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<\/p>\nFor decades the MEK has been a tool the U.S. has tried to use against Iran, even though the U.S. had it listed as a terrorist group until 2012, an Australian expert has said.
\nIn an interview with Balkans Post, Professor Tim Anderson said, \u201cWith few other options, Washington has tried to clean up the image of a group which has become little more than a personality cult, with no real support inside Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
The following is the full transcript of the interview:<\/strong><\/p>\n BP:<\/strong> The Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist group has ramped up its activities aimed at bringing about a regime change in Iran. What\u2019s your take on this issue?<\/p>\n Tim Anderson:<\/strong> For decades the MEK has been a tool the U.S. has tried to use against Iran, even though the U.S. had it listed as a terrorist group until 2012. With few other options, Washington has tried to clean up the image of a group which has become little more than a personality cult, with no real support inside Iran.<\/p>\n Initially the MEK opposed the Shah\u2019s regime and participated in the 1979 Revolution, but it quickly turned on the new government and its supporters. After the MEK was driven out of the country it was adopted by the Iraq-Saudi-CIA bloc, helping Saddam Hussein in his aggression against Iran. With Saddam\u2019s support the MEK created a \u2018National Liberation Army\u2019 (NLA) of Iran, based in Baghdad, and used this to destroy Iranian villages, even during a UN brokered ceasefire. Their role in the slaughter of Iranian patriots destroyed the MEK\u2019s reputation within Iran (Carey 2018). Very quickly the group\u2019s hybrid anti-imperialist, socialist and Islamic philosophy was abandoned as it became an opportunistic cult (Merat 2018).<\/p>\n In the 1990s they continued as mercenaries for Saddam Hussein, helping suppress Iraqi Shi\u2019a and Kurd resistance in Iraq (USDOS 2007; Merat 2018). After the 2003 invasion of Iraq they were protected by U.S. forces at the \u2018Camp Ashraf\u2019 base, precisely because they were seen as a tool which could be used against Iran (Cartalucci 2018). The U.S. Brookings Institute admitted that the MEK was \u201cundemocratic and enjoys little popularity in Iran itself\u201d. Nevertheless, the think tank recognized that the MEK might be used as a proxy force. However, to do so openly \u201cWashington would need to remove it from the list of foreign terrorist organizations\u201d (Pollack et al 2009). The Obama administration did that in 2012 (USDOS 2012).<\/p>\n BP:<\/strong> How effective are they in their anti-Islamic Republic agenda?<\/p>\n Tim Anderson:<\/strong> They are not at all effective inside Iran, but have some appeal to some shallow western politicians and NGOs, many of whom have been paid to visit or praise cult leader Maryam Rajavi. The MEK has been adopted by Washington as a proxy force, like the al Qaeda groups used against Iraq and Syria, but with a distinct ideology. They are a nominal \u2018alternative\u2019, like the many other exile bodies set up by Washington for Iraq, Libya and Syria. Their tiny support within Iran is not considered that important. They are useful to denounce, destabilize and attack (Parsi 2018; Carey 2018). They also help confuse gullible people in the organized misinformation campaigns against Iran.<\/p>\n BP:<\/strong> Would the presence of the MEK in Albania threaten the country\u2019s stability?<\/p>\n Tim Anderson:<\/strong> Yes it is quite possible that Albania will de destabilized by U.S. proxies the MEK, and also by DAESH members. Between 2013 and 2016 Washington moved the 2,900 Camp Ashraf MEK members to Albania, where they had also moved some former DAESH\/ISIS fighters (Spahiu 2018; Khodabandeh and Khodabandeh 2018). The U.S. and NATO appear to be using Albania as a home for these terrorist \u2018assets\u2019; and the Albanian government seems to expect some leverage with the U.S. for performing this hosting service. The MEK in Albania runs social media campaigns, attacking Tehran and promoting its leader, Maryam Rajavi (Merat 2018).<\/p>\n It seems likely the group is still backed by Saudi money and Israeli advisers. In September 2018 the MEK was linked to an attack on a military parade in the southwest Iranian city of Ahvaz (MNA 2018). Saudi sponsorship of the MEK-linked \u2018al Ahwazia\u2019 group was strongly suspected by Iranian authorities (Osman 2018). DAESH may also have been involved. With common sponsors and a common safe haven in Albania, the two terrorist groups might be working together.<\/p>\n BP:<\/strong> Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani recently told Fox News Channel\u2019s \u201cHannity\u201d that the MEK represents the democratic alternative to the Islamic Republic. Considering that he is currently working for U.S. President Donald Trump, is it safe to assume that he\u2019s echoing the Trump administration\u2019s true Iran policy?<\/p>\n Tim Anderson:<\/strong> Yes, there is a concerted effort by many within the Trump administration to promote the MEK. NATO has also been \u2018normalizing\u2019 the MEK among the European states, as various European figures have endorsed or attended their \u2018Free Iran\u2019 rallies in recent years. For example, Trump advisor John Bolton is reported to have been paid large sums of money to advocate for the MEK (Merat 2018), while Trump\u2019s legal advisor Rudy Giuliani has also visited the MEK in Albania, on the invitation of Maryam Rajavi (Jazexhi 2018).