The war on Iran has given an opposition group that has long struggled for relevance in exile a chance to grab the mantle of history and present itself as a ready-made alternative to the Islamic Republic.

As Israel and the US began to strike Iran on 28 February, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) swung into action.

Maryam Rajavi, the group’s 72-year-old leader, announced the formation of what she described as a provisional government tasked with overseeing the fall of the Iranian regime and its replacement with a democratic republic with her at the helm.

For more than a decade, 3,000 members of the MEK have lived in a small village outside Albania’s capital Tirana, turning the Balkan country into an unlikely outpost of a distant conflict.

The group, founded as an Islamist-Marxist student militia in the 1960s, relocated to the village of Manze in 2013 when Albania agreed, at Washington’s request, to accept fighters previously based in Iraq.

Now, there is an opportunity that has long eluded the MEK, one that could lead it out of Albania and back into some kind of relevance.
The problem, analysts say, is that the group is far further away from power than it was during the 1979 revolution it played a significant role in.

“The MEK is not a serious alternative to the Islamic Republic. It is a thuggish and corrupt cult that is unpopular inside Iran,” said Thomas Juneau, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of Ottawa.

“As long as the Islamic Republic was firmly in power, it was mostly irrelevant for former US (and other western) politicians to support the MEK by attending its events,” he told Middle East Eye.

The US designated the MEK a terrorist organisation in 1997 before removing it from the list in 2012.

Despite the controversy surrounding the group, which was cracked down on by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the revolution and went on to fight for Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the MEK gained international attention in 2002 when it revealed the existence of a previously undisclosed Iranian uranium-enrichment programme.

A role in the current conflict?

Iran has experienced repeated waves of protests in recent decades. Yet the opposition has remained fragmented, both inside and outside the country, with numerous ideological and political factions competing for influence.

The MEK, which began its life as a vehemently anti-American, anti-imperialist group, now stands out in part because of its willingness to cooperate with the US and Israel.

This alignment, analysts say, helps explain why it continues to attract attention despite its limited domestic popularity.
“This is not happening because people think the MEK will bring democracy or that they have any future,” said Sajjad Safaei, an expert on Iran and the Middle East.

“In some ways, because the MEK has no future, they are perfect for serving the interests of for instance the United States or Israel,” he told MEE.

The organisation remains highly structured and maintains networks among Persian-speaking activists.
Its Albanian compound reportedly houses media rooms and communication centers used to monitor Iranian developments and distribute content online.

“There is this running joke amongst Farsi speakers,” Safaei said. “That whenever you want to dismiss a Twitter or social media account, you always say, just remember that you’re talking to an MEK account in Tirana.”

Beyond propaganda, analysts believe the group may play a role in shaping narratives supportive of western policy toward Iran.
Such activity can create what Safaei describes as a permissive climate that reinforces arguments for military action. But its potential utility may extend further.

“So sabotage, espionage, inciting violence, sabotage of nuclear installations, assassinations, they’re probably very much involved there, I could imagine,” he said.

The MEK has also built a lobbying network in Washington.

Last year, supporters in Congress passed a resolution backing Rajavi’s “10-point plan” for Iran, which calls for the country to become a “democratic, secular and non-nuclear state”.

For Juneau, though, there is a critical distinction to make. While the group may be useful to outside powers, he argues, that does not mean it has a realistic political future inside Iran.

“It is crucial to distinguish that role from the delusion that it could play a constructive political role in a post-Islamic Republic Iran,” he said.

Gambit for power

For years the MEK has cultivated support among western politicians who see it as a useful instrument against Tehran.
Among those who have appeared at the group’s events are former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, former US Vice President Mike Pence, former senator Joe Lieberman, former national security adviser John Bolton, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Financial disclosures in the US show that some figures were paid substantial speaking fees. Bolton received $40,000 for a speech at a 2017 rally in Paris, while Pence was paid $190,000 for a speech delivered in Albania in 2022.
“Now that the fall of the Islamic Republic is conceivable, it becomes essential for western governments to take the issue of a post-Islamic Republic Iran seriously,” said Juneau.

The renewed speculation about so-called “regime change” has also intensified rivalries among exiled Iranian opposition figures, and the knives are out.

Giuliani, a close ally of the MEK, attacked Reza Pahlavi on X on 1 March.

“Reza Pahlavi is the heir to a regime of corruption and brutality imposed by outsiders on the Iranian people,” Giuliani wrote, adding that the son of the shah had lived “a life of a self-proclaimed ‘prince’ supported by the money stolen from the people”.

