Hossein Abedini, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran NCRI), urged the U.K. to label the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in a recent interview with a British website.

In an interview with Express News on Friday, August 23rd, Abedini asked the British government to be the first country to join the United States in classifying the IRGC as a terrorist group. He further urged the members of the G7 to “clip the IRGC’s wings” and to take a stand against the Iranian regime’s involvement in the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

The Federal Register, the Daily Journal of the United States Government, today published the State Department's official notice for designation of the #IRGC and all its affiliates as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), including the Qods Force. #Iranhttps://t.co/TfR71LgpBR pic.twitter.com/DaOFpamDM3

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) April 15, 2019

The U.S. State Department designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in April 2019. The United States followed this designation with sanctions against the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. The U.S. Treasury Department has also sanctioned a number of companies for their affiliations to designated individuals and entities.

The G7 summit took place in France this weekend.

Only One Solution

“I think the solution is, to tell you very frankly, there is only one solution,” said Abedini.

“The Iranian regime only understands the language of decisiveness and firmness.

“They consider any soft-line approach as a sign of weakness and they become more involved in continuing mass killings inside Iran as well as their aggressive foreign policy in different countries.

“For example, propping up Bashar Al-Assad in Syria and supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he elaborated.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo:
"While the Iranian people struggle, #Iran’s outlaw regime has wasted over $16 billion since 2012 propping up Assad and supporting its other partners and proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen." pic.twitter.com/n0t8VwBJME

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 9, 2018

Abedini proposed a single solution to all of these problems: “The IRGC has to be prescribed as a terrorist organization as the US has already considered.”

“And also, the Supreme Leader of the regime, and the office of the Supreme Leader of the regime, which is the center of all these terrorist activities,” he added.

“We are hoping that the British Government and the British Prime Minister will reach this conclusion—and this is what many members of the U.K. Parliament and many politicians here also think would be the real solution,” Abedini noted.

Main Force of Terrorist Attacks

Mr. Abedini went on to emphasize that “the IRGC is the main force carrying all these terrorist attacks and the instability in the region.

“So to clip its wings is really the only solution. The regime has to be expelled from these countries.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The NCRI and the MEK have long called for the IRGC to be blacklisted by the international community for their role in the suppression of their own people and for their exportation of terrorism abroad. The IRGC is deeply unpopular inside Iran and is the primary security forces used to suppress peaceful protests and the exercise of free speech. The IRGC has mercilessly tried to stamp out the MEK, both at home and abroad.

Staff writer

 

 

 

On August 15, 2019, the Hill TV broadcast its ninth segment of “Iran: The Untold Story”. The segment focused on Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran and also the main opposition organization, Mujahedin-e-Khaleq (MEK).

The Hill TV mini-series: Iran: The Untold Story, Discusses Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of #Iran#FreeIranhttps://t.co/wtUbsgmimc pic.twitter.com/qm6IIZbgof

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 16, 2019

Introducing the biography of the leader of the main Iranian opposition, the president-elect, Maryam Rajavi, The Hill TV said:

“Born into an educated, middle-class family in Tehran, Maryam Rajavi began her activism in college. She called for freedom, justice, and the end of the Shah’s dictatorship. The Shah’s regime imprisoned her brother, a MEK member, in the ‘70s. The secret police, or SAVAK, killed her sister in 1975. After the 1979 revolution, Maryam Rajavi became one of the MEK’s most effective organizers. She ran for Parliament in 1980 and received 250,000 votes despite bans and ballot fraud. As the mullahs cracked down on dissent, many friends were killed. Her younger sister, pregnant at the time, was executed in 1982. She advanced in the MEK and Maryam embraced the role of women even in the military who are shut out of political power by the mullahs.“

Speaking of Maryam Rajavi’s initiatives on Women’s rights, The Hill TV added:

“Her advocacy for women and 10-point plan for Iran today enjoys wide support among the Iranian people and hundreds of world leaders. Her efforts transformed the group into one of the most progressive political parties in the world, in which women play the leadership role. For her and her movement, gender equality is a plan of action and at the heart of the Free Iran movement…In 1993, Rajavi resigned from the MEK when the NCRI coalition elected her its president-elect. As she has made clear in dozens of interviews, she’s planning now to help run Iran after the fall of the mullahs and to prepare her country for free and fair national elections. Today, Rajavi leads an opposition movement that is considered Tehran’s number one enemy.”

Women must have freedom of choice for selecting their attire. The compulsory veiling law must be abolished; and it will be abolished. Women must particularly have the right to equal participation in the society's political leadership.#IWD2019 #InternationalWomensDay#Iran pic.twitter.com/E9mo54ZYN9

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 8, 2019

“Today, the ruling mullahs fear the role of the Mujahedeen e-Khalq, MEK, and resistance units in leading and continuing the uprisings. At the same time, the regime is surrounded politically and internationally and in economic terms, it is on the verge of collapse.” The HIll TV quoted Maryam Rajavi.

