To rehabilitate its global image and gain political legitimacy, the MEK operates a multi-million-dollar international lobbying network. Rather than relying on traditional grassroots diplomacy, the group heavily relies on financial incentives—including lavish speaking fees, campaign donations, and funded travel—to secure the backing of foreign lawmakers. This transactional approach frequently attracts opportunistic political figures, many of whom have faced domestic investigations and convictions for separate financial corruption, bribery, and illegal foreign lobbying. To buy legitimacy, the group’s lobbying network includes a pattern of corrupt foreign sponsors which is extended from Baghdad to Washington.

Alia Nassif Jassim found with $15 million in cash

Alia Nassif is a former, prominent Iraqi Member of Parliament. In late June 2026, she and her son were detained in Baghdad as part of an aggressive, nationwide anti-corruption sweep led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Authorities found over 20 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $15.5 million) and quantities of gold at her residence.

Historically, Nassif’s name has surfaced in political reporting surrounding Iraq’s interactions with the MEK. In past geopolitical contexts, particularly regarding the U.S. withdrawal and Baghdad’s evolving stance on Iranian-backed factions, observers and intelligence analysts have monitored her political alignments with the group. Following her arrest, Iraqi civil courts also ordered her to pay damages to an Interior Ministry official in late June 2026 for making defamatory media statements.

MEK’s deeply entrenched European ally

Alejo Vidal-Quadras Former European Parliament vice president and a prominent Spanish conservative leader is a vocal supporter of the Mujahedi-e Khalq. In 2013, a major investigation revealed that Vidal-Quadras’s far-right political party, Vox, was heavily financed by foreign money. Over €1 million in campaign funds was funneled to the party by Iranian dissidents which meant MEK. Vidal-Quadras later clarified that the funding was actually directed through him to launch the party.

Vidal-Quadras is one of the MEK’s most deeply entrenched European allies. He spent decades operating the Brussels-based International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ) to lobby for the so-called National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the MEK’s political front.

Gold Bar Bob

In the United States, Former Senator Robert “Bob” Menendez, dubbed “Gold Bar Bob,” the powerful former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was convicted on 16 federal counts in July 2024. In January 2025, he was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. The FBI raided his home and found hundreds of thousands of dollars in hidden cash, luxury vehicles, and over $100,000 worth of solid gold bars. He was convicted of taking these bribes to act as an illegal foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar and to protect corrupt businessmen.

Alongside his illegal dealings with other foreign governments, Menendez was a long-time, fierce Congressional advocate for the MEK. He frequently spoke at events organized by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC)—the MEK’s primary U.S. advocacy arm—and aggressively lobbied the State Department on the group’s behalf. Due to his active political and propaganda support for the group, Iran officially placed Menendez on its terrorist sanction blacklist.

Mayor Rudy’s fat bank accounts

The former New York City Mayor and presidential advisor filed for bankruptcy following a $148 million defamation judgment regarding election interference. While his primary legal downfalls stem from election conspiracy indictments, federal investigators have repeatedly scrutinized his consulting business and opaque foreign cash flows under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Giuliani served as one of the MEK’s most visible, highly paid American surrogates. For years, he flew to the MEK’s headquarters in Albania and to rallies in Paris, demanding regime change alongside MEK leader Maryam Rajavi. He openly admitted to receiving lavish speaking fees from the MEK’s network, routinely pulling in tens of thousands of dollars per speech to lobby the U.S. government to legitimize the group.

Mazda Parsi

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The MEK’s Marxist-Islamist Roots and History of Violence

The MEK’s ideological foundation combines Marxism and Islamism, a mix that fundamentally conflicts with democratic principles. The group’s history is marred by acts of terrorism, including assassinations of U.S. military personnel and attacks on Iranian civilians. Although removed from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list in 2012, its violent past cannot be dismissed. Supporting a group with such a record risks undermining U.S. efforts to champion democracy and human rights while tarnishing America’s image in the region.

Unpopularity Among Iranians

The MEK’s collaboration with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War is a source of profound resentment among Iranians, who see the group as traitorous. This association has rendered the MEK irreparably unpopular within Iran, where it has no meaningful grassroots support. Backing such a discredited group would alienate the Iranian people, strengthen anti-American narratives propagated by the regime, and delegitimize broader U.S. efforts to support the Iranian opposition.