Mike Pompeo, a former US secretary of state, also weighed in, writing that “Iran’s democratic opposition is ready to step up and lead”, while quoting Rajavi.

Even so, Washington has not officially endorsed the group.

“The past shows ample precedents of US support for groups with little or no legitimacy in countries it invades can have negative consequences,” Juneau said.

Elis Gjevori, Middle East Eye

PS by Nejat Society: This article was published on March 10, 2026 when certain journalists and analyst had the  illusion of the alleged fall of the Iranian government. The war is now almost over and the Islamic Republic is still in power.

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A few MEPs who have expressed support for the MEK, view them as a viable opposition to the current Iranian government, while others have raised concerns about the group’s past and present human rights record and cult-like practices.

Active, well-funded MEK lobby

The reasons for individual MEPs meeting Maryam Rajavi despite reports and documents of human rights abuses inside her group, are varied. They can include a view on the MEK’s potential to bring about regime change in Iran, a desire to engage with all opposition groups regardless of their notorious background, and/ or a lack of awareness or acceptance of the criticisms leveled against the organization.

The MEK has actively lobbied European politicians and institutions, presenting itself as a democratic alternative to the Iranian government. This lobbying effort has included inviting MEPs to their events and to their headquarters in France and Albania. The MEK’s lobbying and public relation activities often involves compensating individuals for their participation in events, writing in media and advocacy.

Critics including former members and human rights organizations have consistently accused the MEK of sever human rights abuses, including psychological and physical torture, forced divorces and isolation from the outside world within their camps.

MEK’s extensive and well-funded lobbying efforts in the US government have been several times verified by independent media. A large number of newspapers and media outlets published investigated and documented reports and analysis indicating that various American politicians have received heavy payments and honoraria for speaking at the MEK events. One of the most comprehensive reports was published by the New York Times in 2011 and subsequently updated, detailing how the MEK, while still on the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, paid prominent American figures substantial sums to speak at their conferences and rallies. These payments ranged from $10000 to $50000 or more per appearance. Rudy Giulliani, John Bolton, Newt Gingrich, Howard Dean and Tom Ridge are the key figures frequently cited in the reports.

Financial temptation of MEPs

The nature of the efforts in European Parliament has typically included expenses related to events, travel, luxurious flight and accommodation and public relations. Individuals like Struan Stevenson, the former Scottish MEP, is one of the prominent and consistent advocates of the MEK. He is Maryam Rajavi’s is constant companion in the European Parliament. Critics and some media outlets widely believe that he receives financial remuneration or other benefits for his support, given the professional nature and frequency of his engagements.

Through its various front organizations, the MEK has indeed spent significant amounts of money on lobbying activities in Europe and the United States. Actually, the group uses its considerable financial sources to influence politicians. Their activities are designed to raise the group’s profile, propagate its narrative, and garner political support.

The lavishness of the MEK-run events and the high fees paid to prominent speakers to speak on behalf of the group, indicate the financial power of the group’s lobbying apparatus. Opacity of the MEK’s financial resources and its political funding and lobbying also highlights the group’s invalidity in its financial interactions. The MEPs who welcome Maryam Rajavi in the halls of the parliament must be aware of that they put their reputation at risk by supporting a formerly-designated terrorist group with a violent, undemocratic history and human rights abuses within its camps in Iraq, France and Albania.

Mazda Parsi

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Nadine Menendez, the wife of the convicted former US senator Bob Menendez, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for selling the powerful New Jersey politician’s influence in exchange for bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car, the Guardian reported.

Bob Menendez, 71, is serving an 11-year sentence after his conviction last year on charges of taking bribes, extortion, and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.

In January 2025, Menendez was found guilty on 16 counts, including bribery, corruption, and conspiracy to act as a foreign agent, after receiving more than $500,000 in cash, $100,000 in gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz.

In June,  Menendez arrived at a federal prison to begin serving an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt.

Menendez was also a top recipient of campaign contributions from donors with ties to the MEK. He met Maryam Rajavi and continued to address MEK rallies to promote it as a government-in-exile. He did not hesitate to state that he was a friend to the formerly designated terrorist group with cultlike attitudes called under the names of National Council of Resistance.

This is while the 2004 FBI report details the MEK’s engagement in “a complex international money laundering operation that uses accounts in Turkey, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.” This report also revealed “a complex fraud scheme involving children and social benefits” which is related to the group’s exploitation of the social assistance of children of Mujahed parents who had smuggled from Iraq to Europe and North America in the early 1990s.