The Hill TV also reported about the annual gathering of the MEK in Albania and said: “In a display of bipartisan global support for her movement, some 350 dignitaries and lawmakers from 47 countries joined thousands of MEK members in their new home in Albania, called Ashraf 3, in July of this year.”

The program continued with an interview with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the former prosecutor and mayor of New York and attorney to President Trump, about the MEK and his participation in the MEK gathering in Albania.

Concerning a question about his participation in the MEK gathering in Albania and a short background of the MEK, Giuliani said: “I was there for the four-day conference called Free Iran 2019… the conference was about basically how can we replace the regime of Iran with a democratic government, which the MEK has been attempting to do for 20 years…what they are is basically the National Council of Resistance in Iran is headed by Madame Rajavi. She’s the president-elect. And it’s made up of a group of organizations including the MEK that are resistance groups, like the French Resistance, against the Ayatollah. They’ve been active since the revolution. A hundred and twenty thousand of their people have been killed but they still are going strong. And both the ayatollah and Rouhani have announced within the last year that they are the biggest threat to the regime. In the years past, it was always doubted that was created about how strong are they in Iran, how much support do they have. I think that all this has been put to rest now with basically Rouhani’s statement and the Ayatollah’s saying that the MEK, and sometimes they’ll call them the PMOI, is our most dangerous threat, the only one capable of putting a government together, and therefore we’ve got to wipe them out, which is what they do.”

Staff writer

The trip by the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to Nordic countries raised a series of concerns and questions about western policy toward the religious dictatorship ruling Iran. Rallies in Finland, Sweden, and Norway by the Iranian diaspora against Zarif, drew public attention to violations of human rights in Iran. Many politicians and human rights activists in these countries expressed their concerns about their own governments’ foreign policies. They are asking why should their governments embrace Zarif and lend legitimacy to a government that is on the verge of collapse. Why should they welcome the mouth-piece of tyrants in Iran by turning their backs on the Iranian people, and trampling on their own values and principals at a time that Tehran faces growing signs of dissent, particularly among youth, and when Iran’s economy is falling apart and its international isolation is growing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Zarif is no stranger to crimes against humanity. He was active as a senior career diplomat in the UN in 1988 while his gov butchered over 30k pol prisoners, members & supporters of the #MEK," writes Lars Rise, former member of Norwegian Parliament. #Iranhttps://t.co/uHM7o3PZdS

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) August 23, 2019

Lars Rise, a prominent Norwegian politician and President of the Norwegian committee of Friends of a Free Iran in an article, Hold Zarif Accountable for Iran’s Human Rights Violations, on 22 Aug 2019, asked:

“Does believing in diplomacy and not being a proponent of war oblige one to deal with tyrants or embrace their facilitators and enablers? Of course, any conscientious person would say no. So why do Norwegian officials feel obliged to roll out the red carpet for Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, during his Scandinavian tour?”

Describing the nature of the Iranian regime and the true face of Zarif, Mr. Rise adds:

“The Iranian theocracy is based on the concept of Velayat-e faqih, or absolute rule of the supreme leader. Every official is vetted for allegiance to him, and Ali Khamenei himself hand picks a number of ministers, including the foreign minister. So it is unsurprising that Zarif has been complicit for years in the Iranian regime’s malign activities. He has not only been the face and voice of the ayatollahs’ rule, he has personally worked to implement Khamenei’s reckless agenda and to justify and whitewash Tehran’s crimes at home and abroad. In reality, he is more of a propaganda minister than a foreign minister.”

Zarif sitting next to the regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Recently the US treasury department sanctioned Zarif, for being a mouthpiece for Khamenei and for advancing his terrorist and malign policies around the world.

https://twitter.com/DowlatNowrouzi/status/1163542080649646081

The writer then reveals Zarif’s records and says:

“Zarif is no stranger to crimes against humanity. He was active as a senior career diplomat in the United Nations in 1988 while his government butchered over 30,000 political prisoners, members and supporters of the Mojahedin-e Khalq, the main opposition movement in Iran.”

Assadollah Asadi, the terrorist diplomat of Zarif’s foreign ministry, who plotted the Paris bombing

“A diplomat from the Iranian embassy in Vienna has been charged with a plot to bomb a MEK rally in Paris in June 2018 and is awaiting trial in Belgium. The ambassador and first secretary from the Iranian embassy in Albania were expelled from that country last December on similar charges. Zarif is ultimately their boss.”

https://twitter.com/Amotevalli/status/1164456315663650816

Mr. Rise then talks about Zarif’s hypocrisy:

 “An appeasement policy was pursued on both sides of the Atlantic for three decades. But that policy is coming to an end, and the Iranian regime can no longer count on the U.S. to be its lifesaver.”

