In the not too distant past, Jafarzadeh was happy to proffer scary stories about ayatollahs with nukes. Now, however, as a neocon team player, he has adopted the Iran meddling in Iraq theme, apparently the emerging rationale conjured up as a flimsy excuse to be used in the upcoming effort to shock and awe Iranian school children and grandmothers.
For years, the MKO has repeated contradictory claims on the internal situation of Iran in order to receive advantages from the West, and the US in particular. Now, these claims have become so unbearable that even CNN’s presenter turns on Jafarzadeh asking him:”what internal situation are you talking about?”In response to Jafarzadeh’s request from the West to put pressure on Iran and focus on internal situation,
Jafarzadeh intends to say that if the US is caught in Iraq that is because it challenged a legitimate regime much supported by people. He might be criticizing the US for not invading Iran prior to Iraq. That is just what Mohammad Mohadessin referred to in one of his Direct Talk programs aired by Mojahedin’s TV network as he enunciated on the UN Security Council’s resolution issued against Iran.
In the meeting, MKO’s traditional supporters spoke in favor of MKO policies which made their speeches repetitious, hollow and clichéd. Their speeches showed how unaware they were [of the nature of MKO], people who have been supporting the group for more than 2 decades!
Iraqi PM’s Security Advisor Shirvan Vaeli said in an interview with Al-Forat TV:”Mojahedin-e Khalq has made alliance with Al-Qaeda in Dyalah province; it’s conducting terrorist activities in this province.”Vaeli said he had documents proving the existence of link between the MKO and some MPs who try to ruin the government….
John Bolton, who was then the Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control, privately conveyed to International Atomic Energy Agency officials his suspicions that Iran was conducting research – at Parchin,….So, at a press conference held in Paris on 3 February, 2005, by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (a US State Department designated”terrorist organization”) Mohammad Mohaddessin, the self-styled Chairman of their Foreign Affairs Committee, made certain specific charges about Iran’s ongoing nuclear programs….
Following the fall of dictatorial regime in 2003, coalition forces surrounded the MKO and forced them to give up their arms but allowed them to stay in their camp. Several MKO members in Iraq left the country to get to a European nation but many others remained in MKO camps. Some others started serving remnants of Baath party and were actually welcomed by Baathists who considered them as the guests of Saddam.
It seems that Tanter thinks the MKO has arrived in Iraq just yesterday that it would gain public favor (in the case of being allowed to operate)! Or, he may think that the MKO has been doing nothing in Iraq for the past 25 years!More interesting is that Tanter is going to take advantage of the MKO in his election campaigns in the favor of Neoconservatives and warmongers.
On the other hand, Mr. Ahmed Bokhari, Director of UNHCR’s Middle East Affairs, announced that the members of MKO can get refugee status (in Iraq or another country) under three conditions:
1. Cutting ties with the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization
2. Denouncing terrorist activities (in the past)
3. Giving pledge not to return to terrorism again
The IAEA branded the American report”outrageous and dishonest”for asserting that Tehran’s nuclear plans were geared towards weapons. This, of course, was just the latest flare-up in the running debate over Iran’s supposed nuclear ambitions. So where is Washington getting its information? Try an Iranian opposition group known as the Mujahedin-e-Khalq – MeK for short. Given the debacle over Saddam’s non-existent WMDs in Iraq, you’d reckon there’d have to be a touch of caution where Iranian exiles peddling nuclear secrets are concerned.