Following Menedez’s trial, in March 2024, the Intercept reported that an analysis of the donor rolls shows that about 15 percent of the people who gave money to Menendez — including Moeinimanesh and Afshari — are linked to an Iranian exile group called the MEK.

According to the Intercept, Moeinimanesh, the chair of OIAC –Organization of Iranian American Communities, a front group for the MEK– who contributed $2,500, was one of a dozen Iranian Americans with links to the MEK or its affiliates that donated Menendez.

Afshari gave $1,000. “Giving money to people I think are nice is not illegal,” Afshari told The Intercept, of his contributions to Menendez’s legal fund. In total, MEK-affiliated individuals made up approximately 5 percent of the total funds raised, over $20,000, the Intercept assessed.

However, Menedez is not the only corrupt supporter of the Cult of Rajavi. In August, the FBI raided the home of John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor. The search was part of an investigation into whether Bolton illegally shared or possessed classified information. And, in December 2023, a federal jury in Washington, D.C., ordered that the former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers whom, as determined by the judge in the case, Giuliani had defamed by claiming they had helped steal the election from Donald Trump. Bolton and Giuliani are among the most out-spoken supporters of Maryam Rajavi. They have so far received six-digit sums of money from the MEK multi-million-dollar lobbying campaign.

It seems that those who admit to advocate the MEK, are either naïve or corrupt. The list of MEK’s ardent supporters who are under investigation, trial or convicted as criminal is getting longer. This indicates that corrupt politicians are proper targets for MEK agents to buy their support in exchange for hefty sums.

By Mazda Parsi

The post Regular News on the MEK’s Corrupt Advocates appeared first on Nejat Society.

Rudy Giuliani attended the recent MEK gathering in Italy and, as usual, the MEK paid the high costs of his business class trip, accommodation, and his speaking fee for a few-minute speech on behalf of the group. He was intoxicated by the interview with MEK media, and after years of scandal, he found himself in the spotlight. That was why in another tweet he boasted that he had been interviewing about Maryam Rajavi all day!

Ghazal Modirian, an Iranian investigative journalist, described Giuliani as “one of the most vociferous and ridiculous advocates of the MEK” and advised her audience not to take him seriously. According to the journalist’s research from published US government sources, estimates show that Rudy Giuliani has received about $1.9 million from the MEK since 2011 for speeches, meetings, and political support.

At a MEK gathering in Italy, Rudy Giuliani made the ridiculous claim: “I want the FBI to investigate Reza Pahlavi’s connection to the IRGC.”

According to Modirian, in real life, Rudy Giuliani is extremely afraid of the FBI because he personally has cases in the security agency that are still under investigation. Modirian summarized the content of Giuliani’s police files, charges, crimes, punishments, and political and social consequences for him in the following statements:

-He has been under intense scrutiny by the FBI in recent years and has several active cases and investigations underway against him.
-He has been named in several federal cases as a criminal accomplice and suspect.
-There are currently nine lawsuits against Giuliani in civil courts seeking large damages.
-He is facing sexual harassment lawsuits, including one from his former assistant (Noel Dunphy).
-He has been convicted of civil contempt several times for continuing to defame after a court order.
-In July 2024, his New York law license was revoked for spreading lies about election fraud and violating professional ethics.
-He was also disbarred from practicing law in Washington, D.C. in September 2024.
-He can no longer legally practice law in the major states of the United States.
-Courts and professional bodies have found him to lack moral integrity and to have committed professional fraud.
-His credibility has been lost even among legal conservatives.
-He has been ostracized from the media and official circles.
-Has been ridiculed for his bizarre behavior and conspiracy theories.
-Recently, he has made headlines again for his racist remarks in interviews and has received harsh criticism.

Giuliani, who once held the title of mayor of the United States, is now considered a loner and an outcast even among Republicans. Giuliani’s precarious situation and his desperate need for money from the Mojahedin justify his pitiful behavior.

The post Don’t take Giuliani’s tweets seriously! He has nothing to lose appeared first on Nejat Society.

Maryam Rajavi the leader of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) hosted former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani together with some other retired politicians in Rome, Italy. It seems that Rome gathering was an opportunity for former America’s Mayor to be “Honored to do interviews all day today about Maryam Rajavi and her ten point plan to have a free and democratic Iran”, as he stated on his X account. However, X users slammed him with a crucial question: How much did Maryam Rajavi pay him?