At the end the writer concludes:

“Nobody wants a war with Iran, but the best way to prevent war is to reject Tehran’s egregious conduct wholesale. By rejecting Zarif’s visit and holding him to account, Norway would be taking an ethical and principled position while sending a message of support to the Iranian people who are crying out for freedom.”

 

Staff writer

The world is waking up. The brutal and heinous crimes committed by Iran’s religious dictatorship was exposed in a heartbreaking report on the Express-News website.

#Iran news: Brutal ‘crimes against humanity’ revealed in @86Ehsan's heartbreaking account @AmnestyIran @IranNW @IranNewsNow @HoAbedini @mehr4ashraf @UNHumanright @IranMediaFocushttps://t.co/gAU9X93oMj pic.twitter.com/vPmGvPAg55

— Sam Stevenson (@bySamStevenson) August 16, 2019

The August 16, 2019 report written by Sam Stevenson sheds lights on the horrifying story of Iranian dissident Ehsan Qaraee. The civil engineer and human rights activist’s parents were taken away from him when he was a child. His father was later murdered by the Iranian regime.

The article writes: ” The relentless crackdown on political opponents of Khomeini’s regime culminated in what has been described as a political purge in 1988, known as the 1988 massacre. The majority of those killed were supporters of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran [MEK] although supporters of other factions were executed as well.”

The Call for Justice for the victims of the #1988Massacre is a national issue and an indispensable part of the Iranian people’s noble campaign to overthrow the clerical regime.#Iran pic.twitter.com/5M8KVknVm8

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 14, 2019

Speaking of his experience, Mr. Qaraee told Express-News that his father was murdered by the regime and claimed that his mother was savagely tortured in front of her one-year-old daughter’s eyes.

Mr. Qaraee said, “My parents were both teachers—my father was a historian and my mother was a math teacher.”

He continued: “For me, I would like some recognition from especially the UK Government that this crime was a crime against humanity. And I would like that the UN establish a committee—a truce committee—and that they investigate this crime.

“Because all of those who committed these crimes—all of those who were in ‘death committees’ all around the country—they are still in power.

“We are talking about Ebrahim Raisi who is the head of the judiciary system in Iran—or Mostafa Pourmohammadi who is Justice Minister.” Mr. Qaraee added.

Key figures involved in Iran's #1988Massacre:
Ebrahim Raisi, the deputy prosecutor general of Tehran in 1988 & member of the Tehran “death commission”, ran for the presidency in 2017 & has held several high-profile positions.
via @amnesty@JavaidRehman @mbachelet @antonioguterres pic.twitter.com/PYePp9xIHL

— JVMI (@jvmifoundation) December 5, 2018

Speaking to Express-News, Amnesty International’s lead researcher on Iran, Raha Bahreini, said: “For three decades, families and survivors and former prisoners have been struggling for truth and justice and they have documented this horrific crime in order to counter the narratives of denial and distortion the Iranian authorities have been perpetuating.”

“We have relied on this legacy of documentation and tried to use the new evidence that has emerged in order to further the struggle of the families and survivors for truth and justice,” Raha added.

The ongoing suffering inflicted on the families of victims of #1988Massacres violates the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. This suffering will not end until an independent inquiry is established to ensure #truthandjustice https://t.co/kqvjKEBmzD pic.twitter.com/ABHW5cd3tL

— Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) June 26, 2019

Appeasing the mullahs, policymakers in the West tried to turn a blind eye toward what was happening in Iran during the last four decades. However, it is no longer possible for the Iranian regime and its lobbyists to cover or deny their crimes. The Iranian opposition and the MEK are determined to bring the perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Iran to justice. It is time to unfold the untold story of thousands of Iranians who have been the victims of the regime’s brutality.

Staff writer

 

Mayor Rudy Giuliani in an interview with the Hill TV described the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as a vehicle for democracy in Iran that has proved capable of a functioning government-in-exile.

Rudy Giuliani who recently attended a 5-day conference in Ashraf 3, the main residence of the MEK in Tirana, was asked a question in the interview. If the Iranian regime were to fall and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian opposition, was to govern, would she be able to govern during a transition period and prevent chaos? He replied:

“Well, what they do, what they—these are the questions, of course, we ask them all the time, and I’ve seen evidence that they have a functioning government-in-exile. They evaluate the problems in Iran every day. They are enormously active in communicating within Iran. They remind me of the Voice of America in one aspect during the Cold War, which used to broadcast into the Soviet-dominated countries every single day. They broadcast; they try to 24 hours a day. And they have ministers, shadow ministers for each one of the agencies of the government. And they have a plan for transition. And the plan for transition would say they’d put up an interim government immediately and they would attempt to get to a full election within six months so that there’s—so it isn’t an imposed government, it’s a democracy. And her proposition is that she doesn’t want to dominate, she wants to be elected or not elected, or elected to something and they would share leadership with maybe 10, 12 other groups.”

