A controversial foe of the Iranian government sought to tie the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group to the regime in Iran before Congress on Wednesday — a link that President Obama and many foreign policy experts have rejected but one that has gained traction on Capitol Hill as Obama continues nuclear talks with Iran.
“Over the past 30 years, the United States has been drawn into some serious diplomatic and military dead-ends in the Mideast by mistakenly backing individuals and organizations claiming popular support, which turned out to be exaggerated and somewhat manufactured,”Davis told Rajavi.”Would you please tell us about the role of the [MEK/MKO/PMOI] … and its place in the current Iranian political life?”
Maryam Rajavi has no experience as a counterterrorism expert, nor does MEK aka MKO/PMOI have any experience fighting (or any reason to fight, let’s be honest) against ISIS…., and this may come as a shock so sit down before you read it, she plans on explaining how the US should fight ISIS….
Yes, Congressman Poe is right. Maryam Rajavi is the most informed person about what is really going in the MKO aka MEK/PMOI camps in Iraq or France but she is not the most reliable person at all. She is not reliable because of the long history of fraud and Goebbels -like propaganda of her group….
as Ali Gharib and I documented in February, MEK’s aka MKO/PMOI influence in Washington, particularly with Iran hawks, has coincided with a flow of money from the group to American politicians, in particular, to embattled Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) who is currently under indictment on unrelated federal corruption charges.So why did Poe and the Republican majority on the terrorism subcommittee decide to invite Rajavi…..
Rajavi’s written testimony, a copy of which was obtained by The Nation, focuses on an unexpected way of bringing ISIS to heel: by fostering regime change in Iran. “The ultimate solution to this problem” of Islamic extremism, such as ISIS, Rajavi says in the written statement …
Tanter added that Rajavi is a good candidate to testify because the subcommittee members will be able to ask how her how she’s dealt with Islamic extremists in the past and how to counter radical Islam.The problem with this reasoning is that the MEK/MKO/PMOI is a kind of cult, according to the FBI, Human Rights Watch, the Rand Corporation, and just about every other organization which has investigated the group.
In an email to Foreign Policy, Benjamin noted that the MEK’s “exclusive focus” of concern has for decades been Iran. “So one has to wonder what the purpose of Rajavi’s presence on this panel is,” said Benjamin, who is now director of an international studies program at Dartmouth University.
The Belgium Newspaper Le Soir reported that the alleged Iranian spy had identified himself as a supporter of the MKO.Besides, Mohammad Razzaghi , a former member of the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) identified him as a long serving member of the MKO/MEK/PMOI.
Reaching a deal with Iran through diplomacy eradicates one of the MEK’s most effective tools for bombing Iran. However, Manipulated US politicians who are in bed with this formerly designated terrorist group may be able to derail the US diplomatic efforts.The case seems a little complicated. On one hand, there are reports on covert support of the US government for the MKO….