Cult-Like, Authoritarian Structure

The MEK functions as a closed, authoritarian organization, with numerous reports of coercive practices, suppression of dissent, and psychological manipulation within its ranks. Its cult-like nature and lack of internal democracy make it incompatible with the values of freedom and pluralism that the U.S. seeks to promote. Supporting the MEK risks replacing one authoritarian regime with another, perpetuating instability rather than fostering genuine democratic reform.

Manufactured Illusion of Support

While the MEK has cultivated a public image of being a powerful and organized opposition group, much of its influence relies on financial backing and lobbying rather than genuine grassroots or domestic support. The group has poured significant resources into courting politicians and hosting high-profile events, but these efforts do not translate to actual legitimacy or broad influence among Iranians inside Iran or the diaspora.

Lack of Grassroots Base

A truly powerful and effective political organization would rely on widespread popular support and activism within the country it claims to represent. The MEK, however, has virtually no grassroots presence in Iran, where it is overwhelmingly despised for its collaboration with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War. Without domestic legitimacy, its perceived power as a lobby is limited to its external public relations efforts.

Dependency on Nontransparent Financial Resources

The MEK’s activities rely heavily on external funding, including contributions from wealthy donors rather than independent resources or support from Iranian communities. This lack of financial transparency undermines its claims of being a genuine, independent political movement. Instead, it portrays the MEK as a hired influence group, driven by external interests rather than representing the authentic aspirations of the Iranian people.

Shallow Political Connections

While the MEK has succeeded in securing the support of some high-profile figures, these endorsements are often the result of financial incentives, speaking fees, or a lack of understanding about the group’s true nature. Many policymakers and officials who initially supported the MEK later distance themselves after learning more about its violent past, cult-like structure, and lack of credibility.

Failing to Shift the Narrative in Iran

Despite years of lobbying and spending on international campaigns, the MEK has failed to significantly impact the narrative or political landscape inside Iran. This inability to resonate with the Iranian public, combined with its reliance on external lobbying, suggests that its perceived power is superficial and lacks real-world impact.

While the MEK may appear organized and influential on the surface due to its lobbying activities and financial resources, its lack of domestic legitimacy, grassroots support, and dependency on external sponsorship make it a weak and unsustainable political force. Its perceived power as a lobby is more an illusion created through financial investment than a reflection of genuine political strength or credibility.

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Like once the MEK was, HTS is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council and is on one of the European Union sanctions lists due to its links to Al Qaeda. The US and UK governments have also included the group on their lists of foreign terrorist organizations.

In his message of December 8, Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the MEK clearly declares that the Syrian rebels are counterparts of the MEK and their so-called resistance units in Iran, and promises the early overthrow of the Iranian government – a promise that has been repeated for nearly five decades.

These similarities have not gone unnoticed by the MEK’s warmongering American supporters in the Republican party and their media outlet Fox News. It speaks of the opportunity of the fall of Bashar al-Assad to force Iranian regime change.
The Fox News article mentions some US Republican senators who support the MEK, who we have previously seen on the list of speakers at MEK rallies. These senators consider Maryam Rajavi to be the counterpart of Mohammad al-Jolani and the National Council of Resistance of Iran to be the counterpart of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham for changing the Iranian government.

The Fox News article is the beginning of the story. A Twitter storm broke out when Fox News published the article’s title on its X social media account, along with a photo of Maryam Rajavi. The post was met with intense anger from Iranian users across the political spectrum, and eventually the hashtag #MEKTerrorists trended on X English and the hashtag “Maryam Rajavi ate shit” on X Persian. Some of the comments and replies to Fox New, on the most popular pages are noteworthy. These posts, reposts or replies are a few of the contents that contain #MEKterrorists:

Mohammad Reza Torabi, a former child soldier of the MEK:
Down with Fox News and a bunch of money-loving Republicans and anyone else who promotes the Mojahedin or Rajavi. The reality is that this old woman and her criminal husband, who occasionally issues announcements from his mouse hole and has become a homeless rooster, have long been considered dead to the Iranian people. Nothing can bring them back to life. Today is the best time to say once again #MaryamRajaviateshit.

Salome Seyednia, host of Iranian TV channel, Manoto:
Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) is a terrorist group that has no credibility or support in Iran! They are very despised and have no standing among the Iranian people! Don’t waste your time on them!