 

Addressing the American public, Mayor Giuliani describes President-elect Maryam Rajavi as a “true disciple of peace and democracy” and said:

“What they should know is that this is a true disciple of peace, democracy. Her whole life has been spent trying to obtain democracy for her country, first against the Shah who killed I think her sister. And then against the Ayatollah who killed another relative. I think another sister. Her family has been the victim of both the Shah’s oppression and murder and been the victim of the even more increased murder under the Ayatollah. And people should know that this is a regime that has more blood on its hands than any regime in the world, and that it is the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world.”

Mayor Giuliani called on European governments to stop the policy of appeasement and reiterated what he also mentioned during his speech at this year’s Free Iran gathering in Ashraf 3:

“Why do we want to negotiate or trust a regime that’s the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world? And I made that challenge to the European governments. Hasn’t Iran proven to us that they are too irresponsible, that they are too murderous to have nuclear weapons in their hands? It would be too dangerous for the world. And I think the European governments have to develop the kind of courage that President Trump has.”

Outlining his view of this year’s gathering, he added:

“So the conference was about basically how can we replace the regime of Iran with a democratic government, which the MEK has been attempting to do for 20 years. I have about 11 years of involvement with them. But they have a tremendous amount of support in the United States, bipartisan, about 200 members of Congress, an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. I was there with former Senator Lieberman, Democrat, former Senator Torricelli, who’s actually one of their principal people. He’s been involved with them longer than I have. And what they are is basically the National Council of Resistance in Iran is headed by Madame Rajavi. She’s the president-elect. And it’s made up of a group of organizations including the MEK that are resistance groups, like the French Resistance, against the Ayatollah. They’ve been active since the revolution. A hundred and twenty thousand of their people have been killed but they still are going strong.”

Rejecting speculations about the MEK’s popularity in Iran and the disinformation Iranian regime lobbyists try to spread in this regard, he vowed:

“Both the ayatollah and Rouhani have announced within the last year that they are the biggest threat to the regime. In the years past, it was always doubted that was created about how strong are they in Iran? How much support do they have? I think that all has been put to rest now with basically Rouhani’s statement and the Ayatollah[Khamenei]’s saying that the MEK, and sometimes they’ll call PMOI, is our most dangerous threat, the only one capable of putting a government together, and therefore we’ve got to wipe them out, which is what they do.”

“If they find that you’re a member of this organization, or suspect that you’re a member of this organization, by and large, you don’t get a trial. You’re either imprisoned or you’re shot depending on the circumstances. And so 120,000 since the beginning of the revolution. Probably another thousand in the last couple of years. And they have a government-in-exile. They have tremendous support. They have tremendous support in what’s called the Iranian diaspora. And they have a charter, 10 points, which largely looks like our Bill of Rights. Significant thing is, they’re headed by a woman. This is, this is the Middle East. This is right next to the Arab world. Not only are they headed by a woman, but roughly half their leadership are also women”, Mr. Giuliani added.

.@RudyGiuliani: Iran's democratic opposition the MEK has grown & grown. I feel an optimism in this room that I haven’t felt in previous meetings. If you wanted to build this city in NYC it would take 15 yrs. You've done it in a year#IStandWithMaryamRajavi #FreeIran #WeSupportMEK pic.twitter.com/aAZe5kMJcP

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 13, 2019

Regarding the prospect of regime change in Iran and the role of the Iranian opposition, Mayor Giuliani relied on his insight into the matter and reply to the question, “does she [Maryam Rajavi] have a chance to lead Iran into a democratic state?” said:

“She does. I mean, she does have a chance. I mean, I don’t think people realize how much turmoil there is inside of Iran. Since January of 2018, I think I have my facts correct here, there have been over 250 major protests all throughout the country, not just in Tehran. And now they have spread into the economic sectors. So there have been taxi drivers that have gone out on strike and protest. There are teachers, all the teachers of the country went on strike. There are farmers, professors have joined the political activists. And you can see it. Videos that I saw when I was in Albania because they have probably the MEK people, the PMOI [MEK] people have the best window into Iran”.

As a respected lawyer and an expert in the field, Mr. Giuliani also addressed the 1988 massacre of MEK political prisoners in Iran and said, “Back in 1988, within a two-month period, the regime killed 30,000 members of MEK. Thirty-thousand people! We are talking about a crime against humanity. Crimes for which they should be prosecuted in the World Court.”

This summer marks the 31st anniversary of the 1988 Massacre of 30,000 political prisoners by the Iranian regime. The mass executions, which targeted MEK members and supporters, took place over the course of a single summer on the order of regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini. To date, none of the perpetrators of this crime against humanity have faced justice.

