassadors and embassy employees. There were dozens of arrests.BOOK, Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups, 212, Greenwood, 2004, Stephen E., Atkins, 978-0-313-32485-7,archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmo0000atki/page/212, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1992/04/06/world/iran-rebels-hit-missions-in-10-nations.html, Iran Rebels Hit Missions in 10 Nations, Mcfadden, Robert D., 6 April 1992, The New York Times, According to MEK representatives, the attacks were a way to protest the bombing of a MEK military base where several people had been killed and wounded.in June 1998 FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that he received “anonymous threats of disruption from Iranian exiles” for the 1998 FIFA World Cup match between Iran and the U.S. football teams at Stade de Gerland.WEB, France: USA v Iran World Cup Match Becomes a Political Hotcake,www.aparchive.com/metadata/FRANCE-USA-V-IRAN-WORLD-CUP-MATCH-BECOMES-A-POLITICAL-HOTCAKE/3d5f69fa07befcdd9bc55ea88be85333?, 21 June 1998, 1 June 2018, The Associated Press, The MEK bought some 7,000 out of 42,000 tickets for the match between, in order to promote themselves with the political banners they smuggled. When the initial plan foiled with TV cameras of FIFA avoiding filming them, intelligence sources had been tipped off about a pitch invasion. To prevent an interruption in the match, extra security entered Stade Gerland.WEB, USA vs Iran at France ‘98: the most politically charged game in World Cup history,www.fourfourtwo.com/features/usa-vs-iran-france-98-most-politically-charged-game-world-cup-history#87L720H0abh8pzPj.99, 6 June 2014, 1 June 2018, FourFourTwo, Neil, Billingham, In 1999, after a 2 1â„2-year investigation, Federal authorities arrested 29 individuals in Operation Eastern Approach,{{citation|title=29 arrested in immigration fraud ring|url=http://edition.cnn.com/US/9903/16/immigration.fraud/index.html|date=16 March 1999|work=CNN|access-date=5 August 2018}} of whom 15 were held on charges of helping MEK members illegally enter the United States.NEWS, 15 Held on Charges of Helping Alleged Terrorists Enter U.S., David, Rosenzweig,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-17-me-18221-story.html, 17 March 1999, Los Angeles Times, The ringleader was pleaded guilty to providing phony documents to MEK members and violation of Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.NEWS, Man Convicted of Assisting Terrorist Group, David, Rosenzweig,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-27-me-26632-story.html, 27 October 1999, Los Angeles Times, {{citation|title=Californian pleads guilty to aiding Irani terrorist group|url=http://edition.cnn.com/US/9910/27/fraud.ring/index.html|date=27 October 1999|work=CNN|access-date=5 August 2018}}In 2002 the NCRI publicly called or the formation of a National Solidarity Front to help overthrow Islamic Republic of Iran.WEB, Making Sense of The MeK,nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/making-sense-mek-65496, National Interest, Ilan, Berman, 5 July 2019,2003 French arrests
In June 2003, French police raided the MEK’s properties, including its base in Auvers-sur-Oise, under the orders of anti-terrorist magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière, after suspicions that it was trying to shift its base of operations there. 160 suspected MEK members were then arrested, including Maryam Rajavi and her brother Saleh Rajavi.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2996132.stm, Paris police target Iranian groups, 17 June 2003, 18 December 2018, After questioning, most of those detained were released, but 24 members, including Maryam Rajavi, were kept in detention.NEWS, France drops charges against Iran opposition group, Fox News,www.foxnews.com/world/france-drops-charges-against-iran-opposition-group, In response, 40 supporters began hunger strikes to protest the arrests, and 10 members including Neda Hassani, immolated themselves in various European capitals by lighting themselves on fire in front of French embassies, following orders from MEK. French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy declared that the MEK “recently wanted to make France its support base, notably after the intervention in Iraq”, while Pierre de Bousquet de Florian, head of France’s domestic intelligence service, claimed that the group was “transforming its Val d’Oise centre [near Paris] [...] into an international terrorist base”.NEWS, France investigates Iran exiles, BBC News, 22 June 2003,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3010422.stm, 3 January 2010, Police found $1.3 million in 0 bills in cash in their offices.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2003/06/18/world/french-arrest-150-from-iranian-opposition-group.html, French Arrest 150 From Iranian Opposition Group, Sciolino, Elaine, 18 June 2003, The New York Times, 4 August 2018, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas and chairman of the Foreign Relations subcommittee on South Asia, then accused the French of doing “the Iranian government’s dirty work”. Along with other members of Congress, he wrote a letter of protest to President Jacques Chirac, while longtime MEK supporters such as Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, criticized Maryam Radjavi’s arrest.A court later found that there were no grounds for terrorism or terrorism-related finance charges.NEWS, France Will Drop Charges Against Iranian Dissidents, NY Times, 12 May 2011,www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/world/europe/13iht-iran13.html, In 2014, prosecuting judges also dropped all charges of money laundering and fraud.NEWS, France drops case against Iranian dissidents after 11-year probe, Reuters, 17 September 2014,www.reuters.com/article/us-france-iran-ncri/france-drops-case-against-iranian-dissidents-after-11-year-probe-idUSKBN0HC1OR20140917,Post-U.S. invasion of Iraq (2003–2016)
(File:Ashraf2.JPG|thumb|Entrance Gate of Ashraf City when populated by PMOI exilees)In May 2003, during the Iraq War, the Coalition forces bombed MEK bases and forced them to surrender.BOOK, The A to Z of Middle Eastern Intelligence,archive.org/details/tozmiddleeastern00kaha, limited, 978-0-8108-7070-3, Ephraim, Kahana, Muhammad, Suwaed, 2009, Scarecrow Press, 208, This resulted in at least 50 deaths.{{efn|It was later revealed that the U.S. bombings were part of an agreement between the Iranian government and Washington.BOOK, Spencer, Robert, The Complete Infidel’s Guide to Iran, 2016, Simon and Schuster, 978-1-62157-530-6,books.google.com/books?id=W4q0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT242, }} The US forces disarmed Camp Ashraf residents.In the operation, the U.S. reportedly captured 6,000 MEK soldiers and over 2,000 pieces of military equipment, including 19 British-made Chieftain tanks.NEWS, Armed Iranian exiles surrender; 6,000-member unit accepts U.S. terms, John, Sullivan, Knight Ridder, The Record, Bergen County, NJ, 11 May 2003, A.17, NEWS, US DoD, news briefing, M2 Presswire, Coventry, 19 June 2003, 1, Following the occupation the U.S. did not hand over MEK fighters to Iran.NEWS, Graff, James, Iran’s Armed Opposition Wins a Battle — In Court,content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1569788,00.html, Time, December 14, 2006, {{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|pp=xiv, 17}}The group’s core members were for many years effectively confined to Camp Ashraf,BOOK, People’s Mojahedin Of Iran- Mission Report, L’Harmattan, September 2005, 978-2-7475-9381-6, 12,archive.org/details/peoplesmojahedin0000brie/page/12, before later being relocated to a former U.S. military base, Camp Liberty, in Iraq.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/world/middleeast/iranian-opposition-group-mek-wins-removal-from-us-terrorist-list.html, The New York Times, Scott, Shane, Iranian Dissidents Convince U.S. to Drop Terror Label, 21 September 2012, Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney argued that the MEK should be used against Iran.NEWS, Merat, Arron, Terrorists, cultists – or champions of Iranian democracy? The wild wild story of the MEK,www.theguardian.com/news/2018/nov/09/mek-iran-revolution-regime-trump-rajavi, 9 February 2019, The Guardian, 9 November 2018, {{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|pp=xiv, 17}}They were then placed under the guard of the U.S. Military. Defectors from the MEK requested assistance from the Coalition forces, who created a “temporary internment and protection facility” for them.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=5}} In the first year these numbered “several hundred”, mainly Iranian soldiers captured in the Iran-Iraq war and other Iranians lured to the MEK.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=47}} In all, during the period of US control, nearly 600 members of the MEK defected.JOURNAL, de Boer, T., Zieck, M., 2014, From internment to resettlement of refugees: on US obligations towards MEK defectors in Iraq,dare.uva.nl/search?identifier=dfdae841-88ed-4c31-af6b-cfef836ec3ca, Melbourne Journal of International Law, 15, 1, 3, In June 2004, Donald Rumsfeld designated the MeK as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|pp=5, 41}} and signed a formal ceasefire agreement.Since 2009, when the Iraqi government became openly hostile to MEK, the U.S. led efforts to get the group’s members out of Iraq.NEWS, Harb, Ali, How Iranian MEK went from US terror list to halls of Congress,www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/Iranian-MEK-US-terror-list-halls-congress-PMOI-Iran, Middle East Eye, 17 July 2019, At the same time the MEK paid Western political influencers to lobby for its removal from the list of designated terrorist organizations.NEWS, For Obscure Iranian Exile Group, Broad Support in U.S., The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/us/politics/lobbying-support-for-iranian-exile-group-crosses-party-lines.html, New York Times, Nov 27, 2011, Shane, Scott, NEWS, Milani, Abbas, The Inside Story of America’s Favorite Terrorist Group,nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-inside-story-americas-favorite-terrorist-group-5776, National Interest, August 18, 2011, NEWS, John Bolton support for Iranian opposition spooks Tehran,www.ft.com/content/c6ace172-33f2-11e8-a3ae-fd3fd4564aa6, Financial Times, 2018, After it was no longer designated as a terrorist group, the US was able to convince Albania to accept the remaining 2,700 members who were brought to Tirana between 2014 and 2016.WEB, ALGHURABI, REZA, Terrorism and Corruption: Albania’s Issues with EU Accession,ahtribune.com/world/europe/3315-albania-eu-accession.html, July 17, 2019, 5 December 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191205195554/https://ahtribune.com/world/europe/3315-albania-eu-accession.html, dead, NEWS, Dehghan, Saeed Kamali, Who is the Iranian group targeted by bombers and beloved of Trump allies?,www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/02/iran-mek-cult-terrorist-trump-allies-john-bolton-rudy-giuliani, The Guardian, 2 Jul 2018, NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-iran-idUSKCN11F2DB, Iranian opposition group in Iraq resettled to Albania, 9 September 2016, Reuters, Separate to events in Iraq, the organization launched a free-to-air satellite television network named Vision of Freedom (Sima-ye-Azadi) in England in 2003.BOOK, Mehdi, Semati, Media, Culture and Society in Iran: Living with Globalization and the Islamic State, 5, Iranian Studies, 99–100, Routledge, 2007, 978-1-135-98156-3, It previously operated Vision of Resistance analogue television in Iraq in the 1990s, accessible in western provinces of Iran.NEWS, Summary of World Broadcasts (SWB): Part 4: The Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, E-1, British Broadcasting Corporation. Monitoring Service, 1993, They also had a radio station, Radio Iran Zamin, that was closed down in June 1998.{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|pp=8–9, 12, 14}}In 2006, an EU freeze on the group’s funds was overturned by the European Court of First Instance.NEWS, Kroeger, Alex,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6172481.stm, EU unfreezes Iran group’s funds, BBC, 12 December 2006, 5 January 2013, In 2010 and 2011 Ali SaremiWEB,www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-hangs-man-accused-of-passing-military-secrets-to-israel-2171103.html, Iran hangs man accused of passing military secrets to Israel, The Independent, 29 December 2010, en, 2019-05-21, NEWS,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-dec-29-la-fg-iran-hangings-20101229-story.html, Iran hangs man accused of passing military secrets to Israel, Los Angeles Times, en, WEB,www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/12/grand-ayatollah-challenges-regime-report-7-al-qaeda-arrested.html, Grand Ayatollah Challenges Regime; Report: 7 al-Qaeda Arrested, PBS, en, 2019-05-21, ,Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei and Jafar Kazemi were executed by the Iranian government for co-operating with the MEK.WEB,www.iranhumanrights.org/2011/01/two-post-elections-political-prisoners-hanged/, Two Political Prisoners Arrested After Elections Executed, 2011-01-24, Center for Human Rights in Iran, 2019-06-08, WEB,www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/01/201112514128271328.html, Iran hangs two activists, www.aljazeera.com, 2019-06-08,Iraqi government’s crackdown (2009–2012)
