Iranian regime Foreign Minister Javad Zarif traveled to Paris on Friday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron amidst a wave of protests from the Iranian diaspora in France, MEK supporters, and human rights activists.

Paris Protests

Protests in France began early Friday morning in Paris’ Trocadero Square in protest of Zarif’s arrival, growing to a crowd of hundreds.

Videos shared on social media show protesters marching with Iranian flags and holding signs demanding, “Expel agents of the terrorist regime,” “Stop appeasing mullahs’ regime,” “End making concessions to the mullahs,” and “Shut down the Iranian regime’s espionage centers in Europe.”

Iranians in Paris marched to protest #Zarif's visit and chanted:
"Zarif is a charlatan and has to get out of France."#Iran #ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs #Zarif_inte_välkommen@JY_LeDrian @francediplo_EN @francediplo pic.twitter.com/2E0DTdVHiW

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 23, 2019

The demonstrators carried a banner that read, “Expel Zarif,” and chanted, “Zarif is a terrorist! Expel him!” and “Zarif is a charlatan and has to get out of France!”

The District One municipality in Paris hung a banner on its municipal building in opposition to Zarif’s visit. The banner featured an image of Zarif and read, “Iran’s Mullahs and its Foreign Minister violate our principles. We do not welcome them.” District One in Paris is a sister to Ashraf-3.

Those supporting #NCRI, which also includes the #MEK, strictly reject Zarif's presence.#Zarif_inte_välkommen, Municipality of Paris's 1st Distric (Ashraf Sister City)#Iran #ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs @JY_LeDrian @francediplo_EN @francediplo pic.twitter.com/WX5kmTHZzy

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 23, 2019

Disrespectful to the People of Iran

Paris is the last leg of Zarif’s European tour with foreign leaders, which began last weekend and included trips to Finland, Sweden, and Norway. The regime Foreign Minister was greeted with protests from MEK supporters and members of the Iranian communities in each of the countries he visited. The protesters condemned the Iranian regime’s despicable human rights record and its state-sponsorship of terrorism. They further said that it was disrespectful to the people of Iran who have fought the mullahs’ oppression for forty years to allow Zarif to enter Europe after multiple terrorist plots against the MEK and Iranian dissidents on European soil by the regime in 2018 were foiled by European authorities.

Five regime diplomats, including an ambassador, were expelled from Europe for their involvement in terrorist plots against the MEK and Iranian dissidents in 2018. Another four operatives and a regime diplomat are currently awaiting trial in Belgium for the attempted bombing of the Free Iran gathering outside of Paris in 2018.

Zarif’s Reaction

Zarif, who ostensibly planned this European tour in an attempt to assuage the fears of the international community and convince the world that the Iranian regime is not dangerous or unstable, responded to the large crowds of protesters with predictable rage. In an August 21st interview with Iranian regime state-run Press TV, he openly threatened the protesters in Sweden calling for his expulsion, saying: “Ask any one of those individuals standing outside to attend any meetings by Iranians [the regime’s Revolutionary Guards and agents] and then see whether they would survive. They would not stay alive for a minute…. They cannot stay in Iraq either because the people of Iraq [the regime’s proxies in that country] will eat them alive.”

#Zarif, the FM of the religious dictatorship ruling Iran, If regime agents capture dissidents, they will eat them alive and not let them live for a minute.#ban_Zarif #ZarifIsALiar #Zarif_inte_välkommen #NoImpunity4Mullahs @Haavisto @SweMFA @NorwayMFA pic.twitter.com/NdFanhCx6v

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 22, 2019

 

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström responded to the public outcry against Zarif’s presence in the country, saying that the Swedish government did not invite Zarif and that he had requested the visit.

Staff writer

 

 

Iranian regime Foreign Minister Javad Zarif lashed out at protesting members of the Iranian diaspora in Sweden on Wednesday with a series of death threats, saying that the protesters, who were in Stockholm to demand Zarif’s expulsion from Sweden, would not survive in Iran or Iraq because they would be eaten alive.