Tina Ghazimorad, editor-In-Chief at manoto TV Newsroom:
That Fox News is promoting the MEK, a terrorist sect rooted in Marxist-Islamic ideologies, is completely absurd and beyond comprehension. Not only does it discredit you, it also insults the memory of Americans who once died. Before glorifying the leader of a sect with blood on their hands, do your homework and check the historical facts. No matter how much money they spend to sell themselves as “freedom fighters,” or how skillfully they parrot what you want to hear, their history of terrorism and betrayal is undeniable.

Sarah For Trump, Iranian-American X user:
What the fuck is this shit?
The #MEKterrorists are a bunch of Islamist-Marxist, undemocratic as*holes who force women to wear hijabs in their fucking cult. Their crap ideology screws over the U.S, Israel, and the Iranian people hate their guts.

Sarah Raviani, Iranian American X user:
The MEK is a terrorist organization that chanted “Death to America” and celebrated the 1979 U.S. Embassy seizure in Tehran after Iran fell to Khomeini.

Ali Hamid, Iranian documentary filmmaker:
To clueless U.S. politicians:
The MEK, which you support and normalize, killed dozens of Americans, including these servicemen. If Iranian lives don’t matter to you, respect your own victims’ families. Shame.

MEK killed US personel newspaper

Niyak Ghorbani, UK-based Iranian user:
Supporting the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), (OIAC Iran) is akin to supporting the terrorist organisation Hamas 30 years from now—a group that has always been an enemy of Israel and the Jewish people. The MEK, allies of Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat, and responsible for the killing of thousands of Iranian soldiers and civilians, will have no place in a free Iran of the future. Instead, they will be brought to justice for their crimes against the Iranian people.

Saeed Ghasseminejad, Iranian economist:
MEK is a Marxist-Islamist cult with American blood on its hand.

Hillel Neuer International human rights lawyer, writer, Executive Director of United Nations Watch:
Because I occasionally appear on FoxNews, I need to inform them: this woman Maryam Rajavi and her Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) are a cult. Not a credible voice at all.
Mazda Parsi

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Erisa Idrizi’s Speech and the MEK Case

Erisa Idrizi, the President of the Albanian Nejat Society, delivered a powerful speech during the conference, sharing the experiences of her society and its members concerning the terrorist group called MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq). She highlighted the horrific practices employed by this group, including torture and abuse of its members. Idrizi emphasized that such actions are unacceptable and constitute serious violations of human rights, as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Legal Framework for Human Rights

1. **International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): This document guarantees fundamental rights, including the right to life, freedom from torture, and fair treatment, as well as the right to due process.
2. European Convention on Human Rights: According to Article 3, no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment. The torture practices perpetrated by the MEK group violate this provision and place victims in a dangerous situation.
3. International Refugee Law: Under the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, individuals who have experienced violence, persecution, and abuse have the right to seek international protection. Refugees must be treated with dignity and protected from any form of violence.

Erisa Idrizi’s speech was highly praised by participants and the Italian media, positioning her as a strong advocate for human rights. She successfully raised awareness about the abuses occurring within the MEK group and the urgent need for international action to ensure the protection of victims.

In conclusion, the “Struggling Terrorism” conference served as an important platform to discuss the challenges and solutions related to terrorism and human rights protection. The engagement of Erisa Idrizi and the Albanian Nejat Society marks a significant step toward promoting a fairer and more humane society where the rights of all individuals are respected and upheld.

Aldo Sulollari / Media Manager of Nejat Society

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In the following video Dr. Olsi Jazexhi and Gjergji Thanasi analyse the latest scandal of the Mujahedin Khalq/ the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran in Albania. Different Albanian medias have reported that on January 17, 2020 the Albanian State Police has sent a police report to the United States Embassy in Tirana where they reveal to the Americans the level of crime, drug smuggling and human trafficking that the Mujahedin Khalq (PMOI/MEK) are doing from Albania into Europe. This report was later claimed to be fake by the Albanian State Police. However, many Albanian media have reported and report the level of crime within the Mujahedin Khalq camp. Top Mujahedin Khalq commanders: Narges Abrishamchi and Hassan Nayeb-Agha have been arrested for drug smuggling. Mohammad Sadat Darbandi was involved in stealing money from a pharmacy in Kamez. On the other hand the Mujahedin Khalq are involved in a large scale process of human trafficking to Europe.