Shocking statements by senior official highlight impunity for 1988 prison massacreshttps://t.co/nMLyqMMmz6 pic.twitter.com/mg0g6yuihp

— Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) July 31, 2019

Last December, Amnesty International published a report about the 1988 Massacre and the regime’s attempts to prevent the families of the victims from seeking justice. The report, entitled “Iran’s Blood-Soaked Secrets: Why Iran’s 1988 prison massacres are ongoing crimes against humanity,” contains new details of the regime’s ongoing crimes against those who seek justice for those who were murdered in 1988.

The Amnesty International report states:

“Between July and September 1988, the Iranian authorities forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed thousands of imprisoned political dissidents in secret and dumped their bodies, mostly in unmarked mass graves.”

“Since then, the authorities have treated the killings as state secrets, tormenting the relatives by refusing to tell them how and why their loved ones were killed and where they are buried.”

Growing Awareness

The regime spent years denying that the massacre took place, but several high-ranking officials have recently made public remarks in defense of the executions due to widespread condemnation from the international community.

Awareness of the 1988 Massacre has grown largely due to the MEK’s efforts to seek an independent investigation into the crime. This summer the MEK held several large rallies in world capitals and organized a five-day conference at Ashraf-3, its headquarters in Albania, which was attended by hundreds of prominent politicians and dignitaries from more than 450 countries. Survivors of the massacre shared their testimony, and human rights activists called for the perpetrators to be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Political Prisoners Speak Out

The British website Express interviewed several former Iranian political prisoners and activists about the regime’s crimes against humanity.

A former political prisoner and human rights activist, said, “I was in prison for many years just for the freedom and now it’s my turn to speak up and be the prisoners’ voice.

“Iran is an old country with a great background on human rights but under the Mullahs they lost everything not only dignity but also their national capitals.”

Human rights activist and author of the anti-regime blog Freedom Star, Mr. Dalvand, said: “For three decades, the international community has been silent over the massacre of political prisoners in Iran.

“As a result, the mullahs have continued with impunity to violate human rights in Iran, launch terrorist operations, and wage catastrophic wars in the Middle East and other countries.

“Now, the time has come to end this silence.”

Those who opposed the regime in the 1980s faced torture, imprisonment, and execution.

Former political prisoner Hossein Fathi and his wife lost 14 members of their family to the regime’s executioners. He told Express: “I witnessed the torture and they tortured me by lashing. They hung me from the roof and tried to kill me.”

Ahmad Ebrahimi was detained in Gohardasht prison during the same era. He said: “They kept us in the dark: we didn’t know what was going on or what was going to happen.

“And we were taken blindfolded where all of us—150 of us—were taken to an interrogation room and asked about our views towards the regime.

“If we did not say we supported the regime, they would kill us straight away.”

All the iranian authorities from the very start to the present time should be brought to justice for the most brutal crimes committed against humanity in 1988 #1988Massacre#MEK pic.twitter.com/kGelSCmLs8

— Mina (@Minajabbarian) August 16, 2019

Raha Bahreini, Amnesty International’s leader researcher on Iran, called on the United Nations to “finally hear the cry of families and survivors.” Bahreini added: “We believe this serious human rights situation in Iran is tied to the impunity that the Iranian authorities have been able to enjoy since the 1980s for the crimes against humanity that they have committed.”

Staff writer

In an editorial published on the Issues & Insights website on Thursday, former Italian Foreign Minister Ambassador Giulio Terzi discussed recent admissions by high-ranking officials within the Iranian regime that the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI / MEK) poses a serious threat to the clerical dictatorship ruling Iran.

#Tehran Admits Strength of Iran’s Democratic Resistance .My OP-ED for #IssuesInside @GlobalCRL @HandsOffCain_En @gobadi @Mohaddessin @iran_policy @ispionline @eu_eeas @limesonline @formichenews @PartitoRadicale @RadioRadicale @MediasetTgcom24 @Agenzia_Ansa https://t.co/VlmZ78Bbx7

— Giulio Terzi (@GiulioTerzi) August 15, 2019

Terzi described an August 5th press briefing held by the spokesman for regime President Rouhani’s cabinet Ali Rabiee in which Rabiee openly mentioned the conflict between the regime and the MEK.

“This represents a departure from the government’s normal policy of remaining silent on that issue in order to downplay the threat that the MEK poses to the theocratic system,” wrote Terzi.

Unmitigated Confidence

The MEK has fought against the mullahs’ tyranny for four decades in its efforts to bring freedom and democracy to Iran. As the largest resistance group in Iran, it has established a well-organized plan for Iran’s democratic future, which is formally stated in Iranian opposition leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan.

“The MEK has expressed unmitigated confidence that the current regime is nearing its collapse, which will pave the way for that vision,” wrote Terzi. He cited that sentiment as the central theme of last month’s Free Iran gathering at Ashraf-3, the MEK’s headquarters in Albania. The five-day event was attended by hundreds of prominent politicians and dignitaries from all over the world and focused on “transforming Iran into a democratic country led by the rule of law, respect of human rights and democratic freedom,” wrote Terzi.