#Zarif, the FM of the religious dictatorship ruling Iran, If regime agents capture dissidents, they will eat them alive and not let them live for a minute.#ban_Zarif #ZarifIsALiar #Zarif_inte_välkommen #NoImpunity4Mullahs @Haavisto @SweMFA @NorwayMFA pic.twitter.com/NdFanhCx6v

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 22, 2019

The threats came during an August 21st interview with Iranian state-run Press TV. Zarif, who was clearly rattled by protests during his visits to Finland and Sweden, openly threatened the demonstrators with death, saying: “Ask any of those individuals standing outside to attend any meetings with Iranians [the regime’s Revolutionary Guards and agents] and then see whether they would survive. They would not stay alive for a minute…. They cannot even stay in Iraq because the people of Iraq [the regime’s proxies in that country] will eat them alive.”

Zarif’s comments took place in the midst of a diplomatic tour of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and France. The presumed goal of these visits is to convince the international community that the Iranian regime does not pose a threat to the world and should be treated like a “normal country.” The fact that Zarif could not manage to avoid threatening peaceful protesters in Europe with death even on a diplomatic tour is telling.

Protests in Scandinavia and France

On Monday, protesters greeted Zarif in Helsinki, Finland bearing signs reading, “Zarif Get Lost!” and “Stop appeasing mullahs in Iran.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talks with #Zarif of a country that has repeatedly committed terrorist activities against its opposition in European soil, is a disrespect to Iranian people’s struggle for 40 years against tyranny & oppression.#Iran #ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs#Zarif_inte_välkommen @Niinisto pic.twitter.com/ldBMqfsp7M

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 19, 2019

On Tuesday, protesters in Stockholm, Sweden met Zarif with large banners reading “Stop appeasing the Mullahs’ regime. Expel their agents,” and “Kick Javad Zarif Out! Europe and Nordic countries are no Place for Criminals and Terrorists: World Peace, Stability, and Democracy Requires Regime Change in Iran.”

On Wednesday, Swedish police arrested protesters who were demonstrating for the second day of Zarif’s visit. Videos posted to social media show members of the Iranian diaspora lying on the ground passively resisting arrest and yellow-jacketed MEK supporters recording the arrests, attending to those who were injured, and attempting to defuse the situation.

Widespread protests by supporters of the Iranian Resistance against the presence of #Zarif, representing a government of execution and suppression.
Many of them attacked and arrested by Stockholm police.
This is shameful of them!
#Zarif_inte_välkommen @margotwallstrom @SweMFA pic.twitter.com/nBc9qDAJYs

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 21, 2019

In Norway, members of the Iranian diaspora gathered in front of Norwegian Parliament to protest Zarif’s arrival in Oslo on Thursday. They held a large banner, which read, “Europe and Nordic countries are no Place for Criminals and Terrorists! Kick Javad Zarif Out! World Peace, Stability, and Democracy Requires Regime Change in Iran,” and waved Iranian flags.  Former Norwegian MP from the Christian Democratic Party, Lars Rise, joined the protesters in solidarity with their cause.

Zarif is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday. Protests against his arrival were held in Paris’ Trocadero Square.

The NCRI issued a statement on August 17th condemning Zarif’s visits to Scandinavia and calling once again for the Iranian regime to be blacklisted by the international community. The MEK has called repeatedly for Zarif and regime officials to be expelled from Europe for their role in domestic suppression and global terrorism.

Staff writer

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of the Iranian regime, went to Sweden yesterday as part of his trip to Nordic countries. His trip faced angry protests from Iranians in Sweden. Iranian exiles posted many tweets decrying this trip: “It is just a shame for the government of Sweden to shake hand with Rep of Iran a brutal regime which Amnesty International has recorded 97 executions of people under the age of 18 by this regime between 1990 and 2018”

It is just a shame for the government of #Sweden to shake hand with Rep of #Iran a brutal regime which Amnesty International has recorded 97 executions of people under the age of 18 by this regime between 1990 and 2018.#ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs#Zarif_inte_välkommen pic.twitter.com/7dZZrkGaKA

— mostafa.m (@MostafaMe4) August 21, 2019

Iranians residing in Stockholm held a rally on Wednesday, August 21, protesting Zarif. Protesters held signs and chanted slogans to let the world and international media know of their protests. “Javad Zarif is a murderer, no one should negotiate with him,” “Javad Zarif is the enemy of Iranians,” “Javad Zarif is a charlatan, He’s the enemy of the Iranian people,” were among the slogans voiced by the demonstrators.

