Recently, in an effort to keep the name of Massoud Rajavi alive, supporters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) released a video of his last on-camera appearance, dating back 23 years. The disappearance of Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the MEK, carries various political, organizational, and security implications—a subject well worth examining.
His prolonged absence—dating back to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, which coincided with Nowruz 1382 in Iranian calendar—has become an unspoken mystery and a source of crisis for the organization’s internal structure and external views on it. The dimensions of keeping Masoud Rajavi’s status hidden can be categorized into several key areas:
The Legitimacy Crisis and the Risk of Organizational Collapse
The MEK is built upon a highly hierarchical, ideological system centered around a cult of personality revolving entirely around Massoud Rajavi. In such structures, the leader serves as the pivotal unifying figure, a spiritual guide, and the absolute decision-maker. He acts as the heartbeat of the organization; all his followers and supporters are dependent upon him. Concepts such as being “connected to him” or “becoming one with him” are rituals that members are expected to undergo.
Among the leadership of the MEK, there is a prevalent fear that the organization could collapse entirely in the absence of Massoud Rajavi. Formally announcing his death or permanent disappearance—without an undisputed successor in place—could lead to departure of members, profound disillusionment among members, and, ultimately, the disintegration of the organization. For this reason, the remaining leaders have attempted to mask this significant void by periodically releasing old audio or video messages, or written texts, attributed to him.
The video recently circulated by the group’s supporters—accompanied by reverent praise—purports to be the latest footage of Massoud Rajavi, showing him in a trench in Iraq, dressed in combat outfit.
Speculation Regarding his Death During the 2003 Attacks
Since the onset of the U.S.-led military invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003, the group’s camps—most notably Camp Ashraf—became targets of extensive bombardment and security threats. Reports from former members of the group and international observers suggest that Massoud Rajavi may have been killed during those initial attacks.
However, due to the secretive and highly secure nature of the MEK, rank-and-file members and the media were never granted clear access to medical records or visual evidence that would definitively establish his fate.
The Role of American and Israeli Intelligence Services
Some analysts believe that the persistent ambiguity surrounding the status of Massoud Rajavi was not merely an internal organizational decision, but rather a strategy to preserve an intelligence asset. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein, the subsequent departure from Iraq, and the relocation to Albania, the MEK—while having lost its military and operational effectiveness—attracted the attention of certain foreign governments and intelligence services due to its existing intelligence network and history of spying activities within Iran.
Western powers and the group’s regional backers like Israel may have deemed the preservation of this structure—even amidst the ambiguity of an absent or hidden leadership—to be useful for exerting political and intelligence-related pressure against the Islamic Republic.
Mazda Parsi