Terzi argued that Iran has yet to experience this kind of freedom. The Islamic Republic governs through the principle of velayat-e faqih, or absolute rule, of clerical leaders. Anyone who opposes Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is excluded from the ballot in political elections.

A Turning Point

The MEK has challenged this rule through protests and boycotts of the polls, often at great personal risk. Boycotts at the polls during the 2016 election were followed by a massive anti-regime uprising in December 2017, which spread to 142 cities and every province in the country. The regime did an abrupt about-face and acknowledged the MEK’s role in the Iran protests, contradicting years of their own propaganda that claimed that the MEK lacked influence inside Iran. “This was arguably the turning point undermining the regime’s oft-repeated claim that the MEK is incapable of presenting a serious challenge to the clerical dictatorship,” argued Terzi.

Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, an advisor to the head of the regime’s Judiciary Chief, also made recent comments about the MEK. Pour-Mohammadi was a member of Tehran’s Death Committee, which sent thousands of political prisoners to their executions during the 1988 Massacre, which claimed 30,000 lives during a single summer, most of whom were MEK members. Victims of the massacre included girls as young as 15 and pregnant women.

In a recent interview, Pour-Mohammadi once again defended what human rights defenders have called a crime against humanity and called for the elimination of the MEK. “We have no ambiguity about the MEK,” he said. “We are at a time of war. Now is not the time for talk. Now is the time to fight them.”

Tehran’s Greatest Adversary

Terzi stressed that these words make it clear that “the MEK is Tehran’s greatest adversary, and it has not only evaded all efforts to destroy it but has actually grown so much in power and influence that it was able to organize and lead a nationwide uprising just last year.” He went on to urge the world to pay attention to the words regime officials say at home because if they do, “it will become clear that they are afraid.”

False accusations about MEK are ‘finished, gone forever’ @LBJunior: #MEK/#PMOI, who have a mission in life and who have made a choice, and they are dedicated to keeping that choice.#IStandWithMaryamRajavi #WeSupportMEK #FreeIranhttps://t.co/ldOAeSqI0e – @washtimes pic.twitter.com/bjZI0SaNEL

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 13, 2019

This fear provides an opportunity for the international community and the Iranian people, emphasized Terzi. The regime is vulnerable and firm policies by the Western world would be effective in helping the Iranian people take back their country.

“It is now much more difficult for the mullahs to deny that there is already an alternative to their theocratic system and that popular resistance is their Achilles’ heel,” concluded Terzi.

Staff writer

Members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) with intelligence sources in Iran revealed new information about the extent of the Iranian regime’s use of terrorist proxy groups to the U.K. Daily Star newspaper.

#IRAN has a massive network of terrorist cells which are ready to step up attacks in the worsening crisis in the Middle East, Daily Star Online can reveal @gobadi https://t.co/m726lxCaWe

— Hossein Abedini (@HoAbedini) August 3, 2019

According to the August 3rd report, the Iranian regime uses proxy groups overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force to carry out operations in Europe and the United States

In its report, the Daily Star wrote: “The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI)—an opposition group which advocates the overthrow of the regime—warned the worsening political situation will see more use of these so-called proxies.”

Stratfor’s Analysis

The security intelligence group Stratfor also described the spread of Iranian-linked proxy forces in a report published earlier this year. Their analysis suggested that Iranian Regime proxy forces were directly involved in terrorist activities in Iraq, Lebanon, and Gaza. Stratfor also provided evidence that the Iranian regime provided material support for proxy forces in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Lebanon.

Iranian regime proxies have been linked to incidents in Europe, the U.S., South America, Asia, and Africa.

Current tensions with the U.S. have led to a number of attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which have also been linked to regime proxies.

Crises from all Directions

Shahin Gobadi, the spokesman for the MEK, was interviewed by the Daily Star about the regime’s increasing aggression. He warned that the mullahs are “facing crises from all directions.”

“In this situation, the mullahs’ only solution is resorting to stepped-up suppression, more arrests, more terrorism and extremist measures abroad to maintain the regime’s balance and to prevent the situation from further deteriorating,” Gobadi explained.

“Export of extremism, terrorism, and belligerence in the region have been a pillar of survival of the clerical regime for the past 40 years,” he continued.

“This pillar has complimented the other pillar, total repression and suppression,” Gobadi added.

Training Foreign Mercenaries

The Daily Star report also wrote that MEK officials believe that the Iranian regime is now training foreign mercenaries to work as proxies. The Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group is one of the largest of these groups linked to the regime, receiving approximately $1 billion a year from the Iranian government.

“Hezbollah has played a key role in the regime’s terrorism even outside of the Middle East,” said Gobadi.