{{See also|2011 Camp Ashraf raid|2013 Camp Ashraf attack}}In 2009 American troops gave the Iraqi government responsibility of the MEK. Iraqi authorities, which were sympathetic to Iran, allowed Iran-linked militias to attack the MEK. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that the militant group would not be allowed to base its operations from Iraqi soil.NEWS, Abigail, Hauslohner, Iranian Resistance Group a Source of Contention in Iraq, Time Magazine, 5 January 2008,www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869532,00.html,www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869532,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090203081928www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869532,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090203081928www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869532,00.html, 3 February 2009, 5 January 2008, On 23 January 2009, while on a visit to Tehran, Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie reiterated the Iraqi Prime Minister’s earlier announcement that the MEK organization would no longer be able to base itself on Iraqi soil and stated that the members of the organization would have to make a choice, either to go back to Iran or to go to a third country, adding that these measures would be implemented over the next two months.WEB, Al-Jazeera,www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/09F45E44-4EA9-41F5-9190-BE6B6CE7B7C5.htm, ar:العراق يقرر طرد أعضاء مجاهدي خلق من أراضيه, Iraq Decides to Expel MEK Members from its Territory, 24 January 2009, 7 December 2011, ar, 9 March 2009,aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/09F45E44-4EA9-41F5-9190-BE6B6CE7B7C5.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090309211656aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/09F45E44-4EA9-41F5-9190-BE6B6CE7B7C5.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20090309211656aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/09F45E44-4EA9-41F5-9190-BE6B6CE7B7C5.htm, On 28 July 2009, Iraqi security forces raided MEK headquarters at Camp Ashraf. MEK claimed 11 dead and 400 injured in clashes while the Iraqi government claimed 30 policemen injured.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/idUSLT71696, Iraq denies Iran exile killings, exiles show images, Reuters, 29 July 2009, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/world/middleeast/30iraq.html, Clashes at Iranian Exile Camp in Iraq, The New York Times, 29 July 2009, Timothy, Williams, U.S. officials had long opposed a violent takeover of the camp northeast of Baghdad, and the raid is thought to symbolize the declining American influence in Iraq.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072901005.html, Iraq Raids Camp of Exiles From Iran, Ernesto, Londoño, Greg, Jaffe, The Washington Post, 29 July 2009, 7 December 2011, After the raid, the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, stated the issue was “completely within [the Iraqi government’s] purview”.NEWS,content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1913399,00.html,web.archive.org/web/20230522170543/https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1913399,00.html, 22 May 2023, live, Iraq Cracks Down on Iranian Exiles at Camp Ashraf, Time, Rania, Abouzeid, 29 July 2009, In the course of attack, 36 Iranian dissidents were arrested and removed from the camp to a prison in a town named Khalis, where the arrestees went on hunger strike for 72 days. Finally, the dissidents were released when they were in an extremely critical condition and on the verge of death.WEB,www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2009/08/25/PMOI-on-hunger-strike/UPI-38171251234356/, PMOI on hunger strike, UPI, 25 August 2009, 29 September 2012, In January 2010, Iranian authorities charged five MEK protesters of “rioting and arson” under the crime of moharebeh, an offence reserved for those who “take up arms against the state” and carries the death penalty.WEB,www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2010/01/ashoura-protesters-risk-execution-iran-20100108/, Ashoura Protesters Risk Execution in Iran, 8 January 2010, 27 June 2018, In July 2010, the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal issued an arrest warrant for 39 MEK members, including Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq. The MEK denied the charges.NEWS, Muhanad, Mohammed, Rania El Gamal, David, Stamp,www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE66A0A0, Iraqi court seeks arrest of Iranian exiles, 11 July 2010, 28 December 2016, Reuters, In 2012, the MEK moved from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya in Baghdad (a onetime U.S. base formerly known as Camp Liberty). A rocket and mortar attack killed 5 and injured 50 others at Camp Hurriya on 9 February 2013. MEK residents of the facility and their representatives appealed to the UN Secretary-General and U.S. officials to let them return to Ashraf, which they said has concrete buildings and shelters that offer more protection. The United States has been working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on the resettlement project.NEWS,edition.cnn.com/2013/02/09/world/meast/iraq-camp-attack/?hpt=hp_t3, Attack kills 5 at Iranian exile camp in Iraq, CNN, 9 February 2013,Iran’s nuclear programme
{{See also|Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists}}The MEK and the NCRI revealed the existence of Iran’s nuclear program in a press conference held on 14 August 2002 in Washington, D.C. MEK representative Alireza Jafarzadeh stated that Iran is running two top-secret projects, one in the city of Natanz and another in a facility located in Arak, which was later confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.WEB, Porter, Gareth, Gareth Porter, The Iran Nuclear “Alleged Studies” Documents: The Evidence of Fraud,www.mepc.org/iran-nuclear-alleged-studies-documents-evidence-fraud, mepc.org, {{sfn|Fayazmanesh|2008|pp=120-123}}Journalists Seymour Hersh and Connie Bruck have written that the information was given to the MEK by Israel.NEWS, Porter, Gareth, Gareth Porter, Guess who credits the Mossad with producing the ‘laptop documents?’,www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/guess-who-credits-mossad-producing-laptop-documents, Middle East Eye (MEE), 2015, Among others, it was described by a senior IAEA official and a monarchist advisor to Reza Pahlavi, who said before MEK they were offered to reveal the information, but they refused because it would be seen negatively by the people of Iran.BOOK, Seymour, Hersh, Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, HarperCollins, 2004, 978-0-06-019591-5, 349,archive.org/details/chainofcommandroher00hers/page/349, MAGAZINE,www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/03/06/exiles-6, Exiles: How Iran’s Expatriates are Gaming the Nuclear Threat, The New Yorker, Connie, Bruck, 6 March 2006, 48, Similar accounts could be found elsewhere by others, including comments made by US officials.{{sfn|Fayazmanesh|2008|pp=120-123}}On 18 November 2004, MEK representative Mohammad Mohaddessin used satellite images to state that a new facility existed in northeast Tehran named “Center for the Development of Advanced Defence Technology”. This allegation by MEK and all their subsequent allegations were false.{{sfn|Fayazmanesh|2008|pp=120-123}}In 2010 the NCRI claimed to have uncovered a secret nuclear facility in Iran. These claims were dismissed by U.S. officials, who did not believe the facilities to be nuclear. In 2013, the NCRI again claimed to have discovered a secret underground nuclear site.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-nuclear-iran-exiles-idUSBRE96A0KZ20130711, Exiled dissidents claim Iran building new nuclear site | Reuters, Nicholas, Vinocur, Fredrik, Dahl, reuters.com, 7 February 2015, Reuters, 11 July 2013, In 2012, NBC News’ Richard Engel and Robert Windrem published a report quoting U.S. officials, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity, that the MEK was being “financed, trained, and armed by Israel’s secret service” to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientists.WEB, Marizad, Mehdi, Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran’s nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News,rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news, nbcnews, 9 February 2012, 29 November 2014,rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news," title="web.archive.org/web/20141129020537rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news,">web.archive.org/web/20141129020537rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news, NEWS, Israel’s Mossad Trained Assassins of Iran Nuclear Scientists, Report Says,www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-s-mossad-trained-assassins-of-iran-nuclear-scientists-report-says-1.411945, 18 November 2015, Haaretz, 9 February 2012, A senior U.S. State Department official said the Department never claimed that the MEK was involved in the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists.WEB,2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/09/198470.htm, Background Briefing on an Announcement Regarding the Mujahedin-e Khalq, U.S. Department of State, Former CIA case officer in the Middle East, Robert Baer said that the perpetrators “could only be Israel”, and that “it is quite likely Israel is acting in tandem with” the MEK.NEWS, Borger, Julian, 2012-01-12, Who is responsible for the Iran nuclear scientists attacks?, en-GB, The Guardian,www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/12/iran-nuclear-scientists-attacks, 2020-07-12, 0261-3077, On 27 November 2020, Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated. Iranian Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, who heads the Supreme National Security Council, blamed Mujahideen-e-Khalq and Israel.NEWS, 30 November 2020, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: Iran scientist ‘killed by remote-controlled weapon’,www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55128970, BBC, 30 November 2020,Settlement in Albania (2016–present)
In 2016, the United States brokered a deal to relocate the MEK to Albania. About 3,000 members moved to Albania, and the U.S. donated $20 million to the U.N. refugee agency to help them resettle.{{citation|first=Pamela|last=Dockins|title=US Praises Albania for MEK Resettlement|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-albania/3190311.html|work=VOA|date=14 February 2016|access-date=27 April 2018}} On 9 September 2016, more than 280 remaining MEK members were relocated to Albania. Camp Ashraf 3 is located in Manëz, Durrës County, where they have been protested by the locals.{{citation|title=Durrës locals protest MEK members’ burial in local cemetery|url=http://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=137041|work=Tirana Times|date=9 May 2018|access-date=15 June 2018}}Relationship during Trump presidency
In 2017, the year before John Bolton became President Trump’s National Security Adviser, Bolton addressed members of the MEK and said that they would celebrate in Tehran before 2019.{{citation|first=Robert|last=Mackey|title=Here’s John Bolton Promising Regime Change in Iran by the End of 2018|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/03/23/heres-john-bolton-promising-regime-change-iran-end-2018/|work=The Intercept|date=23 March 2018|access-date=27 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424141049theintercept.com/2018/03/23/heres-john-bolton-promising-regime-change-iran-end-2018/|archive-date=24 April 2018}} By 2018, operatives of the MEK were believed to be still conducting covert operations inside Iran to overthrow Iran’s government.WEB, The MEK’s man inside the White House,www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/the-mek-s-man-inside-the-white-house-1242310723567?playlist=associated, On Assignment with Richard Engel, MSNBC, 25 May 2018, 26 May 2018, Richard, Engel, It also maintained some operations in France, and in January 2018, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani phoned French president Emmanuel Macron, asking him to order kicking the MEK out of its base in Auvers-sur-Oise, alleging that the MEK stirred up the 2017–18 Iranian protests.WEB,www.timesofisrael.com/rouhani-calls-on-macron-to-act-over-anti-iran-terrorists-in-france, Rouhani calls on Macron to act over anti-Iran ‘terrorists’ in France, The Times of Israel, live,web.archive.org/web/20180102215915/https://www.timesofisrael.com/rouhani-calls-on-macron-to-act-over-anti-iran-terrorists-in-france/, 2 January 2018, By 2018, over 4,000 MEK members had entered Albania, according to the INSTAT data.NEWS, Deri më tani në Shqipëri kanë ardhur 4000 muxhahedinë,telegraf.al/kronike/deri-me-tani-ne-shqiperi-kane-ardhur-4000-muxhahedine/, 28 March 2019, Gazeta Telegraf, 24 August 2018, sq, On 30 June 2018, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, lectured an MEK gathering in Paris, calling for regime change in Tehran. John McCain and John Bolton have met the MEK’s leader Maryam Rajavi or spoken at its rallies.{{citation |author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan |title=Iranian prisoners allegedly forced to run gauntlet of armed guards |date=22 April 2014 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2014/apr/22/iranian-prison-guards-beat-up-inmates-letter-says |work=The Guardian |access-date= |quote=The MEK, which is based in Paris, remains unpopular in Iran because of its support for the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq war.}}NEWS, Arron, Merat, Julian, Borger,www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/30/rudy-giuliani-mek-iran-paris-rally, Rudy Giuliani calls for Iran regime change at rally linked to extreme group, The Guardian, 30 June 2018, 30 June 2018, Most observers of Iranian politics say the MeK has minimal support in Iran and is widely hated for its use of violence and close links to Israeli intelligence., (File:John_Bolton_speaking_at_the_PMOI_event.jpg|thumb|John Bolton speaking at a MEK event)During the Free Iran 2019 conference in Albania, Rudy Giuliani attended an MEK podium, where the former New York City mayor described the group as a “government-in-exile”, saying it is a ready-to-go alternative to lead the country if the Iranian government falls. Additionally, the Trump administration said it would not rule out the MEK as a viable replacement for the current Iranian regime.WEB,www.newsweek.com/2019/09/06/iran-regime-fall-opposition-groups-mek-1456420.html, As Iran’s opposition groups prepare for the regime’s collapse, who else is ready?, Jonathan Broder On 08/27/19 at 5:08 PM, EDT, 27 August 2019, Newsweek,Islamic Republic of Iran operations against MEK inside Europe