 To download the video file click here

However, those Albanian prosecutors who open criminal cases against the mojahedeens lose their jobs. Those who obey to Mujahedin Khalq dictates keep their jobs. Journalists are blackmailed not to report the Mujahedin Khalq crime. On the other hand retired US colonels like Wesley N. Martin claim that they provide security to the Mujahedin Khalq in cooperation with the US Embassy in Tirana.

In the following discussion Olsi and Gjergji try to solve the puzzle: Who is defending the Mujahedin Khalq crime in Albania? The government of Edi Rama or the US Embassy?

Useful links:

• Iranian Exiles in Albania Arrested for Drug Trafficking and Human Smuggling – Exit – Explaining Albania
• Another MEK Member Involved in Criminal Activity in Albania

Olsi Jazexhi and Gjergji Thanasi YouTube page

The post Criminal Mujahedin In Albania – latest Official Reports appeared first on Nejat Society.

However, news published by Report TV – later retracted but echoed by Lapsi.al and Syri.net – reveals the extent of MEK criminal activity and links to mafia in Italy and Albania as well as alleged links to Middle East smuggling rings. State police provided information that from 2019 to 2021, the MEK have attempted to illegally traffic 400 MEK members from Albania to France. The police also revealed that MEK were involved with Albanian and Greek criminal groups in trafficking 7 Iranian, Kurdish and Syrian asylum seekers along with evidence of drug smuggling.

This news [see below] has alarmed European security personnel, not least the Italians. Albanian journalist Gjergji Thanasi was contacted by several Italian media organisations covering this news. Thanasi observed that the collaboration between the military and intelligence trained MEK in Albania and the ‘Ndrangheta in Italy has seriously spooked the security communities of both countries.

MEK leader Maryam Rajavi, who had been based in France, was expelled from Europe in 2018 after she and the MEK were linked to a series of serious security risks. Rajavi took up residence in Albania from where she continued her anti-Iranian propaganda activities under the protection of the American embassy. It is unconscionable that this dangerous organisation with its history of military training, including bomb making and special tactics, intelligence work, money laundry, corruption of officials and its criminal activities, be enabled to re-enter Europe through the back door of organised crime.

It is clear that the unrestrained criminality of the MEK poses a massive threat to Europe and has little to do with any pretended opposition to Iran. Indeed, the secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Office, Kazem Gharibabadi, responded to a EU parliament resolution on the death sentence in Iran, which he characterised as interference in the sovereignty of another country, by pointing out the hypocrisy of EU countries “supporting the MKO terrorist group and referring to such a dangerous group as political opponents”.

MEK Mafia Collaboration Panics Europe

Below, the reports of Lapsi.al and Syri.net based on the Report TV news.

Link to Lapsi.al
Link to Syri.net

Police seize Mujahedin involved in trafficking, but they are released after being ‘protected by embassies’

17/02/2022

Verified Albanian police sources suggest that Mojahedin housed as political refugees in Albania are involved in illegal activities such as drug trafficking and smuggling, but the cases proven against them are blocked for political reasons.

This is the news published today by Report TV, testifying to concrete cases. According to this television channel, the State Police, has provided information that from 2019 to 2021 they have attempted to illegally smuggle to France 400 members of Camp Ashraf 3, where the Mojahedin are housed under an agreement dating back to 2013 and sponsored by the US.

Police documents also mention two senior officers of the MEK militant organisation, who deal with the organisation of illegal activity in co-operation with Albanian criminal groups. The same information made public by Report TV has been followed by Lapsi.al for several weeks.

Police sources have made photo media and videos available to our editorial office which demonstrate the trafficking of illegal drugs and persons, allegedly organised by the MEK organisation, to which the Albanian state has given refuge.

But so far Lapsi.al had not made this information public pending official confirmation. According to our source in the police: ‘Since January 2020, over 100 criminal cases have been filed against MEK members.

Eight of these cases relate to drug trafficking, directly related to ‘Ndrangheta in Italy. There are also 14 cases relating to human trafficking with Greece, he said, adding that the customs and police officers prosecuted for involvement in connection with this, also serves as evidence for this.

In the news made public by Report TV, there is also a letter, through which Albanian police have notified the US Embassy of the criminal activities of members of the MEK protected by it.

While the Lapsi.al source claims that foreign diplomats have directly intervened to close the cases against them.

‘This is a scandal that everyone is silent about. We have also notified the opposition parties and they dare not speak as a result of diplomatic pressure. Even the prosecution does not dare take these cases to the end,’ he said.