<\/p>\n BP:<\/strong> Over the years, many have argued that due the group\u2019s unpopularity within Iran and its undemocratic nature, it cannot be a legitimate alternative to the current government in Iran. What\u2019s your view on this?<\/p>\n Tim Anderson:<\/strong> The MEK has virtually no support within Iran, not even amongst those nationalists who oppose the current form of government. Many remember its traitorous actions during the war with Saddam Hussein. Since the 1980s it became a foreign creation, ready to work for any anti-Iranian sponsor. It is only capable of occasional terrorist acts and funded PR events.<\/p>\n Dr. Tim Anderson is Director of the Sydney-based Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies. He has worked at Australian universities for more than 30 years, teaching, researching and publishing on development, human rights and self-determination in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. In 2014 he was awarded Cuba\u2019s medal of friendship. He is Australia and Pacific representative for the Latin America based Network in Defence of Humanity. His most recent books are: Land and Livelihoods in Papua New Guinea (2015), The Dirty War on Syria (2016), now published in ten languages; and Countering War Propaganda of the Dirty War on Syria (2017). His next book Axis of Resistance is due out in 2019.<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n Carey, James (2018) \u2018The MEK: from revolutionary group to imperialist asset\u2019, Mint Press, 24 January, online: https:\/\/www.mintpressnews.com\/mekrevolutionary-group-imperialist-asset\/236653\/<\/p>\n Cartalucci, Tony (2018) \u2018The US has delisted anti-Iranian MEK terrorists still openly committed to violence\u2019, Global Research, 2 October, online: https:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/the-us-has-delisted-anti-iranian-mekterrorists-still-openly-committed-to-violence\/56558<\/p>\n Jazexhi, Olsi (2018) \u2018Is Albania a Partner of the US In Supporting International Terrorism?\u2019, Global Research, 27 March, online: https:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/is-albania-a-partner-of-the-us-in-supportinginternational-terrorism\/5633671<\/p>\n Khodabandeh, Anne and Massoud Khodabandeh (2018) \u2018US Forces Albania To Take IS Fighters After Hosting MEK\u2019, LobeLog, 8 June, online: https:\/\/lobelog.com\/trump-forces-albania-to-host-islamic-state\/<\/p>\n Merat, Arron (2018) \u2018Terrorists, cultists \u2013 or champions of democracy?\u2019 The wild story of the MEK\u2019, The Guardian, 9 November, online: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2018\/nov\/09\/mek-iran-revolution-regimetrump-rajavi<\/p>\n MNA (2018) \u2018Iran: US masters responsible for today terror attack in Ahvaz (joint \u201cal-Ahwaz\u201d and \u201cMEK\u201d terror attack)\u2019, Mehr News Agency, 22 September, online: https:\/\/iran-interlink.org\/wordpress\/iran-usmasters-responsible-for-today-terror-attack-in-ahvaz-joint-al-ahwazand-mek-terror-attack\/<\/p>\n Osman, Marwa (2018) \u2018Ahvaz Terrorist Attack Exposes US\u2019s New Chapter of Regime Change Wars\u2019, Al Ahed, September, online: https:\/\/english.alahednews.com.lb\/44667\/269#.W6j0R5NKhbU<\/p>\n Parsi, Trita (2018) \u2018Why Trump\u2019s hawks back the MEK terrorist cult\u2019, The New York Review of Books, 20 July, online: https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/daily\/2018\/07\/20\/why-trumps-hawks-back-the-mek-terrorist-cult\/<\/p>\n Pollack, Kenneth, Daniel Byman, Martin Indyk, Suzanne Maloney, Michael O\u2019Hanlon and Bruce Riedel (2009) \u2018Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy toward Iran\u2019, The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute, Analysis paper No 20, June, online: https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/06_iran_strategy.pdf<\/p>\n Spahiu, Ebi (2018) \u2018MEK in Albania\u2014Potential Implications and Security Concerns for Albania\u2019, Terrorism Monitor, Volume: 16 Issue: 19, The Jamestown Foundation, 12 October, online: https:\/\/jamestown.org\/program\/mek-in-albania-potential-implications-and-securityconcerns-for-albania\/<\/p>\n USDOS (2007) \u2018Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK)\u2019, Foreign Terrorist Organizations\u2019, US State Department, 30 April, online: https:\/\/www.state.gov\/j\/ct\/rls\/crt\/2006\/82738.htm<\/p>\n USDOS (2012) \u2018Delisting of the Mujahedin-e Khalq\u2019, US Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism and countering violent extremism, 28 September, online: ttps:\/\/www.state.gov\/j\/ct\/rls\/other\/des\/266607.htm<\/p>\n balkanspost.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For decades the MEK has been a tool the U.S. has tried to use against Iran, even though the U.S. had it listed as a terrorist group until 2012, an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[243,20],"module":[78],"ctype":[17],"blog":[109],"class_list":["post-10140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mujahedin-khalq-proxy-force","tag-treason-mujahedin-khalq","tag-third-view-mek","module-interview","ctype-story","blog-western-bloggers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10140"},{"taxonomy":"module","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/module?post=10140"},{"taxonomy":"ctype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctype?post=10140"},{"taxonomy":"blog","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nejatngo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog?post=10140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}