Al Arabiya cited Swedish media covering rallies held by PMOI/MEK supporters protesting the visit by the mullahs’ top diplomat to Stockholm.

The rally was attacked by Swedish Police. Sweden’s SVT reported three injured protesters were transferred to hospitals and authorities intervened to distance 62 individuals after the situation became intense during Zarif’s stay.

Subsequently, the Swedish government faced strong criticism from media and a number of Swedish MPs. One member of the Swedish Parliament from the Conservative Party criticized Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for confirming the Iranian regime’s positions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We did not invite Zarif. He came himself,” Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Walls emphasized said in a press conference. Zarif did not participate in the press conference oddly and reporters asked questions about the intense protests held by Iranians in Sweden against this visit and questioned why such an individual had been accepted by Sweden.

Javad Zarif brazenly threatened Iranian protesters in Stockholm to death, boasting that the regime’s agents and operatives would not let them live for a minute and would “eat them alive.”

In an interview with the state-run Press TV on August 21, he railed at Iranian protesters demanding their expulsion from Sweden. “Ask any of those individuals standing outside to attend any meetings with Iranians [meaning the regime’s Revolutionary Guards and agents] and then see whether they would survive. They would not stay alive for a minute…. They cannot even stay in Iraq because the people of Iraq [meaning the regime’s proxies in that country] will eat them alive.”

#Zarif, the FM of the religious dictatorship ruling Iran, If regime agents capture dissidents, they will eat them alive and not let them live for a minute.#ban_Zarif #ZarifIsALiar #Zarif_inte_välkommen #NoImpunity4Mullahs @Haavisto @SweMFA @NorwayMFA pic.twitter.com/NdFanhCx6v

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 22, 2019

The main Iranian opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a statement,

“Zarif reveals his own murderous nature and that of the mullahs’ medieval regime, which has executed 120,000 dissidents on political charges in the past four decades.

“When the mullahs’ Foreign Minister threatens Iranian protesters to death in Stockholm, one can imagine what is happening in the regime’s prisons and torture chambers and how dissidents and political prisoners are being treated.

“Zarif’s remarks show once again that receiving the mullahs’ Foreign Minister emboldens the regime to engage in terrorism, murder, and warmongering, and clearly runs counter to the interests of the Iranian people, who are seeking the ruling theocracy’s overthrow and the establishment of democracy and popular sovereignty in Iran.”

Staff writer

Regime Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s visit to Scandinavian countries this week was met with outrage by the Iranian communities, who held demonstrations in Sweden and Finland to protest his arrival.

Protests in Sweden

.@MEK_Iran – The Iranian diaspora, supporters of the #MEK, protest against #Zarif’s trip to Nordic countries, asking for an end to the policy of appeasement.#ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs #Zarif_inte_välkommen @Niinisto @margotwallstrom @SweMFA @NorwayMFAhttps://t.co/4iXhAjsrpS pic.twitter.com/CN6DffGStB

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 20, 2019

On Tuesday, protesters in Stockholm held large banners reading “Stop appeasing the Mullahs’ regime. Expel their agents,” and “Kick Javad Zarif Out! Europe and Nordic countries are no Place for Criminals and Terrorists: World Peace, Stability, and Democracy Requires Regime Change in Iran.”

Others carried signs featuring Zarif’s face and the words “No to Despicable Shameful Diplomacy” and “Zarif Get Lost!”

The MEK and Iranian Resistance emphasized that meeting with the foreign minister of a country that has repeatedly committed terrorist acts against its opposition on European soil is disrespectful to the Iranian people who have spent 40 years fighting against the regime’s tyranny and oppression.

Protests in Finland

On Monday, yellow-jacketed MEK protesters and members of the Iranian communities in Helsinki greeted Zarif with banners and signs, demanding, “Zarif Get Lost!” in English and Finnish. Some carried signs shaped like hands proclaiming, “Stop appeasing mullahs in Iran.” Many of the protesters carried large Iranian flags.