The exact amount Rudy Giuliani is currently paid by the MEK for speaking at or attending their rallies is not publicly disclosed in recent information. However, past reports and legal filings provide insight into his compensation from the group.

Giuliani has been a prominent advocate for the MEK for over a decade, participating in their events and giving speeches. While the precise current figures are not available, past estimates and statements shed light on his financial arrangements with the group. For instance, it has been reported by the Guardian in 2018, that speakers at MEK events have received between $30,000 to $50,000 per speech.

According to the report by Saeed Kamali Dehghan of the Guardian, John Bolton, another high-profile American politician who has spoken at MEK rallies, is estimated to have received upwards of $180,000 for multiple events, with a financial disclosure showing he was paid $40,000 for one speech in a particular year.

Rudy Giuliani says he is “honored” to do interviews all day about Maryam Rajavi

Giuliani himself has acknowledged receiving payment for his appearances. In a 2011 interview, Michael Mukasey, Giuliani’s former law partner and fellow MEK advocate, stated he was paid his standard speaking fee of $15,000 to $20,000 for talks at MEK-related events. While Giuliani would not elaborate on how much the group pays him for his appearances, he has defended his advocacy by stating that many other prominent U.S. politicians and military figures also participate in such activities. This was revealed in an investigative report on NBC News in October, 2019.

The financial arrangements between the MEK and its American political supporters, including Giuliani, have drawn scrutiny, particularly concerning compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). FARA requires American citizens to disclose lobbying or public relations work on behalf of foreign entities to the Justice Department, regardless of whether they are compensated.

According to NBC News, Michael Mukasey, for example, registered as a foreign agent lobbying pro bono for the MEK’s political arm in 2017, though he stated he was not compensated for his advocacy but would be reimbursed for expenses. The report of NBC stated that Giuliani, however, has maintained that he has no reason to register under FARA because he does not plan to speak to U.S. government officials about the MEK.

The MEK, a cult-like terrorist group with a complex history, was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department until 2012. Despite its delisting, the group has attracted a network of American politicians who have been paid to advocate on its behalf. Critics, such as Daniel Benjamin, a former State Department counterterrorism coordinator, who was interviewed by NBC News have found it “distasteful” that these individuals “were shilling for this group even if it was delisted,” citing the group’s past actions, including the killing of Americans.

Moreover, the source of the MEK’s funding for these payments has also been a subject of speculation.

Mazda Parsi

Sources:
1. Kamali Dehghan, Saeed, Who is the Iranian group targeted by bombers and beloved of Trump allies?, The Guardian, July 2nd, 2018.
2. Julia Ainsley, Andrew W. Lehren and Rich Schapiro, Giuliani’s work for Iranian group with bloody past could lead to more legal woes, NBC News, October 17th, 2019.

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While the US president, Donald Trump announced the ceasefire between Isarel and Iran on the early hours of June 24th, 2025, Rudy Giuliani, claimed on his X account that “The NCRI and the MEK under Maryam Rajavi is prepared with an interim government for Iran”.

The former mayor of New York City went further and claimed that Maryam Rajavi had pledged to an election in months! This ardent supporter of the MEK said that the long-life president of the NCRI would bring “a non-nuclear, democratic Iran with freedom of religion and freedom for women and a 10 Point Program to create a modern liberal democracy.”

As the Israel Iran war was almost over, both leaders of the US and Israel claim that they do not seek regime change in Iran. No uprising happened in Iran as Iranians were united in opposing the foreign military invasion against their territory. Thus, how Maryam Rajavi was prepared to run her so-called “interim government”?

Rudy Giuliani is one of the numerous American former politicians who are on the MEK’s pay roll. According to the US Department of Treasury investigations, he is one of the high-profile officials who have met with or received payments to speak publicly about removing the MEK from the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The less-than-fifty-word post written by Giuliani was seriously slammed by the X users addressing him with respectful or offensive comments, trying to enlighten him about the truth of the MEK.

The comments included warnings about certain characteristics of the MEK as a cult-like organization with communist ideals. Although the MEK’s cyber army from Albania made efforts to praise Giuliani’s stance, the adverse comments of angry users flooded their cheerful applauds for the MEK’s paid supporter.
The Iranian and non-Iranian X users tried to enlighten former America’s Mayor on several facts about the MEK:

MEK’s anti American attitudes

They asked Giuliani not to promote radical #MEKterrorists who have taken American lives referring to the assassination of 6 American military and business men by the MEK agents during the 1970s in Ira.
They supported the hostage taking of American diplomats in the US embassy in Tehran in 1979 and celebrated the 9/11 terrorist attack against US civilians.
Thus, Any member of the US Congress or administration supporting the group or marketing their propaganda is acting against American interests and national security.