The question that arises is, is this also one of the reasons that the international community demanded justice reform? Are they controlling judges and prosecutors to keep quiet about the crimes they committed on our territory, by the militant organisation they support, but which must be self-financed through illegal trafficking and smuggling?

These questions need an answer after an in-depth investigation, because everyone can agree that Albania is a host country for refugees, but hardly anyone can accept that it is turned into a laboratory for criminal experiments.

© SYRI.net –  Translated by Iran Interlink

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While the revolution had widespread popular support, as does the government to this day, it was not without opposition groups.

The MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq, or the People’s Muhajedin Organization of Iran), is one such opposition organization. It is a violent terrorist group that is currently supported by the U.S. government. Members of the MEK have never accepted the revolution, and on June 28, 1981, three years after the revolution, they bombed the Islamic Republic Party headquarters in Tehran. This horrendous crime was committed during a meeting of party leaders, and killed seventy-three people, including the Chief Justice, Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, who had been a leader in the revolution.

Thirty-nine years have passed, but the memory of these martyrs has not dimmed.

Hujjat al-Islam Seyyed Mehdi Qureshi, Islamic Revolution Leader Representative in Iran’s West Azarbaijan Province, commented that “Iran’s stable position has been achieved thanks to the bravery of the martyrs.” Those martyrs’ names, many in addition to those who died on June 28, 1981, are etched upon the hearts of the Iranian people, and include General Qassem Soleimani, murdered by the U.S. in January of this year.

Any government has people who oppose it: citizens of the nation who disagree with one or more policies, and law-abiding people work within the system to achieve changes they seek. Generally, when a majority of the population wants certain changes, those changes are implemented.

Yet within Iran and outside it, a small terrorist group seeks the violent overthrow of the government, despite having so little support to do so. Why, one could ask, would the mighty United States support such a group, when it decries any terrorist activity?

The hypocrisy of U.S. government officials has been discussed and documented by this writer often. The U.S. is only interested in self-determination when the people of any nation choose a form of government that will follow all U.S. dictates. The leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not do so. They form alliances with nations that the United States holds in contempt, and they come to the aid of those nations when required to do so, such as in fighting U.S.-financed terrorists in Syria.

Iran has not invaded another nation in over 200 years, and its leaders have a ‘no first strike’ doctrine. In the U.S.’s 244-year history, it has invaded at least 84 of the 193 countries that are recognized by the United Nations. And its continued hostility towards Iran has only increased with the administration of the unstable president, Donald Trump.

In the United States, lobby groups finance election campaigns, thus making the elected officials beholden to those groups, not their constituents. Prominent among these groups are pro-Israel lobbies, which consider Iran to be their rival for hegemony in the Middle East. Among the global community, only Israel and Saudi Arabia opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement signed with Iran and several other countries that regulated Iran’s nuclear development program, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Only Israel and Saudi Arabia praised the U.S. violation of it.

After sanctions were re-imposed following this U.S. violation of international law, this writer contacted a friend in Tehran. He was told that, while the sanctions were unfortunate, the Iranian people are accustomed to living with them, and would continue to do so as long as necessary. There was no talk of defeat; he didn’t suggest that the government should or would accede to U.S. demands. He was not resigned: he simply indicated that the Iranian people would continue to live their lives and make whatever adjustments were necessary due to the sanctions.

This is the attitude that makes Iran great, and that inspires Iranians to sacrifice their lives for their country. When one powerful country is besieged by another, more powerful one, but refuses to surrender, its people’s pride in their nation only increases. And this year, on the anniversary of the Hafte Tir bombing, the memory of those who were working for the people and gave their lives in that mission will again be remembered. Also remembered will be other Iranian martyrs, those who died in the August 30, 1981 bombing of the Prime Minister’s office, General Soleimani and so many others, whose names may not be as well known, but who are remembered and beloved by their countrymen.

The anniversary of the Hafte Tir bombing should be commemorated around the world as a symbol of the destruction and death caused by terrorism, and as a memorial to those innocent servant-leaders who died in it. It should also serve as a reminder to some governments, such as that of the United States, that their unjust plans for world hegemony will not be achieved, and that support for terrorists is an affront to the basic human dignity of mankind. It should remind nations across the globe that the U.S., the most violent nation on the planet, continues its economic and medical terror against a free and peaceful nation.