Condemnation from the Iranian Resistance

Aug 20 – #Stockholm: #Iran'ian communities protest against Zarif's trip 2 #Sweden calling on FM Wallström to adopt a firm policy on Iran that recognises the democratic aspiration of the Iranian people & supports a democratic change by the people & their Resistance NCRI #ban_Zarif https://t.co/gLKtYaq4PT

— Dowlat Nowrouzi (@DowlatNowrouzi) August 20, 2019

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) issued a statement on August 17th condemning Zarif’s trip to Scandinavia, writing, “The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns the visit by the head of the medieval theocracy’s diplomat-terrorists, as it will embolden the regime to continue and step up the flagrant and systematic violations of human right and the export of terrorism and warmongering. This trip only arouses the Iranian people’s anger and abhorrence and must be canceled.”

The MEK has called for Zarif’s blacklisting from the international community for years, citing his role in the regime’s terrorist activities. Zarif characterizes himself as a moderate, but his actions prove otherwise. As Foreign Minister of Iran, he represents and supports the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Talks with #Zarif a minister of a country that has repeatedly committed terrorist activities against its opposition in European soil,is a disrespect 2 Iranian people’s struggle for 40 years against tyranny & oppression.#ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs#Zarif_inte_välkommen @SweMFA pic.twitter.com/9V29DHKaP0

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 20, 2019

The United States recently issued sanctions against Zarif, citing his role as a spokesperson for the regime. These sanctions followed sanctions against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and terrorist designations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

In 2018, five Iranian regime diplomats, including an ambassador, were expelled from Europe for plotting terrorist attacks against the MEK and Iranian dissidents. Another four regime agents and a diplomat are currently in prison awaiting trial in Belgium for plotting a terrorist attack on the Free Iran Rally in Paris on June 2018.

The MEK urges the international community to blacklist Zarif and ends its appeasement of this terrorist regime. Diplomacy requires a good faith effort from both parties to reach an accord. Zarif and the mullahs have no intention of changing their behavior.

Zarif is scheduled to continue his tour with a stop in Norway this week. He is also set to meet in France with President Emmanuel Macron in the near future.

Staff writer

Acclaimed Iraqi writer and journalist Safi al-Yaseri, 72, passed away on Saturday, August 17th, at a hospital in Turkey. Al-Yaseri was a dear friend of Ashrafis who authored four books and hundreds of articles about Ashraf and the MEK.

Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi has said that Safi al-Yaseri endured enormous pressures during his life because of his work. He was forced to live in exile and was hunted continuously by those who supported the Iranian regime. But al-Yaseri remained loyal in the struggle for freedom, his country’s independence and taking a stance against the mullahs’ regime, said Mr. Rajavi.

Safi al-Yaseri, a devoted freedom advocate and a true friend of the PMOI/MEK, passed away recently.https://t.co/HXFKSkJER8

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 19, 2019

After graduating from the University of Baghdad, Safi al-Yaseri began a career in journalism following the occupation of Iraq.

He soon became the target of a number of terrorist plots by the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force in Iraq due to his work and was forced to flee the country. He lived as a writer in exile, first in Lebanon and then in Turkey.

Al-Yaseri first became involved with the MEK in the spring of 2003 when he expressed interest in the organization and asked to meet with members in person. He visited Camp Ashraf and found himself in agreement with their core values and mission. Al-Yaseri visited Ashraf many times thereafter and became a close friend to the MEK and its members. He investigated the conspiracies and demonization campaigns surrounding the MEK, traveling to cities and towns across Iraqi Kurdistan. His efforts culminated in a book, entitled

The PMOI and Iraq, which detailed the MEK’s political and financial independence and debunked a number of conspiracy theories about the MEK.

His next book, entitled Democratic Islam, evaluated the MEK’s ideological principles and view of Islam. His third book, The Iranian Woman in Search of Freedom, detailed the struggles of MEK women in the regime’s prisons. Al-Yaseri’s final book, The Devil’s Lies, was a heavily-researched 790-page volume with supporting documents debunking the various allegations made by the Iranian regime against the MEK.

He also wrote hundreds of articles in support of the MEK and their goal of creating a free and democratic Iran.

Condolences from Maryam Rajavi

National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) President Maryam Rajavi conveyed her condolences to the people and writers of Iraq and the Arab world. Mrs. Rajavi said that despite the pressures and threats from the Iranian regime, Safi al-Yaseri never backed down and was never willing to give up his fight against religious fascism. He was loyal to his cause and was a very vivid example of perseverance.