{{See also|Iranian diplomat terror plot trial|Iran and state-sponsored terrorism|Albania–Iran relations}}On 30 June 2018 Belgian police arrested married couple of Iranian heritage Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Naami on charges of “attempted terrorist murder and preparing a terrorist act” against an MEK rally in France. The couple had in their possession half of a kilogram of TATP explosives and a detonator. Police also detained Asadollah Asadi, an Iranian diplomat in Vienna. German prosecutors charged Asadi with “activity as foreign agent and conspiracy to commit murder by contacting the couple and giving them a device containing 500 grams of TATP”. Prosecutors said Asadi was a member of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security service, an organization that focuses on “combating of opposition groups inside and outside of Iran”.BOOK, Terrorism Worldwide, 2018, 49, McFarland, 2019, Steven, O’Hern, 978-1-4766-7940-2,books.google.com/books?id=3ICJDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49, NEWS,www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2020/10/10/l-attentat-manque-de-villepinte-en-2018-a-ete-concu-par-l-iran-conclut-une-enquete-belge_6055519_3210.html, L’attentat manqué de Villepinte en 2018 a été ” conçu par l’Iran ”, conclut une enquête belge, LeMonde, 10 October 2020, NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/iran-plot-france-int-idUSKBN26U28NIdeology
Before the revolution
According to Katzman, the MEK’s early ideology is a matter of dispute. While scholars generally describe the MEK’s ideology as an attempt to combine “Islam with revolutionary Marxism”, today the organization claims that it has always emphasized Islam, and that Marxism and Islam are incompatible. Katzman writes that their ideology “espoused the creation of a classless society that would combat world imperialism, international Zionism, colonialism, exploitation, racism, and multinational corporations”.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=99}} The MEK’s ideological foundation was developed during the period of the Iran revolution. According to its official history, the MEK first defined itself as a group that wanted to establish a nationalist, democratic, revolutionary Muslim organization in favour of change in Iran.JOURNAL, Garduño, Moises, 2016, La articulación de intereses de los MoyÄhedÄ«n-e Jalq-e Iran: De la Revolución islámica al Movimiento Verde, Estudios de Asia y Ãfrica, 51, 1, 105–135, 10.24201/eaa.v51i1.2184, free,www.redalyc.org/pdf/586/58644850004.pdf, Historian Ervand Abrahamian observed that the MEK were “consciously influenced by Marxism, both modern and classical”, but they always denied being Marxists because they were aware that the term was colloquial to ‘atheistic materialism’ among Iran’s general public. The Iranian regime for the same reason was “eager to pin on the Mojahedin the labels of Islamic-Marxists and Marxist-Muslims”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=100–101}}According to Abrahamian, it was the first Iranian organization to develop systematically a modern revolutionary interpretation of Islam that “differed sharply from both the old conservative Islam of the traditional clergy and the new populist version formulated in the 1970s by Ayatollah Khomeini and his disciples”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=1}} Abrahamian said that the MEK’s early ideology constituted a “combination of Muslim themes; Shii notions of martyrdom; classical Marxist theories of class struggle and historical determinism; and neo-Marxist concepts of armed struggle, guerilla warfare and revolutionary heroism”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=100}} According to James Piazza, the MEK worked towards the creation by armed popular struggle of a society in which ethnic, gender, or class discrimination would be obliterated.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|p=11}}Nasser Sadegh told military tribunals that although the MEK respected Marxism as a “progressive method of social analysis, they could not accept materialism, which was contrary to their Islamic ideology”. The MEK eventually had a falling out with Marxist groups. According to Sepehr Zabir, “they soon became Enemy No. 1 of both pro-Soviet Marxist groups, the Tudeh and the Majority Fedayeen.“The MEK’s ideology of revolutionary Shi’ism is based on an interpretation of Islam so similar to that of Ali Shariati that “many concluded” they were inspired by him. According to Ervand Abrahamian, it is clear that “in later years” that Shariati and “his prolific works” had “indirectly helped the Mujahedin”.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1982|p=490}}In the group’s “first major ideological work”, Nahzat-i Husseini or Hussein’s Movement, authored by one of the group’s founders, Ahmad Reza’i, it was argued that Nezam-i Towhid (monotheistic order) sought by the prophet Muhammad, was a commonwealth fully united not only in its worship of one God but in a classless society that strives for the common good. “Shiism, particularly Hussein’s historic act of martyrdom and resistance, has both a revolutionary message and a special place in our popular culture.“{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1982|p=491}}As described by Abrahamian, one Mojahedin ideologist argued:Reza’i further argued that the banner of revolt raised by the Shi’i Imams, especially Ali, Hassan, and Hussein, was aimed against feudal landlords and exploiting merchant capitalists as well as against usurping Caliphs who betrayed the Nezam-i-Towhid. For Reza’i and the Mujahidin it was the duty of all Muslims to continue this struggle to create a ‘classless society’ and destroy all forms of capitalism, despotism, and imperialism. The Mojahedin summed up their attitude towards religion in these words: ‘After years of extensive study into Islamic history and Shi’i ideology, our organization has reached the firm conclusion that Islam, especially Shi’ism, will play a major role in inspiring the masses to join the revolution. It will do so because Shi’ism, particularly Hussein’s historic act of resistance, has both a revolutionary message and a special place in our popular culture.{{sfn|Keddie|2006|pp=220-221}}After the revolution
File:Gathering 3.jpg|thumb|MEK demonstrators carrying Lion and SunLion and SunMassoud Rajavi supported the idea that the Shiite religion as compatible with pluralistic democracy.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=253-254}} In 1981, after signing the “covenant of freedom and independence” with Banisadr, and establishing NCRI Massoud Rajavi made an announcement to the foreign press about the MEK’s ideology saying that “First we want freedom for all political parties. We reject both political prisoners and political executions. In the true spirit of Islam, we advocate freedom, fraternity, and an end to all repression, censorship, and injustices.“{{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=252-254}} They appealed to all opposition groups to join NCRI, but failed to attract any except for the Kurdish Democratic Party. The failure is mainly associated to MEK’s religious ideology.{{sfn|Zabih|1988|pp=252-254}} The covenant also proposed the protection of Iranian minorities, “especially the Kurdish minority”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=243-244}}In 2001, Kenneth Katzman wrote that the MEK had “tried to show itself as worthy of U.S. support on the basis of its commitment to values compatible with those of the United States – democracy, free market economics, protection of the rights of women and minorities, and peaceful relations with Iran’s neighbors”, but some analysts dispute that they are genuinely committed to what they state.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=99, 107}}{{Failed verification|date=May 2023}} According to Department of State’s October 1994 report, the MEK used violence in its campaign to overthrow the Iranian regime.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=107}} A 2009 U.S. Department of State report stated that their ideology was a blend of Marxism, Islamism and feminism.{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|p=170}}The MEK says it is seeking regime change in Iran through peaceful means with an aim to replace the clerical rule in Iran with a secular government.NEWS, Iran condemns US for ‘double standards’ over MEK terror de-listing,www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/29/iran-condemns-us-mek-terror-delisting, The Guardian, It also claims to have disassociated itself from its former revolutionary ideology in favor of liberal democratic values, but they fail to “present any track record to substantiate a capability or intention to be democratic”.{{sfn|Clark|2016|p=73}}Ideological revolution and women’s rights
During the transitional period, the MEK projected an image of a “forward looking, radical and progressive Islamic force”. Throughout the revolution, the MEK played a major role in developing the “revolutionary Muslim woman”, which was portrayed as “the living example of the new ideal of womanhood”.{{citation|first=Parvin|last=Paidar|title=Women & Political Process 20C Iran (Cambridge Middle East Studies) |publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-521-59572-8 |page = 244}} The MEK is “known for its female-led military units”.NEWS,www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-iranian-spies-20190114-story.html, Is Tehran spying on Southern California? Feds say O.C. waiter and ‘Chubby’ from Long Beach were agents of Iran, Los Angeles Times, 13 January 2019, According to Ervand Abrahamian, the MEK “declared that God had created men and women to be equal in all things: in political and intellectual matters, as well as in legal, economic, and social issues.“{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=233}} According to Tohidi, in 1982, as the government in Tehran led an expansive effort to limit women’s rights, the MEK adopted a female leadership. In 1987, the National Liberation Army (NLA), “saw female resistors commanding military operations from their former base at Camp Ashraf (in Diyala, Iraq) to Iran’s westernmost provinces, where they engaged alongside the men in armed combat with Iran’s regular and paramilitary forces”.{{citation|author=Mohanty, A. Russo|title=Gender and Islamic Fundamentalism: Feminist Politics in Iran|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1991|page=254}}JOURNAL, Hassani, Sara, 2016, “Maniacal slaves:” normative misogyny and female resistors of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Iran,www.researchgate.net/publication/307525588, Department of Politics, the New School for Social Research, New York, USA, Shortly after the revolution, Rajavi married Ashraf Rabii, an MEK member regarded as “the symbol of revolutionary womanhood”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=181}} Rabii was killed by Iranian forces in 1982. On 27 January 1985, Massoud Rajavi appointed Maryam Azodanlu as his co-equal leader. The announcement, stated that this would give women equal say within the organization and thereby “would launch a great ideological revolution within Mojahedin, the Iranian public and the whole Muslim World”.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=251–253}}In 1985, Rajavi launched an “ideological revolution” banning marriage and enforced divorce on all members who were required to separate from their spouses. Five weeks later, the MEK announced that its Politburo and Central Committee had asked Rajavi and Azondalu, who was already married, to marry one another to deepen and pave the way for the “ideological revolution”. At the time Maryam Azodanlu was known only as the younger sister of a veteran member, and the wife of Mehdi Abrishamchi. According to the announcement, Maryam Azodanlu and Mehdi Abrishamchi had recently divorced in order to facilitate this ‘great revolution.’ According to Ervand Abrahamian “in the eyes of traditionalists, particularly among the bazaar middle class, the whole incident was indecent. It smacked of wife-swapping, especially when Abrishamchi announced his own marriage to Khiabani’s younger sister. It involved women with young children and wives of close friends – a taboo in traditional Iranian culture;” something that further isolated the Mojahedin and also upset some members of the organization. Also according to Ervand Abrahamian, “the incident was equally outrageous in the eyes of the secularists, especially among the modern intelligentsia. It projected onto the public arena a matter that should have been treated as a private issue between two individuals.“{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=251–253}} Many criticized Maryam Azodanlu’s giving up her own maiden name (something most Iranian women did not do and she herself had not done in her previous marriage). They would question whether this was in line with her claims of being a staunch feminist.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=251–253}}Maryam Rajavi became increasingly important over feminism-colored politics. The emancipation of women is now depicted in Maryam Rajavi’s writings “as both a policy end and a strategy toward revolutionizing Iran. Secularism, democracy, and women’s rights are thus today’s leading themes in the group’s strategic communications. As for Maryam Rajavi’s leadership, in 2017 it appears to be political and cultural; any remnants of a military force and interest in terrorist strategies have faded away.“{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|p=166}}Cult of personality