It has been thirty-nine years since those seventy-three Iranian officials lost their lives in the service of their country. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten in Iran, or by people of decency and compassion around the world.

By Robert Fantina, American Herald Tribune

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Surprisingly, the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (the MKO/ MEK/ the Cult of Rajavi/ the PMOI) celebrated the incident in their then headquarters in Iraq, Camp Ashraf. Let’s explore the nature of the MKO and why it cheered such a human catastrophe.

The 9/11nine eleventh attack sparked investigations and researches on terrorism and its definitions, purposes and types. Eastern Kentucky University considers five types of terrorism:

State-Sponsored terrorism, which consists of terrorist acts on a state or government by a state or government.

Dissent terrorism, which are terrorist groups which have rebelled against their government.

Terrorists and the Left and Right, which are groups rooted in political ideology.

Religious terrorism, which are terrorist groups that are extremely motivated by religion

Criminal Terrorism, which are terrorists acts used to aid in crime and criminal profit.

What about the MKO? Which type of terrorism does it practice and belong to? To answer the question, all the above-mentioned types should be investigated in the history of the group.

State-sponsored terrorism

The MKO was logistically and financially supported by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It was sheltered In Iraq acting as “Saddam’s private army” in spying operations and cross border attacks against the Iranians. The group also aided Saddam with suppressing the uprisings of Iraqi Kurds and Shiits. The MKO even had a share of the Oil-for-Food program of Iraq.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein, the MKO was disarmed and at the same time guarded by the US military. It was relocated in Albania under the supervision of the UNHCR and the US. Previously, in April 2012, Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker had revealed that the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) of the US army conducted military and spying training, beginning in 2005, for members of the Mujahideen-e-Khalq in the terrain of the Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site. Moreover, there are numerous reports on Saudi’s financial support for the MKO.

Dissent Terrorism

The MKO was basically founded as an anti-Shah armed movement in the 1960s. It broke out with the newly established Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution and launched a massive armed struggle against the government.

Terrorists and the Left and Right

The third type refers to terrorism which is based on a leftist or rightist political ideology. The MKO’s ideology mixes Islam and Marxism –although they are hardly ever combined. As a leftist movement, the MKO assassinated American military personnel and civilians working in Iran in the 1970s because they were regarded as the arms of Imperialism by the MKO.

After the Iranian revolution the MKO leaders accused Islamic Republic of being reactionary and once again resorted to armed struggle against Iranian civilians and authorities. The MKO’s most recent terrorist attacks were the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientists that was allegedly done with collaboration of Israeli Intelligence

Religious terrorism

The MKO is a Muslim organization in which the Islamic rules are combined with cult-like practices. Hijab is mandatory for women. Male and female members are completely separated in the group’s camps. Religious ceremonies should be attended by all members. The members of the group have been indoctrinated by the group leader, Massoud Rajavi, to believe that he is vicegerent of God on earth.  The ruling atmosphere is very similar to the ones of religious extremists like al Qaeda and ISIS.

Furthermore, the MKO leaders explicitly supported the extremist Islamists. A large number of former members of the group gave testimonies on the celebration that Massoud Rajavi held in Camp Ashraf to cheer the catastrophic 9/11thincidents. “This was the reactionary Islam, Look forward for the revolutionary Islam of Maryam”, Rajavi said.

Criminal Terrorism

This type of terrorism has always been a part of the MKO’s existence. The criminal acts of the group included bank and jewelry shop robberies before the Iranian revolution as well as child smuggling after they separated the children from their parents in Camp Ashraf and sent them to Europe. The group supporters also attacked Iranian diplomatic missions in 13 countries across the world in 1991.

Thus, whether the MKO is blacklisted as a terrorist organization or not, it has always had the potentials of committing terrorist acts. The threat of a state sponsored extremist criminal group is not deniable at all.

Mazda Parsi

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One-time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been rightly blamed for the ill-conceived and badly bungled “regime change” in Libya in 2011 that eventually led to her mishandling of the resulting blowback in Benghazi, but one of her greatest failings just might have involved the piece of paper she signed when she removed the Mujaheddin e Khalq (MEK) group from the State Department list of “designated terrorist organizations” in September 2012.