Staff writer

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, 19 August 2019, Javad Zarif, visited Finland, and is now in Sweden, and will travel to Norway, in a tour visit to Scandinavian Countries. He is a well-known mouthpiece of the Iranian medieval theocracy. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) expressed its objection to this trip in a statement on August 17, 2019. The NCRI said, “The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns the visit by the head of the medieval theocracy’s diplomat-terrorists, as it will embolden the regime to continue and step up the flagrant and systematic violations of human right and the export of terrorism and warmongering. This trip only arouses the Iranian people’s anger and abhorrence and must be canceled.”

Kan Sverige ta emot #Iran utrikesminister Javad #Zarif utan att kräva ett löfte om frigivning av svenska fartyget Stena Impero? Terrorism måste bekämpas inte accepteras bara som en realitet

— Kimmo Sasi (@KimmoSasi) August 19, 2019

Recently, the US sanctioned Javad Zarif, formally labeling him a terrorist enabler and blacklisting all of his property, assets, and investments.

US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement on the move, “Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States sent a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable.”

 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said in a statement, “… The Iranian regime denies Iranian citizens’ access to social media, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spreads the regime’s propaganda and disinformation around the world through these mediums… Iran’s Foreign Ministry is not merely the diplomatic arm of the Islamic Republic but also a means of advancing many of the Supreme Leader’s destabilizing policies, Foreign Minister Zarif and the Foreign Ministry he runs take their direction from the Supreme Leader and his office. Foreign Minister Zarif is a key enabler of Ayatollah Khamenei’s policies throughout the region and around the world. The designation of Javad Zarif today reflects this reality.” Pompeo added.

Recently, President @realDonaldTrump sanctioned Iran’s Supreme Leader, who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people. Today, the U.S. designated his chief apologist @JZarif. He’s just as complicit in the regime’s outlaw behavior as the rest of @khamenei_ir’s mafia. pic.twitter.com/XhDdqR6rik

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 31, 2019

The hosting of Zarif by the leaders of these Scandinavian countries is quite unacceptable for the Iranian people. They should remember that history has not looked kindly on appeasement of Nazi fascism in the early 20^th century. Now also it is shameful to welcome a man representing a regime that holds a world record in executions, is a state sponsor of terrorism, is the primary source of crisis and chaos in the region, and is the main patron of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad in his massacre of the people of Syria.

.@FinGovernment, #Zarif is a diplomat terrorist and these visits will only emboldens barbaric violation of #HumanRights, export of terrorism and warmongering#NoImpunity4Mullahs #Zarif_inte_välkommen #ban_Zarif @FinGovernment @paulaparviainen @SecPompeo https://t.co/f6ElfQknHX pic.twitter.com/W3YWO0Pio8

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 17, 2019

It is crystal clear that the main purpose of Zarif’s trip is to defend and whitewash the mullahs’ crimes and facilitate terrorist plots against the Iranian opposition, particularly the MEK. It is worth mentioning that, just in 2018, five of the regime’s diplomat-terrorists, including an ambassador, were expelled from Europe for their direct role in terrorist conspiracies against the Iranian Resistance and dissidents. Another four operatives, including a so-called diplomat, are in prison and awaiting trial in Brussels for plotting to bomb the Free Iran grand gathering in Paris in 2018.

Talks with #Zarif of a country that has repeatedly committed terrorist activities against its opposition in European soil, is a disrespect to Iranian people’s struggle for 40 years against tyranny & oppression.#Iran #ban_Zarif #NoImpunity4Mullahs#Zarif_inte_välkommen @Niinisto pic.twitter.com/ldBMqfsp7M

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) August 19, 2019

NCRI added in its statement, “Similar to the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, its President Hassan Rouhani, and the Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, Zarif and other officials must face justice, just like Hitler’s Foreign Minister, for taking part and facilitating crimes against humanity and genocide.”

Staff writer

Hashem Khastar, a representative of the freedom-loving teachers in Iran published an article providing an honest account of the role smaller ‘fake’ opposition movements have in furthering the Iranian regime’s agenda in Iran. The article, titled ‘Little Democrats’ shared in Telegram Messaging platform, talks about the current status and support that is rightly given to the Iranian opposition groups MEK in Iran.