Marxist Islamist extremist ideology

The MEK’s original ideology is an unstable mix of Marxism, Islamism. Is that truly the future of Iran?

Forced Hijab

In the community led by Maryam Rajavi, women are forced to wear hijab. Users say that she can’t even free herself, yet claims to fight for a free Iran with religious freedom. The hypocrisy is staggering.

Child soldiers

The case of child soldiers recruited by the MEK is a new aspect of the group atrocities that has come to attentions in recent years. The group leaders separated families from their children to radicalize them when they grew up to teen age. The child soldiers of the MEK were trained and used in military operations. Critics think that the MEK leaders should be tried for indoctrination of Iranian children, into an armed extremist cult.

Hostages at Ashraf 3

According to the audience of Giuliani’s post, members of the MEK are poor and elderly people who are stuck in a delusional authoritarian cult at Ashraf 3, a remote camp in the village of Manez, north of Tirana, Albania.
Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan will not bring a democracy, not for her own followers, let alone the Iranian people.

Zero support in Iran

This isn’t a group with real support inside Iran. They’re viewed by actual Iranians as cultlike, terrorist, foreign-backed, and illegitimate. The Iranian people will never allow their country to be occupied again by an extremist terrorist cult.
The users ask Giuliani not to speak on behalf of 90 million Iranians, to stop pretending your opinion carries that weight.

Paid Supporters

The majority of comments share the idea that US supporters of the MEK are motivated by the money the group pay them. A user suggests that the money they pay them comes from the social welfare western governments pay MEK members residing their countries. The money is actually meant for medicine and diapers for these elderlies.
American users believe that the MEK pay for their lawmakers speaking engagements and that should stop.

Appeal to relist them

Users mention Donald Trump to ask him to make the USA and the world safer, by relisting the terrorist Islamist-Marxist MEK and NCRI on the U.S. terrorist list. They say that it’s time to put them back where they belong to and to investigate the dirty money the MEK has been paying to corrupt U.S. politicians, including Trump’s former friend, Rudy Giuliani.

Iranians do not want outsider’s force

“If your plan for Iran is to hand it over to a group hated by Iranians and distrusted by Americans, that’s not liberation. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
The Iranian people will never allow their country to be occupied by an outside force. It doesn’t need another imported savior. And it certainly doesn’t need another failed foreign project dressed up as “liberation.”
Iranians should decide for their future. History has already shown what happens when outsiders force regime change: In 2003, Saddam Hussein was toppled by the outsiders. The consequence was the rebirth of ISIS. Libya was allegedly liberated from Gaddafi in 2011, the country was left is anarchy. The US forces occupied Afghanistan for 20 years and finally, Taliban was back in power.

Although the MEK claims to be an independent secular democratic opposition to the Iranian government but it is mainly promoted by its paid supporters. Maryam Rajavi routinely visits western retired figures to buy their support. Giuliani promote her so-called interim government as soon as tensions escalated between Iran and Israel. To Iranians, neither war nor ceasefire mean that outsiders can push a hated cult of personality with violent background to acheive power in Iran.

Mazda Parsi

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A prime example of this deception is the recent interview with David Jones, a former MP from Wales, aired on the group’s media outlet, so-called “Simaye Azadi.” Jones, who has long been retired from active politics, does not represent the official stance of the British government in any capacity.

This tactic extends beyond David Jones. Over the years, MEK has exploited the appearances or statements of figures such as:
– John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor
– Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney
– Patrick Kennedy, former U.S. Congressman
– Ingrid Betancourt, retired Colombian politician
– Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former Vice President of the European Parliament
– Giuliano Pisapia, former Italian MEP

And other retired personalities who either accepted financial donations or were drawn in by their anti-Iran stance—willingly or unknowingly serving the propaganda machine of the Cult of Rajavi.

A Reality Far from Their Propaganda

None of these individuals, especially in their current roles, hold any influence in official decision-making bodies. Their participation in MEK events does not reflect the policies of their respective governments and has sometimes drawn criticism from media and the public alike.