“Hezbollah explicitly confessed that Iran provides everything, from money to weapons, ammunition, food, and clothing to Hezbollah and that without the clerical regime in Iran, Hezbollah cannot continue its survival,” he added.

The Solution is Regime Change

According to Gobadi, the growth of proxy forces can be traced back to the 2003 Iraq War, which “opened the doors to the regime as a gateway to the rest of the region.”

Gobadi explained, “The expansion of the regime’s conduct in the region did not stem from its strength and prowess. Rather it was the consequence of the weak approach of the international community.”

Gobadi stressed that the international community must impose further sanctions on the Iranian regime and designate the regime and its proxies as terrorists.

“The ultimate solution is regime change by the Iranian people and the Resistance. The West should recognize the right of the people of Iran and the Resistance for regime change and should stand on their side,” he continued.

“The clerical regime has never been as weak as today, and the prospect of its overthrow has never been so close,” Gobadi added.

Staff writer

The Hill TV interviewed former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield about the MEK as part of its series on Iran this May. In his interview, Ambassador Bloomfield addressed propaganda concerning the MEK and discussed Iran’s future.

Highlights from the interview included:

Interviewer: What are the most serious of the Iranian opposition groups? Is the MEK the strongest one in opposing the Iranian regime?

Bloomfield: I can’t speak for the 80 million people in Iran, and neither can anyone else because if you say anything favorable about the MEK or the National Council of Resistance of Iran, you could face imprisonment, amputation, execution, or if the religious judge likes you, exile…They are very well organized. They are very competent. And what people don’t realize is it’s a women-led organization, almost at every level.

For those who want to know the type of support #MEK has in #Iran, this is the 4th mass demonstration after #FreeIran rally in #Brussels,#Washington D.C.&#Berlin voicing the #IranProtests &calling 4 #IranRegimeChange #IStandWithMaryamRajavi #WeSupportMEK pic.twitter.com/ylFdyJkmMa

— Ka Veh (@kaveh20092009) July 23, 2019

Interviewer: Congressman Brad Sherman recognized the critical role the MEK played in revealing Iran’s nuclear weapons program in 2002. What can you tell us about that?

Bloomfield: President Bush also acknowledged that an opposition group had come up with this information. There were certain sites that were unknown until they revealed by the opposition. This is when the U.S. and the European Union were negotiating with Iran on their nuclear program…When it turned out the Iranians were dealing in bad faith, something that President Rouhani bragged about, later on, that’s when the U.N. put very strict sanctions on Iran in 2009.

Interviewer: What can you tell us about the reality of the terrorism accusations against the MEK and have they ever been listed as a terrorist group?

Bloomfield: They’ve been listed as a terrorist group, from 1996 to 2012, and the story that needs to be told is that they have never been terrorists. There have been four major court cases, including in the U.S., that led Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take them off the list because they couldn’t come up with any credible evidence that they had been terrorists…Not one member of this group in 54 years has ever been prosecuted as a terrorist by a country ruled by the rule of law under due process.

Interviewer: There are also critics of the MEK who say that it operates like a cult. What are they referring to?

Bloomfield: They are referring to the intense loyalty that the supporters have for each other. They have a level of trust which spooks some people. But if you realize that tens of thousands of their relatives have been jailed, tortured, and murdered over the years…all of these survivors stick together, and they probably don’t trust anyone else…They are basically being chased…They are not a cult.

Interviewer: How effective and how widespread are the Iranian regime’s anti-MEK propaganda efforts?

Bloomfield: They’ve been extremely effective… They’ve repeated things so often that people in Washington have come to believe it…If I were a correspondent and wanted a visa to Tehran and wanted to come back in one piece and wanted an interview with Foreign Minister Zarif, I would never say a word about this group. The minute you say something about the MEK or NCRI that’s real, you’re never going to Iran again, you’re never getting another interview.

Stevenson describes the ways in which the Iranian regime has stepped up its campaign of disinformation against the #MEK (#PMOI) since the massive uprising in #Iran beginning in December of last year. https://t.co/8NLlO8aVou

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) May 2, 2018

Interviewer: You have been working on Mideast issues and national security issues for a long time. What should the United States’ approach be going forward with the MEK be?

Bloomfield: My points have nothing to do with military confrontation. I think that would unite the Iranian people behind their own government. I think that’s a natural reaction. I think what we really should be doing is showing what the people in this regime have been guilty of…I would put war crimes dossiers together, and I would take senior leaders of the Iranian regime to The Hague and prosecute them for war crimes. To get that information, someone needs to talk to the NCRI.

Staff writer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Washington Times released a special edition on Thursday detailing the MEK’s Free Iran Conference at Ashraf 3 in Albania. The five-day event showcased the newly-constructed MEK headquarters and attracted more than 350 high-ranking political figures, human rights activists, and other dignitaries from 47 countries to speak in support of the MEK, the Iranian people and their fight to overthrow the clerical regime.