The MEK has been described as a “cult” by governments and officials in Iran, the United States,NEWS, Jones, Owen Bennett, An Iranian mystery: Just who are the MEK?,www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17615065, 12 January 2020, BBC, 15 April 2012, France,WEB,apnews.com/article/608497d45e7c4225b85b70ac839b5249, France lashes out at Iranian opposition group, AP NEWS, 27 June 2014, and Iraq.{{citation |last=Rogin |first=Josh |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/08/25/mek-rally-planned-for-friday-at-state-department/ |title=MEK rally planned for Friday at State Department |work=Foreign Policy |date=25 August 2011 |access-date=25 March 2018}} It has also been described as a cult by numerous academics,{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=260-261}}BOOK, Cronin, Stephanie, 2013, Reformers and Revolutionaries in Modern Iran: New Perspectives on the Iranian Left, Routledge/BIPS Persian Studies Series, 978-1-134-32890-1, Routledge, 274, {{Citation |last1=Buchta |first1=Wilfried |title= Who rules Iran?: the structure of power in the Islamic Republic |publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung |place=Washington DC |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-944029-39-8 |pages=144}}BOOK, Axworthy, Michael, 2008, Empire of the Mind: A History of Iran, Hachette Books, 978-0-465-01920-5, ...the MKO kept up its opposition and its violent attacks, but dwindled over time to take on the character of a paramilitary cult, largely subordinated to the interests of the Baathist regime in Iraq., 272, by former MEK members who defected,JOURNAL, Khodabandeh, Massoud, The Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and Its Media Strategy: Methods of Information Manufacture, Asian Politics & Policy, 1943-0787, 7, 1, January 2015, 10.1111/aspp.12164, 173–177, free, JOURNAL, Banisadr, Masoud, Terrorist Organizations Are Cults, Cultic Studies Review, 8, 2, 2009, 156–186,www.pdf.ridc.info/Terrorist%20orgAreCult.pdf, and by journalists who visited MEK camps in Iraq.BOOK, Reese, Erlich, Robert, Scheer, Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis, Routledge, 2016, 978-1-317-25737-0, 99–100, NEWS, The Cult of Rajavi,www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/magazine/13MUJAHADEEN.html, The New York Times, 13 July 2003, 9 March 2016, Elizabeth, Rubin, Some sources argue that the Iranian government exploits such allegations to demonize the MEK.BOOK, Tanter, Raymond, Appeasing the Ayatollahs and Suppressing Democracy: U.S. Policy and the Iranian Opposition, Iran Policy Committee, 978-1599752976, 2006, NEWS, Majid, Rafizadeh,www.arabnews.com/node/1406811, West should beware Iranian regime’s opposition smear campaign, Arab News, 18 November 2018, NEWS, Ivan Sascha, Sheehan,intpolicydigest.org/2018/12/12/iran-s-heightened-fears-of-mek-dissidents-are-a-sign-of-changing-times/, Iran’s Heightened Fears of MEK Dissidents Are a Sign of Changing Times, International Policy Digest, 12 December 2018, According to a RAND Corporation report for the US government, the MEK had “many of the typical characteristics of a cult, such as authoritarian control, confiscation of assets, sexual control (including mandatory divorce and celibacy), emotional isolation, forced labour, sleep deprivation, physical abuse and limited exit options.“After a major defeat in 1990, MEK leadership ordered all couples to divorce and send away their children. Members were then forbidden from re-marrying or having relationships and not allowed to see their children.NEWS, Iranian dissidents plot a revolution from Albania, Japan Times,www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/13/world/iranian-dissidents-albania/#.Xnhh0NNKhE4, 23 March 2020, 18 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200918090217/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/13/world/iranian-dissidents-albania/#.Xnhh0NNKhE4, dead, NEWS, An Iranian mystery: Just who are the MEK?, BBC,www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17615065, NEWS,www.bbc.com/news/stories-50339928, The Iranian opposition fighters who mustn’t think about sex, Pressly, Linda, Kasapi, Albana, 11 November 2019, BBC, Critics often describe the MEK as the “cult of Rajavi”,WEB, Leila Fadel, Leila, Fadel, Cult-like Iranian militant group worries about its future in Iraq,www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24518374.html, mcclatchydc.com, McClatchy, 10 April 2019, “However, they have little support inside Iran, where they’re seen as traitors for taking refuge in an enemy state and are often referred to as the cult of Rajavi, coined after the leaders of the movement, Mariam and Massoud Rajavi.”, arguing that it revolves around the husband-and-wife duo, Maryam and Massoud Rajavi, to whom members must give “near-religious devotion”.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009}} Members reportedly had to participate in regular “ideological cleansings”.BOOK, Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Birth of a Regional Nuclear Arms Race?, Praeger Security International Series, Anthony H., Cordesman, Adam C., Seitz, ABC-CLIO, 2009, 9780313380884, 325–326, According to RAND, members were lured in through “false promises of employment, land, aid in applying for asylum in Western countries” and then prevented from leaving.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009}} Masoud Banisadr, a vocal former member, suggested that the MEK had become a cult in order to survive.{{citation |last=Banisadr |first=Masoud |title=Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements |volume= |pages=172 |year=2016 |editor-last=Barker|editor-first=Eileen|series=Ashgate Inform Series on Minority Religions and Spiritual Movements|chapter=The metamorphosis of MEK (Mujahedin e Khalq)|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317063612|quote=to survive, MEK...had no choice but to complete its transformation into an extreme, violent and destructive cult, employing the most destructive methods of mind control and ‘brainwashing’.}}NEWS, Forrest, Adam, A Former MEK Member Talks About the Extremist Iranian ‘Cult’,www.vice.com/en/article/exmqnz/masoud-banisadr-mek-cult-184, 2020-11-03, Vice, 2 September 2014,Structure and organization
Organizations
Alongside its central organization, the PMOI has a political wing, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), established in 1981 with the stated goal of uniting the opposition to the Iranian government under one umbrella organization. The organization has the appearance of a broad-based coalition, but analysts consider NCRI and MEK to be synonymous and recognize the NCRI as an only “nominally independent” political wing of the PMOI.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=97}}BOOK, Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy and the Roots of Mistrust, 198, Hurst Publishers, 2006, Ali M., Ansari, 978-1-85065-809-2, BOOK, Special Plans: The Blogs on Douglas Feith & the Faulty Intelligence That Led to War, 66, Franklin, Beedle & Associates, Inc., 2005, Allison, Hantschel, 978-1-59028-049-2, BOOK, Middle East Report, 55, Middle East Research & Information Project, JSTOR, 2005, 237–241, 978-1-59028-049-2, In 2002 the FBI reported that the NCRI has always been “an integral part” of the MEK and its “political branch”.COURT, National Council of Resistance of Iran, Petitioner v. Department of State and Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State, Respondents,www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-caDC-01-01480/pdf/USCOURTS-caDC-01-01480-0.pdf, District of Columbia Circuit, 9 July 2004, After an extensive investigation of MEK and NCRI, the FBI reported to the State Department that [i]t is the unanimous view of the FBI personnel who are involved in and familiar with the FBI’s investigation of the [MEK] that the NCRI is not a separate organization, but is instead, and has been, an integral part of the MEK at all relevant times. Letter of Charles Frahm, Section Chief, International Terrorism Operations Section II, at 1 (Aug. 28, 2002). Contrary to NCRI’s portrayal of itself as an umbrella organization, of which the MEK was just one member, the FBI concluded that it is NCRI that is the political branch of the MEK., The PMOI also historically maintained a dedicated armed wing known as the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA) that was established in 1987 to serve as an infantry force and coordinate the different militant groups members of the NCRI.{{sfn|Piazza|1994|pp=20}} It was formally disbanded in 2003 during the Iraq war.WEB,uca.edu/politicalscience/home/research-projects/dadm-project/middle-eastnorth-africapersian-gulf-region/iran-1905-present/, Iran (1905-present), University of Central Arkansas, Through its history, the MEK has maintained several front organizations including the Association of Iranian Scholars and Professionals, the Association of Iranian Women, Iran Aid, the California Society for Democracy, the Iranian-American Community of Northern Virginia and the Union Against Fundamentalism.{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|p=301}}{{sfn|Clark|2016|p=70}}Membership
Before the Iran-Iraq war, the MEK was estimated to have about 2,000 members, peaking at 10,000 to 15,000 during the 1980s.{{efn|Available estimates of historical MEK membership are:- Jeffrey S. Dixon and Meredith Reid Sarkees estimating prewar strength at 2,000, later peaking to 10,000.BOOK, Jeffrey S., Dixon, Meredith Reid Sarkees, A Guide to Intra-state Wars: An Examination of Civil, Regional, and Intercommunal Wars, 1816–2014, 2015, SAGE Publications, 978-1-5063-1798-4, 384–386, INTRA-STATE WAR 816: Anti-Khomeini Coalition War of 1979 to 1983,
- Pierre Razoux estimating maximum strength between 1981 and 1988 to about 15,000 fighters.BOOK, Razoux, Pierre, 2015, The Iran-Iraq War, Harvard University Press, 978-0-674-91571-8, Appendix E: Armed Opposition, 543–544, Maximum strength (from 1981–1983 to 1987–1988): 15,000 fighters, with a few tanks and several dozen light artillery pieces, recoilless guns, machine guns, antitank missiles, and SAM-7s.,
- According to a 2003 article by The New York Times, 5,000 fighters based in Iraq.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/magazine/the-cult-of-rajavi.html, The Cult of Rajavi, The New York Times, Rubin, Elizabeth, 13 July 2003, 21 April 2006,
- In 2011, United States Department of Defense estimated global membership of the organization between 5,000 and 10,000 members, with 3,400 of them being at Camp Ashraf.WEB,2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2011/195553.htm, Country Reports on Terrorism 2011, 31 July 2012,
- A 2013 article in Foreign Policy claimed that there were some 2,900 members in Iraq.NEWS,foreignpolicy.com/2013/10/30/meet-the-weird-super-connected-group-thats-mucking-up-u-s-talks-with-iraq/, Meet The Weird, Super-Connected Group That’s Mucking Up U.S. Talks With Iraq, Foreign Policy, Dreazen, Yochi,
Fundraising
In 2004, a report by the US weapons inspector Charles Duelfer claimed that Saddam Hussein provided millions of dollars from the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food program to the MEK.NEWS, Terror Watch: Shades of Gray,www.newsweek.com/terror-watch-shades-gray-129223, Newsweek, 2004-10-12, MICHAEL ISIKOFF, BOOK, The United States and Iran: Policy Challenges and Opportunities, Jalil Roshandel, Alethia H. Cook, 78, Palgrave Macmillan, BOOK, Amir Moosavi, Narges Bajoghli, Debating the Iran-Iraq War in Contemporary Iran, 18 December 2019,books.google.com/books?id=8vrDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT172, Taylor & Francis, 978-1-351-05057-9, In Germany, the MEK used a NGO to “support asylum seekers and refugees”. Another alleged organization collected funds for “children whose parents had been killed in Iran” in sealed and stamped boxes placed in city centers. According to the Nejat Society, in 1988, the Nuremberg MEK front organization was uncovered by police. Initially, The Greens supported these organizations while it was unaware of their purpose.{{sfn|Clark|2016|pp=73-74}}In 1999, United States authorities arrested 29 individuals in Operation Eastern Approach, of whom 15 were held on charges of helping MEK members illegally enter the US. The ringleader pleaded guilty to providing phony documents to MEK members and violation of Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.The MEK also operated a UK-based charity, Iran Aid, which claimed to raise money for Iranian refugees. In 2001, the Charity Commission for England and Wales closed it down after finding no “verifiable links between the money donated by the British public [approximately £5 million annually] and charitable work in Iran”.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=59}}{{sfn|Clark|2016|p=73}}In December 2001, a joint FBI-Cologne police operation discovered what a 2004 report calls “a complex fraud scheme involving children and social benefits”, involving the sister of Maryam Rajavi.{{citation|url=https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FBI%20-%20REPORT.pdf|title=2004 MUJAHEDIN—E KHALQ (MEK) CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION|date=29 November 2004|access-date=20 December 2016|work=Federal Bureau of Investigation}} The High Court ruled to close several MEK compounds after investigations revealed that the organization fraudulently collected between $5 million and $10 million in social welfare benefits for children of its members sent to Europe.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=59}}In 2003, General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) claimed that Netherlands charity that raises money for “children who suffer under the Iranian regime” (SIM ()) was fundraising for the MEK. A spokesperson for the charity said that SIM was unrelated to the MEK and that these allegations were “lies from the Iranian regime”.NEWS,www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2013/08/iran-still-seeks-erase-prison-massacre-memories-years/, Iran still seeks to erase the ‘1988 prison massacre’ from memories, 25 years on, Amnesty International, As RAND Corporation policy reported, MEK supporters seek donations at public places, often showing “gruesome pictures” of human rights victims in Iran and claiming to raise money for them but funneling it to MEK.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=59}} A 2004 report by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the organization is engaged “through a complex international money laundering operation that uses accounts in Turkey, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates”.On 19 November 2004, two front organizations called the Iranian–American Community of Northern Virginia and the Union Against Fundamentalism organized demonstrations in front of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., and transferred funds for the demonstration, some $9,000 to the account of a Texas MEK member. Congress and the bank in question were not aware that the demonstrators were actually providing material support to the MEK.{{sfn|Clark|2016|p=73}}Intelligence capabilities