His article sheds light on the dubious tactics of the Iranian regime in their attempts to draw support away from the MEK towards the monarchist camps. Mr. Khastar described this situation as “disorganized and sporadic” at best. In support of Reza Pahlavi, moles sent into the fold have encouraged the use of vulgar language against the regime and MEK catching MEK needlessly in the crosshairs and drumming up general confusion around the MEK’s political position. He also expressed concerns that these subversives are spending time in prison so that they not only become popular but also to gain credibility among the Iranian people who are desperate for change and are looking for leaders to help topple the Iranian regime as it currently stands. Khastar comments; “Others, unknowingly, may even find themselves in the ranks of security forces, and instead of focusing their attention on the regime, they place all their will against the PMOI/MEK.

Hashem Khastar, representative of freedom loving teachers in Iran
“Everyone knows PMOI/MEK is the regime’s main enemy”#FreeIran
https://t.co/ZbO3nMhr1T

— Monika (@ofogheazadi) August 15, 2019

He writes:

“Everyone knows the PMOI/MEK is the regime’s main enemy because it enjoys a firm organizational structure. According to the regime’s own rulers, they have been involved in all the protests and uprisings. On the other hand, monarchists are very sporadic in their efforts and lack any organization. Therefore, the regime is attempting to push freedom fighters towards the monarchists’ camp. The regime has also sent many of its moles into their files to support Reza Pahlavi while using vulgar language towards the regime and the PMOI/MEK. Meaning they place the PMOI/MEK in their crosshairs.”

Mr. Khastar continues to say that the intent of writing this article was not to show support or opposition to any specific organization but rather to become a truthful voice to those who wish to throw their support behind a legitimate democratic opposition to the oppressive Iranian regime.

“I intend to voice the truth for everyone to know in which camp they are fighting and if they are true democrats or little democrats. Furthermore, a freedom fighter can be useful in the transition period to democracy, and the period afterward. We all know that following the 1979 revolution, Iranian minorities, such as the Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, Baluchis and… all had movements seeking to fulfill their rights yet were oppressed through extreme crackdown measures. Those demands are very much alive today and have spread throughout the country. After the Islamic republic is toppled, in a free and democratic state in the future, these minorities must definitely have their rights fulfilled under Iran’s geographic framework. In this path, there may be tensions following the overthrow of the Islamic republic. Only true democrats will be able to help resolve this issue, while little democrats will have no place. Little democrats always talk about the opposition to maybe establish fake opposition movements, with strings attached to the security forces.”

Staff writer

 

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Committee on Security and Counterterrorism released a new report on Thursday detailing the cyber campaign against the MEK by the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Security and Intelligence (MOIS).

Iran MOIS’ Futile and Disgraceful Ploys Targeting Iran Resistance
Crazed acts of Iran’s cyber war machine to counter Resistance’s international campaignhttps://t.co/ehWUXarf8d pic.twitter.com/ACvKbw4eEa

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 14, 2019

According to the report, the regime is reeling from the effects of this summer’s Free Iran rallies in numerous world capitals and the five-day conference held at Ashraf-3, the MEK’s headquarters in Albania, which was attended by more than 350 prominent political figures and human rights activists from 47 countries. These events, combined with increasing resistance activity within Iran and tightening sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical industry and regime leaders and entities, have led the clerical dictatorship to the brink of collapse.

Influence at Home and Abroad

Regime leaders are now openly voicing their concerns about the MEK’s power and influence both inside Iran and abroad. On August 8th, the Kayhan daily newspaper wrote that the MEK “has penetrated deeply into our homes and its impact is being felt.”

 

In a July 29th interview on state-run television, IRGC Brigadier General Assadollah Nasseh said: “We must know that everything that takes place in the world against us is the result of their [MEK’s] lobbying effort somewhere or a price that they have paid… On the issue of missiles, we witness that it was based on the information that they provided to the Americans. Regarding human rights, they makeup dossiers and files and provide them to Europeans and they put pressure on us in this way. They use every leverage against us.”

Influence on Social Media

Regime officials have also expressed alarm at the MEK’s presence on social media.