.@Maryam_Rajavi: "We will never abandon our struggle." #FreeIran #Iran #WeSupportMEK @4FreedominIran #sp https://t.co/dc3lDiDiZO

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 26, 2019

The featured article in the Washington Times special edition, entitled “MEK will fight Iran regime from new Ashraf-3 base in Albania,” explained the history of the MEK and the significance of Ashraf 3 in the Iranian Resistance’s struggle against the mullahs.

 

Construction on Ashraf 3, according to the Washington Times piece, began 20 months ago on a piece of Albanian farmland. It is now home to more than 3,000 MEK members. The compound is the size of a small city and includes parks, a hospital, conference halls, shopping centers, restaurants, swimming pools, and a luxury hotel. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani commented on the speed at which the city had been constructed in his speech to conference attendees, saying, “If we tried to do this in New York, it would take 15 years and launch 14 corruption investigations.”

.@RepLanceGooden: "We have to have regime change in Iran now." #FreeIran #Iran #sp https://t.co/FzMPOCIpfu

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 25, 2019

The MEK relocated to Albania after repeated attacks on its previous homes at Camp Ashraf and Liberty in Iraq. Former Albanian Prime Minister Pandeli Majko explained why his country provided refuge to the group in his speech at the conference. “In 1943, the Nazis conquered Albania and had two main demands when an Albanian delegation went to Berlin,” Mr. Majko said. “They wanted our gold transferred to Berlin, and they wanted a list of all the Jews in Albania. Our answer was simple: the gold, yes; the Jews, no. Protecting those in need is part of our identity,” he said.

 

Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), noted the significance of having so many world leaders attend the conference at Ashraf 3. “We look at the fact that so many leaders came to our home so far from where they live as a testament to the international support that exists for MEK and the faith they have in what we want to accomplish,” he said.

.@Mohaddessin: "We look at the fact that so many leaders came to our home so far from where they live as a testament to the international support that exists for #MEK and the faith they have in what we want to accomplish." #FreeIran #Iran https://t.co/f7fA9KgBlm

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 25, 2019

The Washington Times article wrote that the primary goal of the MEK is regime change but that “its formal aim is to step into the void that a collapsed Iranian government would leave only long enough to hold free elections and establish a secular state.” Mrs. Maryam Rajavi would serve as President-elect until elections were held within the first six months after the overthrow of the regime.

 

The dozens of speakers were united in their praise of Ashraf 3 and their support for regime change. The Washington Times published excerpts of many of the speeches from the event. A few of the most notable quotes are included below:

Maryam Rajavi

President-elect, NCRI

“We will take back Iran and we will build a new homeland.”

.@Maryam_Rajavi: "We will take back Iran." #FreeIran #Iran https://t.co/L3Ijhxonv9

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 25, 2019

Joseph Lieberman

Former U.S. Senator

“The battle to liberate Iran from the radical religious dictators who control it today is a battle that not only has great significance for the people of Iran but for the cause of freedom throughout the world.”

.@JoeLieberman: "A movement needs a strong, principled, collaborative leader. And that is what you have, thank God, in Mrs. @Maryam_Rajavi ." #FreeIran #Iran https://t.co/Tdt8jUU2zd

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 25, 2019

Rama Yade

Former French Secretary of State for Human Rights

“But it’s you, with your hands, your courage, your hopes, that built this place. Also, by the sacrifice of 120,000 of yours… What you did here in less than two years, you can do in Iran in one day.”

 

Tom Ridge

First U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security

[S]ometimes in your life you have the opportunity to pursue and embrace causes bigger than yourself. Some 120,000 men and women have died seeking and promoting and embracing a cause bigger than themselves. There will be an open, pluralistic, non-nuclear, democratic Iran, and you — you, your courage, your sacrifice — will be responsible for future generations to enjoy the liberty and freedoms.

 

Sid Ahmed Ghozali

Former Algerian Prime Minister

“What the history will remember is that you are a resistance against repression but also that Ashraf 3 represents a new culture; they are symbols for development and progress. My dream is to see a free Iran and only then, we may have the first democratic government in the Islamic world.”

"My dream is to see a free Iran and only then, we may have the first democratic government in the Islamic world." – Sid Ahmed Ghozali and Former Algerian Prime Minister #FreeIran #Iran #sp https://t.co/rNQ2R2oKcA

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 26, 2019

Louis Freeh

Former Director of the FBI

“One of the things I just wanted to say is listening to the testimony yesterday and viewing the room next door (Martyrs Exhibition), one of the things we have to prepare for is the prosecution and conviction of the thousands of criminals who have murdered, assassinated, killed, not by accident, not by coincidence, but a designed plan to murder, mass murder a group of people.”

Staff writer