During the years MEK was based in Iraq, it was closely associated with the intelligence service Mukhabarat (IIS),{{citation|first1=Neela|last1=Banerjee|first2=Douglas|last2=Jehjuly|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/world/after-the-war-intelligence-us-said-to-seek-help-of-ex-iraqi-spies-on-iran.html|title=After the War: Intelligence; U.S. Said to Seek Help of Ex-Iraqi Spies on Iran|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=1 August 2018|date=22 July 2003}}BOOK, Karl R., DeRouen, Paul, Bellamy, 2008, International Security and the United States: An Encyclopedia, 1, 978-0-275-99253-8, Greenwood Publishing Group, 375, It fostered anti-Iranian activities through the Mujahidin-i Khalq and provided financial support for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Palestine Liberation Front and the Arab Liberation Front., and even had a dedicated department in the agency. Directorate 14 of the IIS worked with the MEK in joint operations while Directorate 18 was exclusively responsible for the MEK and issued the orders and tasks for their operations.BOOK, Paul, Todd, 2003, Global Intelligence: The World’s Secret Services Today, 978-1-84277-113-6, Zed Books, 173, D14, believed to be the largest directorate, was charged with the joint operations with the Iranian opposition forces of the Mujahidi Khalq (MKO), whose cross-border guerrilla operations varied directly with the overall state of relations with Tehran. The MEK also had its own dedicated department in the Mukhabarat, D18., {{citation|first1=John|last1=Pike|first2=Steven|last2=Aftergood |url=https://fas.org/irp/world/iraq/mukhabarat/org.htm|title=Iraqi Intelligence Service - IIS [Mukhabarat]|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=1 August 2018|date=26 November 1997}} The MEK offered IIS with intelligence it gathered from Iran, interrogation and translation services.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=61}}A 2008 report by the United States Army Intelligence Center, states that the MEK operates a HUMINT network within Iran, which is “clearly a MEK core strength”. It has started a debate among intelligence experts that “whether western powers should leverage this capability to better inform their own intelligence picture of the Iranian regime’s goals and intentions”.{{citation|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a495015.pdf|id=OMB No. 0704-0188|author=2LT Connor Norris|title=Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) Part I: Genesis and Early Years|publisher=United States Army Intelligence Center, University of Military Intelligence|access-date=1 August 2018|date=27 July 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202210341apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a495015.pdf|archive-date=2 December 2021}} Rick Francona told Foreign Policy in 2005 that the MEK teams could work in conjunction with collection of intelligence and identifying agents. U.S. security officials maintain that the organization has a record of exaggerating or fabricating information, according to Newsweek. David Kay believes that “they’re often wrong, but occasionally they give you something”.{{citation|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2005/11/02/with-friends-like-these-4/|first=Erik|last=Sass|title=With Friends Like These|work=Foreign Policy|access-date=1 August 2018|date=2 November 2005}}American government sources told Newsweek in 2005 that the Pentagon is hoping to utilize MEK members as informants or give them training as spies for use against Tehran.{{citation|url=https://www.newsweek.com/looking-few-good-spies-122699?webSyncID=51731583-22e9-1495-4461-c36c6d9a1d5a&sessionGUID=b77de3db-02a4-24b0-0bd2-73e5a8e044a9|first=Mark|last=Hosenball|title=LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD SPIES|work=Newsweek|access-date=1 August 2018|date=13 February 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923162620www.newsweek.com/looking-few-good-spies-122699?webSyncID=51731583-22e9-1495-4461-c36c6d9a1d5a&sessionGUID=b77de3db-02a4-24b0-0bd2-73e5a8e044a9|archive-date=23 September 2018|url-status=live}}The MEK is able to conduct “telephone intelligence” operations effectively, i.e. gathering intelligence through making phone calls to officials and government organizations in Iran.{{sfn|Cohen|2009|p=}} According to Ariane Tabatabai, the MEK’s “capabilities to conduct terrorist attacks may have decreased in recent years.“JOURNAL, Other side of the Iranian coin: Iran’s counterterrorism apparatus, Ariane M., Tabatabai, Journal of Strategic Studies, 41, 1–2, 2017, 10.1080/01402390.2017.1283613, 4–5, 157673830,Propaganda and social media
The MEK’s first act of counter-propaganda was to release about 2014 Iranian prisoners of war within a period of 9 months. It started on 11 March 1986 when the NLA released 370 prisoners of war. They then released 170 prisoners of war in November 1987 that had been captured by the NLA. A third wave of 1300 prisoners of war were released in August 1988, with some joining the NLA ranks. During the last release, Massoud Rajavi promoted it this as an act of compassion by the NCRI, which was in contrast to the Islamic Republic’s “cruel manner of treating” prisoners of war.{{sfn|Cohen|2018}} According to Wilfried Buchta, the MEK has used propaganda in the West since the 1980s.{{Citation |last1=Buchta |first1=Wilfried |title= Who rules Iran?: the structure of power in the Islamic Republic |publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung |place=Washington DC |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-944029-39-8 |pages=112–114}} In the 1980s and the 1990s, their propaganda was mainly targeted against the officials in the establishment.{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|p=166}} According to Anthony H. Cordesman, since the mid-1980s the MEK has confronted Iranian representatives overseas through “propaganda and street demonstrations”.{{Citation |editor1-last=Cordesman |editor1-first=Anthony H. |title=Iraq and the War of Sanctions: Conventional Threats and Weapons of Mass Destruction |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-275-96528-0 |page=160 |quote=The MEK directs a worldwide campaign against the Iranian government that stresses propaganda and occasionally uses terrorist violence.|url=https://archive.org/details/iraqwarofsanctio00cord/page/160}} Other analysts have also alleged that there is a propaganda campaign by the MEK in the West, including Christopher C. Harmon{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|pp=165–167}} and Wilfried Buchta,{{Citation |last1=Buchta |first1=Wilfried |title=Who rules Iran?: the structure of power in the Islamic Republic |publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung |place=Washington DC |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-944029-39-8 |pages=114–115, 218}} and others.NEWS,apnews.com/article/608497d45e7c4225b85b70ac839b5249, France lashes out at Iranian opposition group, Associated Press, 27 June 2014, According to Kenneth Katzman, the MEK is able to mobilize its exile supporters in demonstration and fundraising campaigns. The organization attempts to publicize regime abuses and curb foreign governments’ relations with Tehran. To do so, it frequently conducts anti-regime marches and demonstrations in those countries.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=105}}A 1986 U.S. State Department letter to KSCI-TV described “MEK propaganda” as being in line with the following: “[T]he Iranian government is bad, the PMOI is against the Iranian government, the Iranian government represses the PMOI, therefore, the PMOI and its leader Rajavi are good and worth of support.“BOOK, Lisa, Parks, Shanti, Kumar, Planet TV: A Global Television Reader, New York University Press, 2003, 978-0-8147-6691-0, 387, According to Masoud Kazemzadeh, the MEK has also used propaganda against defectors of the organization.BOOK, Masoud, Kazemzadeh, Islamic Fundamentalism, Feminism, and Gender Inequality in Iran Under Khomeini, University Press of America, 2002, 978-0-7618-2388-9, 63, When the democratic and progressive members of the opposition made the smallest criticisms of Rajavi, the whole PMOI propaganda machinery would commence vicious personal attacks against them and spread false rumors that they were collaborating with the fundamentalist regime’s Ministry of Intelligence.,archive.org/details/islamicfundament0000kaze/page/63, Al Jazeera reported on an alleged Twitter-based MEK campaign. According to Exeter University lecturer Marc Owen Jones, accounts tweeting #FreeIran and #Iran_Regime_Change “were created within about a four-month window”, suggesting bot activity.NEWS,www.aljazeera.com/program/the-listening-post/, The Listening Post | Videos | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera, In an article published by The Intercept on 9 June 2019, two former MEK members claimed that “Heshmat Alavi” is not a real person, and that the articles published under that name were actually written by a team of people at the political wing of MEK. Alavi contributed to several media outlets including Forbes, The Diplomat, The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Federalist and the English edition of Al Arabiya’s website. According to The Intercept, one of Alavi’s articles published by Forbes was used by the White House to justify Donald Trump Administration’s sanctions against Iran.NEWS, Hussain, Murtaza, An Iranian Activist Wrote Dozens of Articles for Right-Wing Outlets. But Is He a Real Person?,theintercept.com/2019/06/09/heshmat-alavi-fake-iran-mek/, 13 June 2019, The Intercept, 9 June 2019, Since the article’s publication, Twitter has suspended the “Heshmat Alavi” account, and the writings in the name of “Heshmat Alavi” were removed from The Diplomat and Forbes{{’}} website. A website purported to be a personal blog of “Heshmat Alavi” published a post with counterclaims saying that their Twitter account had been suspended.NEWS,www.bbc.com/persian/world-48604383, مجله Ùوربز مقالات ‘کارشناس ایرانی جعلی’ را Øذ٠کرد, BBC News Ùارسی,Terrorist designation
{{see also|List of designated terrorist groups}}Assignment of designation
The countries and organizations below have officially listed MEK as a terrorist organization:{|class=“wikitable” style="text-align:left”Removal of designation
The United Kingdom lifted the MEK’s designation as a terrorist group in June 2008,WEB,www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2, Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations, 15 July 2016, Home Office, PDF, 27 September 2016, The Mujaheddin e Khalq (MeK) also known as the Peoples’ Mujaheddin of Iran (PMOI) was removed from the list of proscribed groups in June 2008 as a result of judgments of the List of tribunals in the United Kingdom#Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, POAC and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal., followed by the Council of the European Union on 26 January 2009.WEB, Runner, Philippa,euobserver.com/9/27472, EU ministers drop Iran group from terror list, 26 January 2009, Euobserver, 2012-09-29, NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/idUKLQ200287, Reuters, Mark, John, EU takes Iran opposition group off terror list, 26 January 2009, It was also lifted in the United States following a decision by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 21 September 2012 and lastly in Canada on 20 December 2012.The Council of the European Union removed the group’s terrorist designation following the Court of Justice of the European Union’s 2008 censure of France for failing to disclose new alleged evidence of the MEK’s terrorism threat. The EU courts declared that the listing was unlawful because of “serious procedural failures” and lack of evidence connecting the MEK with terrorist activities.Spaventa, E. (2009). Case T-256/07, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran v. Council, judgment of the Court of First Instance of 23 October 2008, Case T-284/08, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran v. Council, judgment of the Court of First Instance of 4 December 2008. Common Market Law Review. Delisting allowed MEK to pursue tens of millions of dollars in frozen assets and lobby in Europe for more funds. It also removed the terrorist label from MEK members at Camp Ashraf in Iraq.WEB,www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/01/26/EU_removes_PMOI_from_terrorist_list/UPI-44751232989491/, EU removes PMOI from terrorist list, UPI, 26 January 2009, 29 September 2012, File:American politicians at the PMOI event 2018.jpg|thumb|Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, James T. Conway, Bill RichardsonBill RichardsonOn 28 September 2012, the U.S. State Department formally removed MEK from its official list of terrorist organizations, beating a 1 October deadline in an MEK lawsuit.WEB,www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-10-04/pdf/2012-24505.pdf, 4 October 2012, Federal Register /Vol. 77, No. 193 /Thursday, October 4, 2012 /Notices 60741 10 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12), 7 February 2015, Secretary of State Clinton said in a statement that the decision was made because the MEK had renounced violence and had cooperated in closing their Iraqi paramilitary base. It was reported that MEK was removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations after intensive lobbying by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. An official denied that lobbying by well-known figures influenced the decision.NEWS, Andrew, Quinn,www.reuters.com/article/iraq-iran-mek-idUSL1E8KSF3B20120928?type=marketsNews, US drops Iranian MEK dissident group from terrorism list, Reuters, 28 September 2012, WEB, Delisting of the Mujahedin-e Khalq,2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/09/198443.htm, U.S. Department of State, 20 October 2015, Some former U.S. officials vehemently reject the new status and believe the MEK has not changed its ways.