#IRGC Commander: Second is the danger of #MEK infiltration inside the regime, which is the main obstacle in confronting them.”
Read more here:https://t.co/EC7i7g9XNr #FreeIran #WeSupportMEK @USAdarFarsi pic.twitter.com/C7Sm71qQJu

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) August 14, 2019

In a July 28th interview with the state-run ISNA, IRGC Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali, who heads the regime’s civil defense forces, said: “Their [MEK] fingerprint is on many of the controversies that we face. Many of the news cycles in cyberspace that are orientated against the state and the revolution are their psychological warfare [read: expose our crimes] against us… [MEK] incite people to rise up… During last year’s events,… They try to influence public opinion and perception in society negatively, and to instill despair, disappointment and a sense of failure of the Islamic Republic.”

On August 2nd, Brigadier General Abolghassem Forootan told the state-run Mizan news agency, “This time they [MEK] want to harm the values of our nation and system through the use of cyberspace and soft power.”

The NCRI report cites the growing alarm by the Iranian regime as a reason for its escalating cyber campaign against the MEK. According to the report, “the MOIS, IRGC, and Qods Force have embarked on a futile campaign to counter the growing resistance to the regime by using their propaganda and cyberwarfare machine.”

Cyber attacks against the MEK

The NCRI report lists a number of specific examples of online attacks against the MEK and the Iranian Resistance by the regime.

 

1. The English language website Iran Front Page (IFP) claimed that it had access to a “private meeting of the MEK in Albania.” As evidence for this false claim, the site posted a two-minute clip featuring the voice of Mr. Mehdi Abrishamchi reviewing the policies of past US administrations in appeasing the clerical regime. The clip in question was taken from a public meeting with Iranians after the annual NCRI gathering in Paris on July 1, 2017. The two-minute segment was not private, did not pertain to Albania, was not new, and was taken out of context. The website has been registered to an owner in Tehran since 2014.
2. The MOIS claimed to have access to a second audio clip of Mr. Abrishamchi in another internal meeting in Albania, which they published on a website called Mozahemin.org [Nuisances]. The audio clip featured a photograph of Mr. Abrishamchi in a public meeting in Paris over the voice of a woman saying, “In 2013 a message announced that the regime would be overthrown in six months…” Neither the photo or the voice (which has not been verified) have any connection to Albania. The website is openly owned by and registered to the MOIS.
3. The state-run Khorasan daily ran an article on June 3, 2019, acknowledging the regime’s inability to counter the MEK within Iran. The article published transcripts from an audio recording of “a secret internal meeting of the MEK in January 2018 in which Mehdi Abrishamchi, second in command of the group, explicitly revealing the terrorists’ role [dragetory for MEK] in the riots of December 2017.” The article quotes Mehdi Abrishamchi stressing the importance of activating 1,000 Ashraf bases, or resistance units, to inflame the uprisings taking place in cities across Iran. The regime has spent 40 years publicly denying that the MEK is an existential threat while spending millions to try to eliminate the group. The days of denying the threat of the MEK are over.
   