Conclusion: Unmasking Deceit through Responsible Awareness

Through relentless propaganda efforts, the Rajavi cult seeks to disguise its dark history with a polished exterior. It is incumbent upon journalists, human rights defenders, independent institutions, and free media to expose these manipulative tactics. The exploitation of retired figures, instead of genuine grassroots or political support, only underscores the group’s deep isolation and lack of credibility among nations.

Fereydoon Ebrahimi

The post The MEK Illusion of “International Support” appeared first on Nejat Society.

This resolution is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress by McClintock on February 26, 2025. According to the Congress, the resolution has been cosponsored by 224 representatives (139 Republicans, 85 Democrats), and the chance of being agreed is 21 percent.

The act of McClintock and his peers indicate that the MEK have mastered the art of lobbying in the US government. Through clandestine funding and aggressive lobbying, the MEK has managed to gain the endorsement of Western politicians, this time Congressman McClintock. They. These endorsements, however, are based on a selective narrative that conveniently ignores the MEK’s history of terrorism and authoritarianism.

The MEK and its political arm, the so-called NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran), are primarily used as leverage by Western powers to gain strategic concessions, rather than as legitimate contenders for Iran’s future leadership. While the group may serve tactical purposes in short-term objectives—such as intelligence gathering, sabotaging nuclear facilities, or eliminating key figures—their role is largely instrumental.

The most recent role that the MEK played was echoed by Fox News last week when it claimed that new satellite images obtained by Fox News have shown a secret Iranian nuclear weapons facility. The MEK’s figure Alireza Jafarzadeh on Fox News has been responsible to fear-monger about what he calls “the threat of the nuclear weapons program of Iran”. Whenever the US-Iran negotiations get close to a potential agreement, the MEK is the best instrument for US warmongers and Israel to play in their ground.

As a matter of fact, The MEK is a pawn in a larger geopolitical game, one where it is useful for undermining the regime but is not considered a viable alternative for a future Iran even if the H.Res. 166 resolution claims that Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan enjoys the support of thousands of western figures.

MEK’s History of Terrorism, Betrayal

When discussing Iran’s future, the MEK stands out—not for its promise of democracy, but for its long history of terrorism, betrayal, and oppressive practices. Despite attempts to rebrand itself as a democratic force, the MEK’s violent history, actions and alliances speak of a much darker story.

An authoritarian group

The MEK’s origins lie in its founding as an Islamo-Marxist organization, ideologically tied to communism. Early on, it sought financial and logistical support from the Soviet KGB, requesting $300 million and asylum for its members in 1970. Such alliances paint a clear picture of a group willing to partner with dictatorships such as Saddam Hussein for survival and influence, rather than championing democratic ideals.

Terror Campaigns against Americans and Western Interests

The MEK’s history is marked by brutal attacks on Americans and Western institutions. In 1972, the group attempted to assassinate Brig. Gen. Harold Price, leaving him permanently disabled. In 1973, they murdered Lt. Col. Louis Lee Hawkins in Tehran. By 1976, the MEK was implicated in the killing of three American employees of Rockwell International—William Cottrell, Donald Smith, and Robert Krongard.
Beyond assassinations, the MEK engaged in bombings throughout the 1970s, targeting multinational corporations like Pan-American Airlines and Shell Oil, as well as SAVAK intelligence facilities. These attacks were not acts of resistance but calculated acts of terror aimed at spreading fear and asserting control.

Crimes against Humanity as Saddam’s private army

The MEK’s betrayal of its homeland reached a peak during the Iran-Iraq War, where it allied with Saddam Hussein. The group not only fought alongside Iraqi forces against Iran but also participated in suppressing Kurdish, Turkmen, and Shia uprisings in Iraq. These actions directly contributed to crimes against humanity, cementing the MEK’s reputation as opportunists willing to side with despots for power.

Rajavi’s Cult of Personality

Internally, the MEK operates as a cult, enforcing rigid authoritarian control over its members. Absolute loyalty is demanded, dissent is crushed, and brainwashing techniques are used to maintain the Rajavis’ dominance. These practices expose the group’s true nature: not a political movement, but a power-hungry organization bent on domination.

Detested by Iranians

Far from being a voice for the Iranian people, the MEK is widely despised across political and social spectrums in Iran. Its betrayal during the Iran-Iraq War, violent history of killing Iranian people, and authoritarian practices have alienated it from the population. The MEK’s lack of grassroots support underscores its illegitimacy as a representative of Iran’s future.