{{citation|title=Terrorism and Homeland Security|first=Jonathan R.|last=White|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2016|isbn=978-1-305-63377-3|page=239}}The MEK advocated to remove itself from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, having paid high-profile officials upwards of $50,000 give speeches calling for delisting.{{citation|title=The Politics and Practice of Religious Diversity: National Contexts, Global Issues|series=Routledge Advances in Sociology|first=Andrew|last=Dawson|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|isbn=978-1-317-64864-2|pages=162–163}}WEB, For Obscure Iranian Exile Group, Broad Support in U.S.,www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/us/politics/lobbying-support-for-iranian-exile-group-crosses-party-lines.html, Joby, Warrick, Julie, Tate, The New York Times, 26 November 2011, 1 December 2016, Among them, Rendell who admitted himself being paid to speak in support of the MEK{{citation|title=U.S. Supporters of Iranian Group Face Scrutiny|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/us-supporters-of-iranian-group-mek-face-scrutiny.html|first=Scott|last=Shane|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 March 2012|access-date=1 March 2018|quote=Mr. Rendell, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said he had given seven or eight speeches since July calling for the M.E.K. to be taken off the terrorist list and estimated that he had been paid a total of $150,000 or $160,000. Mr. Rendell said he had been told that his fees came from Iranian-American supporters of the M.E.K., not from the group itself.}} and Hamilton who said he was paid to “appear on a panel Feb. 19 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington.“{{citation|title=US: Iranian “Terrorist” Group Courts Friends in High Places|url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2011/03/us-iranian-terrorist-group-courts-friends-in-high-places/|first=Barbara|last=Slavin|work=Inter Press Service|date=1 March 2011|access-date=1 March 2018|quote=Hamilton, a former chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee who headed the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Center for 12 years until last fall, told IPS that he had also been paid “a substantial amount” to appear on a panel Feb. 19 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707061942www.ipsnews.net/2011/03/us-iranian-terrorist-group-courts-friends-in-high-places/|archive-date=7 July 2018}} In February 2015, The Intercept published that Bob Menendez, John McCain, Judy Chu, Dana Rohrabacher and Robert Torricelli received campaign contributions from MEK supporters.{{citation|url=https://theintercept.com/2015/02/26/long-march-yellow/|title=Long March of the Yellow Jackets: How a One-Time Terrorist Group Prevailed on Capitol Hill|work=The Intercept|author=Ali Gharib, Eli Clifton|date=26 February 2015|access-date=30 March 2018}}In May 2018, Daniel Benjamin who held office as the Coordinator for Counterterrorism between 2009 and 2012, told The New York Times that the MEK offered him money in exchange for his support.{{citation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/07/world/middleeast/john-bolton-regime-change-iran.html|title=M.E.K.: The Group John Bolton Wants to Rule Iran|newspaper=The New York Times|first=Nilo|last=Tabrizy|date=7 May 2018|access-date=20 May 2018|quote=The amusing thing is that the MEK will try to buy pretty much anyone, you know. I was approached to do events in support of the MEK. I know a number of other former government officials who found them truly detestable also were approached. You know, it’s really something to have someone on the phone offering you 15,000$ of 20,000$ to appear at a panel discussion because that doesn’t happen for former diplomats every day.}}Ervand Abrahamian, Shaul Bakhash, Juan Cole and Gary Sick among others, published “Joint Experts’ Statement on the Mujahedin-e Khalq” on Financial Times voicing their concerns regarding MEK delisting.NEWS,www.ft.com/content/563a29aa-c378-11e0-b163-00144feabdc0,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/563a29aa-c378-11e0-b163-00144feabdc0, 10 December 2022, subscription, live, Joint Experts’ Statement on the Mujahedin-e Khalq, Financial Times, 10 August 2011, The National Iranian American Council denounced the decision, stating it “opens the door to Congressional funding of the M.E.K. to conduct terrorist attacks in Iran” and “makes war with Iran far more likely.” Iran state television also condemned the delisting of the group, saying that the U.S. considers MEK to be “good terrorists because the U.S. is using them against Iran.“NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/29/iran-condemns-us-mek-terror-delisting, Iran condemns US for ‘double standards’ over MEK terror de-listing, Associated Press, The Guardian, 29 September 2012, The campaign to delist the MEK in the European Union counted with Spanish MEP Alejo Vidal-Quadras as one of its lobbyists. Vox, the far-right party he founded, later received funding by the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The party received almost €1 million between December 2013 and April 2014.Foreign relations
(File:Letter_from_the_People’s_Mujahedin_of_Iran_to_the_Communist_Party_of_the_Soviet_Union.jpg|thumb|Letter in Persian requesting that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union lend any amount of money (up to US$300,000,000) to the Mojahedin Organization and requesting that the supporters of the Mojahedin Organization be allowed to cross the Soviet-Iranian border and be granted a temporary asylum. Memorandum to the CK KPSS from Olfat.WEB,oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt767nf11z/entire_text/, Register of the Archives of the Soviet communist party and Soviet state microfilm collection: Russian State Archive of Contemporary History (Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv noveishei istorii - RGANI), oac.cdlib.org, )While dealing with anti-regime clergy in 1974, the MEK became close with secular Left groups in and outside Iran. These included the confederation of Iranian Students, The People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, and the People’s Front for the Liberation of Oman, among others.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=152-154}} The MEK sent five trained members into South Yemen to fight in the Dhofar Rebellion against Omani and Iranian forces.BOOK, Sepehr, Zabir, The Left in Contemporary Iran (RLE Iran D), 2012, CRC Press, 978-1-136-81263-7, 86, On 7 January 1986, the MEK leaders sent a twelve-page letter to the “comrades” of Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, asking for temporary asylum and a loan of $300 million to continue their “revolutionary anti-imperialist” actions. It is not clear how the Soviets responded, according to Abbas Milani.{{citation|url=https://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-inside-story-americas-favorite-terrorist-group-5776|first=Abbas|last=Milani|author-link=Abbas Milani|title=The Inside Story of America’s Favorite Terrorist Group|work=The National Interest|access-date=1 August 2018|date=18 August 2011}}{{bsn|date=July 2023}}Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad maintains connections with the MEK, dating back to the 1990s.JOURNAL, Iran’s Nuclear Program and the Israeli-Iranian Rivalry in the Post Revolutionary Era, Farhad, Rezaei, Ronen, Cohen, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 41, 4, 2014, 10.1080/13530194.2014.942081, 8–9, 159623327, Until 2001, the MEK received support from the Taliban.JOURNAL, Sheikhneshin, Arsalan Ghorbani, Iran and the US: Current Situation and Future Prospects, Journal of International and Area Studies, 2009, The American military campaign in Afghanistan has terminated the Taliban support to the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK). This group enjoyed support from the Islamic Republic’s enemies including Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Taliban in Afghanistan., 103–104, The MEK was also among the opposition groups receiving support from Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia.BOOK, Hunter, Shireen, Iran’s Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era: Resisting the New International Order, p. 193, 2010, ABC-CLIO, 978-0-313-38194-2,books.google.com/books?id=wLtA_J3VUt4C&pg=PA193, 23 March 2019, In April 2012, journalist Seymour Hersh reported that the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command had trained MEK operatives at a secret site in Nevada from 2005 to 2009. According to Hersh, MEK members were trained in intercepting communications, cryptography, weaponry and small unit tactics at the Nevada site up until President Barack Obama took office in 2009.Hyeran Jo, associate professor of Texas A&M University wrote in 2015 that the MEK is supported by the United States.BOOK, Hyeran, Jo, 2015, Compliant Rebels: Rebel Groups and International Law in World Politics, 978-1-107-11004-5, Cambridge University Press, 129, According to Spiegel Online security experts say that U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel provide the group with financial support, though there is no proof for this supposition and MEK denies this.NEWS, Hommerich, Luisa, Prisoners of Their Own Rebellion: The Cult-Like Group Fighting Iran,www.spiegel.de/international/world/people-s-mujahedin-and-its-quiet-war-against-iran-a-1253507.html, 22 April 2019, Spiegel Online, 18 February 2019,Position on the Israel–Palestinian conflict
{{See also|Black September#Iranian guerillas}}Initially, the MEK used to criticize the Pahlavi dynasty for allying with Israel and Apartheid South Africa,{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=98}} calling them racist states and demanding cancellation of all political and economic agreements with them.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=185}} The MEK opposed Israeli–Palestinian peace process{{citation|first=Dennis|last=Piszkiewicz|series=Praeger Security International|title=Terrorism’s War with America: A History|year=2003|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-97952-2|page=168|url=https://archive.org/details/terrorismswarwit00denn/page/168}} and was anti-Zionist.BOOK, Eileen, Barker, Eileen Barker, Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements, Masoud, Banisdar, 2013, The Metamorphosis of MEK, Ashgate Publishing, 978-1-4094-6230-9, 174,books.google.com/books?id=hM_VCQAAQBAJ, The MEK’s Central Cadre established contact with the Palestinie Liberation Organization (PLO), by sending emissaries to Paris, Dubai, and Qatar to meet PLO officials.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=127}} On 3 August 1972, they bombed the Jordanian embassy as a means to avenge King Hussein’s unleashing his troops on the PLO in 1970.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=140}}Relations with the United States
In the late 1970s, the intelligentsia as a class in Iran was distinctly nationalistic and anti-imperialistic. The MEK had impeccable nationalistic credentials, calling for the nationalization of foreign companies and economic independence from the capitalist world, and praising writers such as Al-e Ahmad, Saedi and Shariati for being “anti-imperialist”.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=229}} Rajavi in his presidential campaign after revolution used to warn against what he called the “imperialist danger.“{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=197}} The matter was so fundamental to MEK that it criticized the Iranian government on that basis, accusing the Islamic Republic of “capitulation to imperialism” and being disloyal to democracy that according to Rajavi was the only means to “safeguard from American imperialism.“{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=209}}After exile, the MEK sought the support of prominent politicians, academics and human rights lawyers. Rajavi tried to reach as broad a Western public as possible by giving frequent interviews to Western newspapers. In these interviews, Rajavi toned down the issues of imperialism, foreign policy, and social revolution. Instead, he stressed the themes of democracy, political liberties, political pluralism, human rights, respect for ‘personal property,’ the plight of political prisoners, and the need to end the senseless war.{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1989|p=245}}In January 1993, President-elect Clinton wrote a private letter to the Massoud Rajavi, in which he set out his support for the organization.BOOK, Adam, Tarock, The Superpowers’ Involvement in the Iran-Iraq War, 1998, Nova Science Publishers Inc, 978-1-56072-593-0, 197, The organization has also received support United States officials including Tom Ridge, Howard Dean, Michael Mukasey, Louis Freeh, Hugh Shelton, Rudy Giuliani, John Bolton, Bill Richardson, James L. Jones, and Edward G. Rendell.BOOK, Darren E., Tromblay, Political Influence Operations: How Foreign Actors Seek to Shape U.S. Policy Making, 2018, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 978-1-5381-0331-9, 63, WEB,www.newsweek.com/iran-protests-who-are-opposition-and-who-will-rule-if-regime-falls-772045, Who are the Iranian opposition and who will rule if the regime falls?, Newsweek, 5 January 2018, As Mukasey mentioned in The New York Times, in 2011 he had received $15,000 to $20,000 to present a lecture about “MEK-related events”, as well as what he listed as “a foreign agent lobbying pro bono for MEK’s political arm”.Some politicians have declared receiving payment for supporting the MEK, but others support the group without payment.NEWS,www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17615065, An Iranian mystery: Just who are the MEK?, BBC News, 15 April 2012, WEB,www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-trump-elaine-chao-cabinet-iran-mek-a7563746.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-trump-elaine-chao-cabinet-iran-mek-a7563746.html, 25 May 2022, subscription, live, Trump Cabinet pick was paid by ‘cult-like’ Iranian exile group that killed Americans, 5 February 2017, The Independent,Human rights record