How is it possible that the bad judgment demonstrated in the Libyan fiasco that created a failed state, a humanitarian disaster, a migrant crisis, armed terrorists and ultimately produced the murder of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans compare with a signature on a piece of paper?  It is because that signature put in place one of the elements that will most likely in the near future lead to a far more disastrous war for the United States than was Libya. MEK, now labeled the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has become a principal voice of the war party that is now seeking to attack Iran, a role similar to that played by Ahmad Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress in his disseminating of lies in the lead up to the catastrophic invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The tale of the rehabilitation and rise of MEK/NCRI is a subset of the ongoing corruption of America’s political culture, best illustrated by the fact that even national security is now up for sale, enabling a terrorist group to transform itself into a “resistance movement” and eventually be labeled “freedom fighters.”

How did this happen as MEK was on the State Department roster of foreign terrorist organizations since the list was established in 1997?  Its inclusion derived from its having killed six Americans in the 1970s, its participation in the U.S. Embassy hostage-taking and from its record of extreme violence both inside and outside Iran since that time. When I was a CIA trainee our course included a simulation of the horrific attack on U.S. Air Force Officers in Tehran in 1973 that killed two colonels.

MEK is widely regarded as a terrorist cult headed by a bizarre husband and wife team Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. Its members are required to be celibate and are subjected to extensive brainwashing, physical torture, severe beatings even unto death, and prolonged solitary confinement if they question the leadership.  One scholar who has studied them describes their beliefs as a “weird combination of Marxism and Islamic fundamentalism.”

With the sharp turn of the Trump Administration against Iran, NCRI is now finding an audience , telling the American public that Iran is “cheating” on the nuclear deal.  It also tells us that “Iran’s nuclear weapons program has far from halted” and has claimed to identify four major sites that “with a high degree of certainty” have been involved in various aspects of the allegedly ongoing nuclear weapons project. This has led Jillian Mele of Fox News to declare, falsely, that “It appears [Iran’s nuclear] weapons program is fully operational.”

The CIA has in the past recruited MEK/NCRI agents to enter into Iran and report on nuclear facilities, but Israel’s Mossad is the group’s principal employer. Agents, recruited and trained by Israel, have killed a number of Iranian nuclear scientists and officials.  The group appears to have ample financial resources, places full page ads in major US newspapers, and is also known to pay hefty fees to major political figures who are willing to speak publicly on its behalf.  The group claims to want regime change in Iran to restore democracy to the country, an odd assertion as it itself has no internal democracy and is loathed by nearly all Iranians.

Because MEK/NCRI is a resource being used by Tel Aviv in its clandestine war against Iran, it is perhaps inevitable that many friends of Israel in the United States actively campaigned to have the group removed from the terrorism list so that it could, ironically, have a free hand to continue to terrorize Iran.  Indeed, neocons at their various think tanks and publications as well as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee all recommended delisting the group and continue to support it. Prominent American Jews to include Elie Wiesel and Alan Dershowitz have been advocates for the group in spite of its record of terrorism.

Multi-million dollar contracts with Washington lobbying firms experienced at “working” congress backed up by handsome speaking fees have induced many prominent Americans to join the chorus supporting NCRI. Prior to 2012, speaking fees for the group started at $15,000 and went up from there. Former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell reported more than $150,000 in honoraria. Rudy Giuliani has been paid generously for years at $20,000 per appearance for brief, twenty-minute speeches. Bear in mind that MEK was a listed terrorist group at the time and accepting money from it to promote its interests should have constituted material support of terrorism.

The group’s well-connected friends have included prominent neocons like John Bolton and ex-CIA Directors James Woolsey, Michael Hayden and Porter Goss as well as former Generals Anthony Zinni, Peter Pace, Wesley Clark, and Hugh Shelton. Traditional conservatives close to the Trump Administration like Newt Gingrich, Fran Townsend and Elaine Chao are also fans of NCRI. Townsend in particular, as a national security specialist, has appeared on television to denounce Iran, calling its actions “acts of war” without indicating that she has received money from an opposition group.

The emergence of NCRI at this time is just another fool’s game with the usual Washington crowd queuing up for a bad cause because they are both lining their pockets and thinking they are helping Israel by punishing Iran.  In any event it is a poor bargain for the rest of us, but that hardly seems to matter anymore.

By Philip Giraldi, American Herald Tribune

Philip M. Giraldi is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer who served nineteen years overseas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. He was the CIA Chief of Base for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and was one of the first Americans to enter Afghanistan in December 2001. Phil is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington-based advocacy group that seeks to encourage and promote a U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is consistent with American values and interests.

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