Warning for MEK sponsors

The MEK’s history disqualifies it as a legitimate opposition group or a viable alternative for Iran’s future. From assassinations and bombings to collaboration with Saddam Hussein, the group’s actions reveal a pattern of betrayal and authoritarianism. Any endorsement of this group– even as a tool to obstruct Iran-Us talks– betrays the values of justice and human rights that.

By Mazda Parsi

The post Why so much hate speech against MEK sponsor in the US Congress appeared first on Nejat Society.

In 2017, a former CIA counterterrorism officer, Philip Giraldi of the American Herald Tribune newspaper, warned about the relationship between the MEK and American politicians and the increasing rise of the formerly-terrorist designated group in the United States. Giraldi ironically stated that if you are a terrorist group and have a history of carrying out terrorist operations against Iran and the United States itself, you can easily pay and spend money in Washington, even having a lobby office on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

This law is actually known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which was passed in 1938. It requires lobbyists and representatives of foreign entities in the United States to register their activities and expenses with the Department of Justice, and its main goal is to provide transparency about foreign influence on American policymaking and public opinion.
As a terrorist group, the MEK also used this mechanism to survive in the United States. The group was registered with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). According to documents and data registered on the OpenSecrets website, the MEK’s expenses for lobbying with American institutions reached about $516,000 in 2017, about $440,000 in 2018, and $60,000 in the first quarter of 2019!

In fact, this American law had led to the formation of multi-million-dollar contracts between Rajavi’s terrorist organization and lobbying companies in the United States in those years, and it had gone so far that many American politicians had united in their advocacy on behalf of the MEK. Before 2012 and their removal from the terrorist list, the fee for a speech in favor of this terrorist organization was $15,000; but according to the latest report by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Randall in 2017, the latest fee for each speech in favor of the MEK was $150,000.

Who is the leader of the MEK’s lobbying team in the US?

Farzaneh Yazdanpanah, the main agent of the MEK’s intelligence headquarters, is responsible for communicating with US parliamentary officials. She has been in contact with Secretary of State Mark Rubio in the past and has pursued numerous lobbying projects with this American official.

Farzaneh Yazdanpanah, the main agent of the MEK’s intelligence headquarters

Farzaneh is not the only member of the Yazdanpanah family involved with the MEK. Her brother, Parviz Yazdanpanah, was also a member of the organization. He fled Iran in 1986 and he now lives with his wife, Ensiyeh Hosseini (under the organizational name Ensiyeh Yazdanpanah), in El Sobrante, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Parviz Yazdanpanah

According to a report published in 2016 about Parviz Yazdanpanah, he works as a florist in San Francisco undercover. Parviz also had another sister, Parvaneh Yazdanpanah, who was killed in the MEK’s cross border operation against Iran in 1988.
Of course, Farzaneh Yazdanpanah is not the only MEK lobbyist in the United States. Hedayatollah Mostofi is also another agent of the MEK who, in cooperation with Yazdanpanah, is a member of their lobby. Mostofi has established many connections with Mark Rubio through Senator Margaret Dougherty and is considered Yazdanpanah’s correspondent in Rajavi’s lobbying projects.

Ali Safavi

Ali Safavi is another influential element of the Cult of Rajavi in the United States. Safavi is the spokesman for the MEK’s office in Washington. He has spent some time at Camp Ashraf, Iraq, where he underwent terrorist training and ideological indoctrination.

He has also participated in organizing and creating terrorist teams at Camp Ashraf and sending them inside Iran. After receiving individual military training and succeeding in ideological induction courses, he was called back to the European office of the group. He has also served as a representative of the National Council of Resistance (the political cover of the MEK) in the United States.

Safavi is also a member of the organization’s Foreign Relations Committee and manages the MEK Economic Network, which is supported by wealthy firms based in Europe and North America. This network, under the guise of charitable donations, provides financial resources for the MEK’s actions against Iran.

Through the income from this network, Safavi has connections with the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States. Safavi was one of those who organize the MEK’s rallies against Iranian government, in the United States.
Another lobbyist of the MEK in the US is Alireza Jafarzadeh, who is the representative and versatile of the group in the United States.

He joined the MEK in 1981 when he was a student in the US and served as one of the spokespersons in the group’s diplomatic relations department. In June 1986, when Massoud Rajavi was expelled from France and transferred to Iraq, the French government expelled a number of MEK members to Gabon.