In 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki told the MEK it had to leave Iraq, but the MEK responded that the “request violated their status under the Geneva Convention”. Al-Maliki and the Iraqi Ministry of Justice maintained that the MEK had committed human rights abuses in the early 1990s when it aided Saddam Hussain’s campaign against the Shia uprising.BOOK, Iraq’s Insurgency and the Road to Civil Conflict, Anthony H., Cordesman, Emma R., Davies, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008, 978-0-313-35001-6, 2, 635, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington, D.C.), According to Time magazine, the MEK has denied aiding Saddam in quashing Kurdish and Shia rebellions.MAGAZINE, Rania, Abouzeid, 29 July 2009, At Tehran’s Bidding? Iraq Cracks Down on a Controversial Camp,content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1913399,00.html, Time (magazine), Time, In May 2005, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report describing prison camps run by the MEK and severe human rights violations committed by the group against its members, ranging from prolonged incommunicado and solitary confinement to beatings, verbal and psychological abuse, coerced confessions, threats of execution, and torture that in two cases led to death.{{citation |title=No Exit: Human Rights Abuses Inside the MKO Camps |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=May 2005 |url=https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/mena/iran0505/iran0505.pdf |access-date=11 June 2017}} This report was disputed by the UK’s Lord Corbett.NEWS, David, Leigh,www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/31/iran.usa, ‘Tank girl’ army accused of torture, 30 May 2005, 28 September 2016, The Guardian, Human Rights Watch released a statement in February 2006, stating the criticisms they received concerning the substance and methodology of the [No Exit] report, was unwarranted.{{citation |title=Statement on Responses to Human Rights Watch Report on Abuses by the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=14 February 2006 |access-date=11 June 2017 |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2006/02/14/statement-responses-human-rights-watch-report-abuses-mojahedin-e-khalq-organization?_ga=2.29931135.1513883160.1500019089-1666524046.1479911309}}Former American military officers who had aided in guarding the MEK camp in Iraq gave differing accounts. Those suggested by MEK said its members had been free to leave the camp and that they had not found any prison or torture facilities. Captain Woodside who was not one of those who MEK suggested, said that US officers did not have regular access to camp buildings, or to group members and that it was difficult for members to leave. Jo Hyeran, in her work examining humanitarian violations of rebel groups to international law, states that the MEK has not accepted International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visits to its detention centers.BOOK, Hyeran, Jo, 2015, Compliant Rebels: Rebel Groups and International Law in World Politics, 978-1-107-11004-5, Cambridge University Press, 288, According to criticism of Human Right groups, marriage had been banned in the camp.BOOK, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Human Rights and Democracy: The 2010 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, The Stationery Office, 978-0-10-180172-0,books.google.com/books?id=d7EuvEl5loQC&pg=PA223, March 2011, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Upon entry into the group, new members are indoctrinated in ideology and a revisionist history of Iran. All members are required to participate in weekly “ideologic cleansings”.BOOK, Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Birth of a Regional Nuclear Arms Race?, Praeger Security International Series, Anthony H., Cordesman, Adam C., Seitz, ABC-CLIO, 2009, 978-0-313-38088-4, 334, Members who defected from the MEK and some experts say that these Mao-style self-criticism sessions are intended to enforce control over sex and marriage in the organization as a total institution.{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|p=170}} MEK denied the brainwashing describing it as part of Iranian ‘misinformation campaign.’NEWS, Who are the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran?,www.foxnews.com/world/who-are-the-peoples-mujahedeen-of-iran, Fox News, Also Abbas Milani calls those describing MEK as a cult as lobbyists paid by Iranian regime. In July 2020 a German court ordered the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to remove false information about the MEK.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/iran-iraq-dissidents-idUSL1N0FM1UI20130716, U.N. envoy accuses Iran group’s leaders in Iraq of rights abuses, 16 July 2013, 11 June 2017, Reuters, Louis, Charbonneau, Mohammad, Zargham,Intelligence campaigns against the MEK
The Shah’s regime waged a propaganda campaign against the MEK, accusing them “of carrying out subversive acts at the behest of their foreign patrons” and claiming that “the shoot-outs and bombings caused heavy casualties among bystanders and innocent civilians, especially women and children”. It also obtained “public confessions” that accused former colleagues of crimes including sexual promiscuity. The regime claimed that the MEK were “unbelievers masquerading as Muslims”, and used the Quranic term “monafeqin” (hypocrites) to describe them.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=2, 143–144, 256}}The Islamic Republican Party later used many of the same tactics, labelling the MEK “Marxist hypocrites and Western-contaminated ‘electics’, and as ‘counter-revolutionary terrorists’ collaborating with the Iraqi Ba’thists and the imperialists”.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1989|pp=2, 143–144, 256}}After the 1994 Imam Reza shrine bomb explosion in Mashhad which killed 25 and wounded at least 70 people, the Iranian regime immediately blamed the MEK. A month after the attack, a Sunni group calling itself “al-haraka al-islamiya al-iraniya” claimed responsibility for the attack. Despite this, the Iranian government continued to hold the MEK responsible for both attacks.{{Citation |last1=Buchta |first1=Wilfried |title=Who rules Iran?: the structure of power in the Islamic Republic |publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung |place=Washington DC |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-944029-39-8 |page=108}} According to an anonymous U.S. official, Ramzi Yousef built the bomb and MEK agents placed it in the shrine.NEWS, Brian, Williams,rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/09/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news, Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran’s nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News, NBC News, 9 February 2012, 18 August 2016, Brian Williams, 26 December 2018,rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/09/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news," title="web.archive.org/web/20181226045922rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/09/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news,">web.archive.org/web/20181226045922rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/09/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news, Even into the 2000s, the MEK has remained a major target of Iran’s internal security apparatus.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=104}} Since 2001, several reports by Dutch, German and US intelligence services have noted the ongoing efforts by the Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence to “track down and identify those who are in contact with opposition groups abroad”, including the MEK.BOOK, André, Brie, André Brie, People’s Mojahedin of Iran: mission report, 2005, 978-2-7475-9381-6, L’Harmattan, 16–17, {{citation |title=The New Iranian Leadership: Ahmadinejad, Terrorism, Nuclear Ambition, and the Middle East (Praeger Security International) |first1=Yonah |last1=Alexander |first2=Milton |last2=Hoenig |publisher=Praeger |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-275-99639-0 |page=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ac30INKAu4C&pg=PA22}} German and US intelligence have noted that Iranian intelligence was directly financing a misinformation campaign and trying to recruit active or former members of opposition groups, sometimes through “threats to use force against them or their families living in Iran”.“Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security: A Profile”, A Report Prepared by the Federal Research Division, Library of Congress under an Interagency Agreement with the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office’s Irregular Warfare Support Program, December 2012, p. 26NEWS,www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/14/iran-s-spies-tried-to-recruit-me,webarchive.loc.gov/all/20180830043036www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/14/iran-s-spies-tried-to-recruit-me, 30 August 2018, Iran’s Spies Tried to Recruit Me, Shane, Harris, The Daily Beast, 15 June 2015, 29 April 2019, In 2018, U.S. District Court charged two alleged Iran agents of “conducting covert surveillance of Israeli and Jewish facilities in the United States and collecting intelligence on Americans linked to a political organization that wants to see the current Iranian government overthrown”. During the court process, it was revealed that the two alleged agents of Iran had mostly gathered information concerning activities involving the MEK.NEWS, Deb, Riechmann,apnews.com/article/ec9c2b547c5043938d1bdba4a4f724b9, 2 alleged agents of Iran arrested for spying in US, Associated Press, 23 August 2016,web.archive.org/web/20180823010219/https://apnews.com/ec9c2b547c5043938d1bdba4a4f724b9, 23 August 2018, live, The two men pleaded guilty in November 2019 to several charges including conspiracy and “acting as an undeclared agent of the Iranian government”. The Justice Department said that one of the men arrived in the US to gather “intelligence information” about the MEK (as well as Israeli and Jewish entities). The other admitted to taking photographs at a 2017 MEK rally in order to profile attendees.WEB,en.radiofarda.com/a/iranian-agents-plead-guilty-to-collecting-info-on-opposition-groups-in-the-us/30256144.html, Iranian Agents Plead Guilty To Collecting Info On Opposition Group In The US, 6 November 2019, 13 November 2019, WEB,www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/two-individuals-plead-guilty-acting-illegal-agents-government-iran, Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Acting as Illegal Agents of the Government of Iran, 13 November 2019, 13 November 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191113115803/https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/two-individuals-plead-guilty-acting-illegal-agents-government-iran, In January 2020 Iranian-American Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar was sentenced by a U.S. court to 38 months in prison for conducting surveillance on American MEK members.WEB,www.voanews.com/middle-east/voa-news-iran/iran-silent-12-iranians-detained-us-despite-pledge-swap-prisoners-again, Iran Silent on 12 Iranians Detained by US Despite Pledge to Swap Prisoners Again, Voice of America, 28 April 2020, In September 2020 The New York Times published a report where researchers alleged that opponents of the Iranian regime had been targets of a cyber attack by Iranian hackers through a variety of infiltration techniques. MEK was reportedly among the most prominent targets of the attacks.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-hacking-encryption.html, Iranian Hackers Found Way Into Encrypted Apps, Researchers Say, The New York Times, 18 September 2020, Bergman, Ronen, Fassihi, Farnaz,Targeting of MEK members outside Iran
From 1989 to 1993, the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out numerous assassinations of MEK members. Between March and June 1990, three MEK members were assassinated in Turkey. On 24 February 1990, Dr Kazem Rajavi (a National Council member) was assassinated in Geneva. In January 1993, an MEK member was murdered in Baghdad.{{sfn|Cohen|2018}}On 23 September 1991, an attempt was carried out to assassinate Massoud Rajavi in Baghdad. In August 1992, a MEK member was kidnapped and brought to Iran. In September 1992, MEK offices in Baghdad were broken into. In January 1993, a MEK bus was bombed without casualties. Towards the end of 1993, anonymous gunmen attacked Air France offices and the French embassy in Iran after France allowed Maryam Rajavi and 200 MEK members to enter France.{{sfn|Cohen|2018}}In March 1993, the NCRI’s spokesman was murdered in Italy. In May 1990, a MEK member was murdered in Cologne. In February 1993, a MEK member was murdered in Manila. In April 1992, a MEK member was murdered in the Netherlands. In August 1992, a MEK member was murdered in Karachi. In March 1993, two assassins on motorcycles murdered NCRI representative Mohammad Hossein Naqdi in Italy.NEWS,www.nzherald.co.nz/world/italy-puts-iranian-on-trial-for-opposition-murder/OJODE2SBCISOP5Y3BYQ5L72KOU/?c_id=30&objectid=10125161, Italy puts Iranian on trial for opposition murder, 12 May 2005, Reuters, New Zealand Herald, 6 January 2022, This led to the European Parliament issuing a condemnation of the Islamic Republic of Iran for political murder.{{sfn|Cohen|2018}}The Iranian regime is also believed to be responsible for killing NCR representative in 1993, and Massoud Rajavi’s brother in 1990. The MEK claims that in 1996 a shipment of Iranian mortars was intended for use by Iranian agents against Maryam Rajavi.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|p=104}} In May 1994, Islamic Republic agents assassinated two MEK members in Iraq. In May 1995, five MEK members were assassinated in Iraq. In 1996, two MEK members were murdered in Turkey (including NCRI member Zahra Rajabi); in the same year two MEK members were killed in Pakistan and another one in Iraq.{{sfn|Cohen|2018}}European Union, Resolution on Iranian human rights violations, O.J. C150 (31 May 1993), p.264.Chicago Tribune wires, ‘Iraq Denies Link with Death of Opposition Leader in Rome’, Chicago Tribune (17 March 1993), p.4.Safa Haeri, ‘A bad month’, Middle East International, No. 463 (19 November 1993), p.11.Perception
Inside Iran
After the 1979 Iranian revolution, the MEK gained significant support from the Iranian public, becoming the most popular dissident group.{{sfn|Goulka|Hansell|Wilke|Larson|2009|p=4,58}} However, after becoming more violent and siding with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War the MEK’s standing inside Iran diminished.For the diminishing popularity of the Mojahedin in Iran, see:{{bulleted listBy other Iranian opposition parties
The group kept a friendly relationship with the only other major Iranian urban guerrilla group, the Organization of Iranian People’s Fedai Guerrillas (OIPFG).{{Sfn|Abrahamian|1982|p=491}} An October 1994 report by the U.S. Department of State notes that other Iranian opposition groups do not cooperate with the organization because they view it as “undemocratic” and “tightly controlled” by its leaders.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|pp=104–105}} In 1994 rival exiled groups question the organizations’s claim that it would hold free elections after taking power in Iran, pointing to its designation of a “president-elect” as an evidence of neglecting Iranian people.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|pp=104–105}}Due to its anti-Shah stance before the revolution, the MEK is not close to monarchist opposition groups and Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s deposed crown prince.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|pp=104–105}} Commenting on the MEK, Pahlavi said in an interview: “I cannot imagine Iranians ever forgiving their behavior at that time [siding with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war]. [...] If the choice is between this regime and the MEK, they will most likely say the mullahs”.NEWS, The Late Shah’s Son Wants a Democratic Revolution in Iran,www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-06-19/iran-s-ex-prince-pahlavi-wants-a-democratic-revolution, Bloomberg L.P., 19 June 2018, 20 June 2018, Eli, Lake, Iran’s deposed president Abolhassan Banisadr ended his alliance with the group in 1984, denouncing its stance during the Iran–Iraq War.{{sfn|Katzman|2001|pp=104–105}}The National Resistance Movement of Iran (NAMIR), led by Shapour Bakhtiar, never maintained a friendly relationship with the MEK. In July 1981, NAMIR rejected any notion of cooperation between the two organizations and publicly condemned them in a communiqué issued following the meeting betweenIraqi Foreign Minister, Tariq Aziz and Rajavi in January 1983 as well as the “Holy and Revolutionary” nature of Rajavis in April 1984.THESIS, Khonsari, Mehrdad, 1995, The National Movement of the Iranian Resistance 1979–1991: The role of a banned opposition movement in international politics, Ph.D. thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science,etheses.lse.ac.uk/2837/, 289–293, 25 October 2017,etheses.lse.ac.uk/2837/," title="web.archive.org/web/20171026110434etheses.lse.ac.uk/2837/,">web.archive.org/web/20171026110434etheses.lse.ac.uk/2837/, 26 October 2017,In the media
The MEK has been featured in several documentaries, including A Cult That Would Be an Army: Cult of the Chameleon (2007),{{sfn|Harmon|Bowdish|2018|p=300}} The Strange World of the People’s Mujahedin (2012){{citation |title=The Strange World of the People’s Mujahedin |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2012/15/mujahedin200312|publisher=BBC World Service |date=8 April 2012 |access-date=13 February 2017}}{{citation |title=Ian Burrell: It’s time for the BBC to give independent radio a break |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2012/15/mujahedin200312 |work=The Independent |date=7 July 2013 |access-date=13 February 2017}} and Midday Adventures (2017).{{citation |title=Political drama ‘Midday Event’ named best at Fajr Film Festival |url=http://en.mehrnews.com/news/123477/Political-drama-Midday-Event-named-best-at-Fajr-Film-Festival |publisher=Mehr News Agency |date=11 February 2017 |access-date=13 February 2017}}See also
- Guerrilla groups of Iran
- Order of battle during the Iran–Iraq War
- Organizations of the Iranian Revolution
- Trial of Hamid Nouri
- List of cults of personality
- List of people assassinated by the People’s Mujahedin of Iran
- List of works about the People’s Mujahedin of Iran
Notes
{{NoteFoot}}{{notelist}}References
{{Reflist|refs=For MEK disarmament at Camp Ashraf see- WEB, American Forces Reach Cease-Fire With Terror Group, The New York Times, Douglas, Jehl, Michael R., Gordon, 29 April 2003,www.nytimes.com/2003/04/29/international/worldspecial/29TERR.html,
- WEB,2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/45323.pdf, Patterns of Global Terrorism 2004, U.S. Department of State, 2009-2017.state.gov, 21 July 2022,
- JOURNAL, Wills, Siobhán, 2010, The Obligations Due to Former ‘Protected Persons’ in Conflicts that have Ceased to be International: The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran,academic.oup.com/jcsl/article-abstract/15/1/117/768740?redirectedFrom=PDF, Journal of Conflict and Security Law, 15, 1, 117–139, 10.1093/jcsl/krq002,
- BOOK, Said, Wadie, Crimes of Terror: The Legal and Political Implications of Federal Terrorism Prosecutions, 2015, Oxford University Press USA, 978-0199969494,books.google.com/books?id=8sG6BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166, 2 April 2022, “in 2004 obtained ‘protected person’ status under the Fourth Geneva Convention for all PMOI members at Camp Ashraf based on the U.S. investigators’ conclusions that none was a combatant or had committed a crime under any U.S. laws; disbanded its military units and disarmed the Pmoi members at Ashraf, all of whom signed a document rejecting violence and terror”,
- {{harvnb|Katzman|2001|p=100|ps=: According to eyewitnesses and PMOI documents, including its official paper Mojahed, the PMOI supported the November 4, 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and reportedly argued against the early release of the hostages [...] The PMOI claims it could not have supported the hostage taking because the regime used the hostage crises as [an] excuse to eliminate its internal opponents, including the PMOI. The hostage crisis brought down the government of the Islamic Republic’s first Prime Minister, Mehdi Bazargan, and the clerics quickly worked to monopolize power and institute clerical rule in line with Khomeini’s ideology.}}
- {{harvnb|Abrahamian|1989|p=196|ps=: The Mojahedin initially gave full support to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line who had taken over the US embassy}}
- {{harvnb|Clark|2016|pp=66–67|ps=: Following the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, the MEK participated physically at the site by assisting in defending it from attack. The MEK also offered strong political support for the hostage-taking action.}}
- JOURNAL, Mahan, Abedin, Mojahedin-e-Khalq: Saddam’s Iranian Allies,jamestown.org/program/mojahedin-e-khalq-saddams-iranian-allies/, Terrorism Monitor, 8, 1, The Jamestown Foundation, 5 May 2005, despite its persistent and sophisticated denials today, the Mojahedin fully supported the seizure of the U.S. embassy in November 1979.,
- BOOK, Kristen, Boon, Global Stability and U.S. National Security, 2012, Oxford University Press, 317, According to past State Department reports, supported the November 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, although the group claims that it is the regime that alleged this support in order to discredit the group in the West,
- NEWS,english.elpais.com/elpais/2020/01/28/inenglish/1580198751_981994.html, Iranian exile group paid salaries for two leaders of Spain’s far-right Vox, El PaÃs, José MarÃa, Irujo, JoaquÃn, Gil, 28 January 2020,
- NEWS,www.elmundo.es/espana/2019/01/24/5c48b358fc6c83b5218b46aa.html, Los financiadores iranÃes de Vox son ex terroristas rehabilitados a golpe de talonario, El Mundo, es, Rosa, Meneses, 24 January 2019,
- NEWS, Daniel, Iriarte,www.elconfidencial.com/mundo/2019-01-15/mohadejin-e-khalq-socios-iranies-vox-alejo-vidal-quadras_1758146/, Una secta militar confinada en Albania: quiénes son los iranÃes que financiaron a Vox, El Confidencial, es, 15 January 2019,
- NEWS, Sohail, Jannessari, Darren, Loucaides,foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/27/spains-vox-party-hates-muslims-except-the-ones-who-fund-it-mek-ncri-maryam-rajavi-pmoi-vidal-quadras-abascal/, Spain’s Vox Party Hates Muslims—Except the Ones Who Fund It, Foreign Policy, 27 April 2019,
- NEWS, Elena, Herrera,www.eldiario.es/politica/alejo-vidal-quadras-financiacion-vox_1_1746187.html, Alejo Vidal-Quadras: “Abascal conocÃa el apoyo económico de opositores iranÃes a Vox y le parecÃa bien”, eldiario.es, es, 14 January 2019,
Bibliography
- BOOK, Ervand, Abrahamian, Ervand Abrahamian, Iran Between Two Revolutions, Princeton University, 1982, 10.2307/j.ctv1fkgcnz,
- BOOK, Ervand, Abrahamian, Ervand Abrahamian, Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin, 1989, I. B. Tauris, 978-1-85043-077-3,
- BOOK, Cimment, James, 2011, World Terrorism: An Encyclopedia of Political Violence from Ancient Times to the Post-9/11 Era: An Encyclopedia of Political Violence from Ancient Times to the Post-9/11 Era, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 978-0765682840, 10.4324/9781315697994,
- BOOK, Terrornomics, David, Gold, 66–76, 978-1-317-04590-8, Routledge, 2016, An Analysis of the Role of the Iranian Diaspora in the Financial Support System of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq, Mark Edmond, Clark, 10.4324/9781315612140,
- BOOK, Ronen, Cohen, Ronen A. Cohen, The Rise and Fall of the Mojahedin Khalq, 1987-1997: Their Survival After the Islamic Revolution and Resistance to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sussex Academic Press, 2009, 978-1-84519-270-9,books.google.com/books?id=juEUAQAAIAAJ,
- JOURNAL, Cohen, Ronen, Ronen A. Cohen, August 2018, The Mojahedin-e Khalq versus the Islamic Republic of Iran: from war to propaganda and the war on propaganda and diplomacy, Middle Eastern Studies, 54, 6, 1000–1014, 10.1080/00263206.2018.1478813, 149542445,
- BOOK, Fayazmanesh, Sasan, The United States and Iran Sanctions, wars and the policy of dual containment, 2008, Routledge, 978-0-203-94620-6,
- REPORT, Goulka, Jeremiah, Hansell, Lydia, Wilke, Elizabeth, Larson, Judith, 2009, The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq: A Policy Conundrum, RAND corporation,www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG871.pdf,www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG871.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160222043501www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG871.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160222043501www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG871.pdf, 22 February 2016, live,
- BOOK, Christopher C., Harmon, Christopher C. Harmon, Randall G., Bowdish, 2018, Advertising: The People’s Mujahideen e Khalq, The Terrorist Argument: Modern Advocacy and Propaganda, Brookings Institution, 978-0-8157-3219-8,www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctt1vjqr1x.11, 10.7864/j.ctt1vjqr1x.11,
- BOOK, Kenneth, Katzman, Iran: The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, Iran: Outlaw, Outcast, Or Normal Country?, Nova, 2001, Albert V., Benliot, 978-1-56072-954-9,books.google.com/books?id=x1a6c2J49j4C,
- BOOK, Nikki R., Keddie, Nikki Keddie, Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution, 2006, Yale University Press, 978-0-300-12105-6,
- BOOK, Moin, Baqer, Baqer Moin, Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah, 2001, I. B. Tauris, 978-1-84511-790-0,books.google.com/books?id=_V-RDwAAQBAJ, en,
- BOOK, O’Hern, Steven K., Iran’s Revolutionary Guard: The Threat that Grows While America Sleeps, 2012, Potomac Books, 978-1-59797-823-1,books.google.com/books?id=Rk178rd9DkkC,
- BOOK, Vahabzadeh, Peyman, Guerrilla Odyssey: Modernization, Secularism, Democracy, and the Fadai Period of National Liberation In Iran, 1971–1979, 2010, Syracuse University Press, j.ctt1j5d726,www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1j5d726,
- JOURNAL, James A., Piazza, The Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran in Exile, October 1994, Digest of Middle East Studies, 3, 4, 9–43, 10.1111/j.1949-3606.1994.tb00535.x,
- BOOK, Sepehr, Zabih, The Non-Communist Left in Iran: The Case of the Mujahidin, 241–258, Ideology and Power in the Middle East, Peter J., Chelkowski, Robert J., Pranger, 1988, Duke University Press, 10.1515/9780822381501-014, 978-0-8223-8150-1, 242204076,doi.org/10.1515/9780822381501-014,
External links
- {{official website|url=https://www.mojahedin.org/home/en}}
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- {{People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran|state=expanded}}
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