Following these expulsions, the MKO terrorist organization’s organizations went on strike, and many of its members and officials from different countries called for suicide and self-immolation operations. Alireza Jafarzadeh was one of those officials who announced his willingness to perform self-immolation.

After the MEK was listed as a terrorist group in 1997, it was unable to continue its previous activities. So Jafarzadeh continued his service as a columnist for the Huffington Post since 2006, and the, he was recruited by the warmonger’s media group, Fox New, where he appeared as a commentator and analyst of international relations.

In addition, Jafarzadeh was the one who allegedly disclosed the Iranian nuclear sites and scientists.

Sona Samsami is another high-ranking member of MEK who is in charge of the organization’s Washington office. She was in Camp Ashraf for about a year in 1986 and was sent to the United States after receiving espionage and terrorist training.

Sona Samsami

Sona Samsami, along with Alireza Jafarzadeh, played a role as the person in charge of the case of exposing the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. She is now the organization’s representative in Washington, responsible for lobbying American political retirees for speeches worth several hundred dollars in support of the MEK.

She is also one of the coordinators of the self-immolations of MEK members abroad. Samsami is one of those MEK high-ranking members who is mostly detested by former members of the group. She has played a major role in suppressing female members of the MEK, both at Camp Ashraf and abroad.

Hassan Soltani

Hassan Soltani is another of Farzaneh Yazdanpanah’s associates in lobbying with American officials and senators. He is also the MEK’s agent for money laundering in the US territory in order to pay American politicians. Until recent years, these funds were paid directly, but after a while, in order to evade money laundering charges and being traced, he pays them in form of expensive watches and small gold bars.

Documents on MEK lobbying and money laundering

Documents on MEK lobbying and money laundering

Documents on MEK lobbying and money laundering

The post Who are the MEK’s lobbyists in the US government? appeared first on Nejat Society.

According to information available on the US Congress website, the resolution in question was submitted by 160 Cosponsors (106 Republicans, 54 Democrats). This is despite the fact that only three representatives of Congress were present at the hearing on February 26th, 2025.

Zoe Lofgren, Tom McClintock and Brad Sherman were supposedly representing their colleagues to refer the Resolution H.Res. 166 to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Why the remaining representatives supporting the MEK were not present at this meeting is a good question to be asked. The answer to this question lies in the points that follow. Points that show that the resolution is arbitrary and based on false information and is even clearly authored by the MEK, as the financial sponsor of the whole scenario.

Where is the voice of the Iranian people?

Nowhere in the resolution is there a trace of statistics or documents about the type of government the Iranian people want or their level of approval for the MEK and Maryam Rajavi. This is despite the fact that according to the text of the resolution, the signatories have introduced the MEK as a subversive force and Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point plan as a model for the future government in Iran.
It goes without saying that if anyone wants to think logically and comprehensively about changing the government in Iran, in addition to polling the Iranian people, it is necessary to consider other opposition groups as well.

Woman, Resistance, Freedom?!

Even the most ignorant politicians know that the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” has never been a topic in Iranian society, and the removal of the word “life” from the overarching slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” is solely a fabrication of the MEK, as a cult-like group that openly considers “life” to be the enemy of struggle.

The submitters are congressmen from a country that considers itself the Super Power of the world and sets tasks for regime change for another country and defines the type of government for it. However, they are too ignorant to have heard the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom”! How were they able to hear “Woman, Resistance, Freedom”?
“Woman, Resistance, Freedom” was only transmitted in the hashtags of the MEK’s virtual army on social networks from their Albanian base, in the remote village in North of Tirana, Manez.

Paid Advocacy

It is not strange that the submitters are not surprised that the fabricated slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” is claimed to be the demand of the Iranian people while they have never heard it in the streets of Iran, because it is likely that many of those whose names are listed as submitters have not read the text of the resolution at all.

They did not read it and eventually did not object to the text. This shows their extreme ignorance. Nonetheless, the point is something else. This obvious contradiction of the resolution’s text with the reality in the world makes it clear that the donations of the MEK are so compelling that a congressman, without attending a hearing or reading the text of the resolution, would declare his support for an organization with a history of terrorism, extremism and cult-like violence.
Ultimately, American representatives should be asked whether they would accept a foreign force to declare what kind of government their country should have or who should govern it with what intentions?

In any case, this resolution is a politically signaling, not policy making, and according to the estimates on the Congress website, the probability of its approval is 13 percent. However, its wording suggests foreign approval of a specific political outcome – which has led to interventions that ignores the action and will of the Iranian people.

Mazda Parsi

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