   Time to Support MEK, in Its Quest for Freedom

4. On August 8, the Daily Beast wrote, “American intelligence officials are monitoring a social media disinformation campaign that attempted to falsely implicate the White House National Security Adviser in a global money laundering and drug trafficking operation. On Monday, a Twitter user claiming to be a high-ranking Canadian law enforcement official posted records supposedly showing a $350,000 wire transfer from a Canadian children’s apparel company to a Swiss bank account owned by National Security Adviser John Bolton’s daughter…   Twitter suspended the fake Belanger account and Toronto Police Service spokesman Alex Li confirmed to The Daily Beast that it was ‘a fraudulent’ persona. The real police official the account had impersonated has never had a Twitter account. A U.S. official familiar with the apparent disinformation campaign said intelligence community officials were aware of the effort. And Lee Foster, an information operations intelligence analyst at the cybersecurity firm FireEye, told The Daily Beast that the hoax’s techniques are ‘consistent with what we’ve seen with previous pro-Iranian influence operations.’ Bolton is among the Trump administration’s most aggressive critics of the Iranian regime. The U.S. official, while not commenting on this week’s disinformation campaign specifically, said Bolton has been the target of state-sponsored influence operations designed to weaken his standing in the administration.  Though Twitter quickly removed the tweet on Monday and suspended the account, it had already been picked up and covered by a handful of websites with editorial positions sympathetic to the Iranian government. News outlets such as Iran Front Page blared ‘Belanger’s’ claims that a Canadian business had supposedly transferred the funds at issue had been caught smuggling ‘a significant amount of opium” and “has close ties with the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group.’”
5. In July, the MOIS began using fake email accounts to send messages to supporters of the Iranian Resistance. The accounts are either similar to emails of well-known Resistance figures, or they carry the names of those people. The messages are used to disseminate false and misleading information about the Resistance.
6. In July, the regime’s cyber army used a fake telegram account, @SetareganZamini, to contact friends of the Iranian Resistance in order to request financial support for resistance units in Iran.
7. In July, the regime’s cyber army used the name and email of MEK supporter Zahra Asl Rousta (Zahra.aslerousta@gmail.com) to send a message with a pdf attachment containing a series of questions. The pdf contained a virus that would give the hackers access to recipients stored data if opened.
8. In April and May, a woman who introduced herself as Arezoo, an official with the MEK, contacted a number of MEK supporters, claiming that she would be busy with demonstrations and was going to be replaced by a person named Homa. Homa was an MOIS agent who repeatedly asked for information about the Resistance. For example, she wrote, “I want to know whether you know anyone in Iran who you can introduce and with whom I can speak? Let us know about anyone, anywhere, who you think could be in touch with us or give us any news or carry out even a small task. I would be very grateful.”
9. In April, the regime sent a pdf file through the email account ashraf3.albani@gmail.com with the title “a visual report on the residents of Ashraf in Albania.” The file contained a virus.
10. In April, a regime cyber agent used a fake email account bearing the name of a Resistance official to send messages to a number of Resistance members claiming that his/her emails were hacked. One of these messages read, “Hi, I would like to inform you that email of——has been hacked. If he/she sends you an email, don’t click on it because it is a virus and will infect your computer and cellphone. Please let all friends know.” Shortly thereafter, the agent sent messages asking recipients to contact a different email and requesting personal information, such as phone numbers, saying that it had been lost.
11. In April, a regime cyber agent sent a series of false reports about “infiltrators” to the group. He copied a text which had previously been sent to MEK supporters and added, “The collection of these issues in recent days speaks to the presence of infiltrators among the ranks of PMOI supporters and the PMOI itself, which only adds to the need for awareness about those around us and about drawing lines and being vigilant.” He also included a number of false reports about regime agents posing as MEK members asking for donations. The MEK does not collect donations in this manner.
12. A man received a Telegram message from his brother in Iran asking him to travel abroad to visit. After following up on the message, the man discovered that his brother had been arrested and that the regime had sent the messages from his brother’s account in order to lure him to Iran.
13. A regime cyber agent used the email account h_meli896@gmail.com, which is similar to Hambastegi Meli’s email, to spread disinformation about the MEK and the Iranian Resistance. Meli’s actual email address is hmeli896@gmail.com.
14. MOIS agents used two accounts, toufan2019@gmail.com, and emzamahfoz@gmail.com to email MEK supporters and Iranians, posing as dissidents. The emails would start with a series of questions and then progress to anti-MEK propaganda.
15. Regime cyber agents used a Skype account that was similar to one that was used by a member of the Resistance to obtain information from MEK supporters.
16. The MOIS sent threatening messages to MEK members on Telegram. One such message by “didban fazaye majazi” reads, “Dear telegram user, you have joined the telegram group nationwide uprising, which belongs to the PMOI. So far your membership appears to be out of ignorance. If you continue to be a member, it would be perceived as deliberate membership and would have legal repercussions for you.”
17. Over the past few months, regime intelligence agents have used the telephone number 3-393-750-2075 to call Iranian Resistance supporters in France in order to steal their Facebook and email account information.
18. An MOIS agent recently attempted to procure an interview with a MEK supporter by using an email account similar to the one used by a U.S. journalist. The agent copied the journalist’s picture and information and sent a dangerous virus to the MEK’s supporter’s computer in an attempt to hack his computer. The attempt was unsuccessful on all counts.

Avoid Unknown Contacts and Emails

The NCRI’s Committee on Security and Counterterrorism calls on all supporters and friends to expose the regime’s cyber campaigns. It further urges all supporters to be cautious in responding to emails or social media contacts, including Telegram, WhatsApp, and Skype. Do not respond to an unknown or suspicious email or social media requests, and report suspicious cases to NCRI representative offices or PMOI chapters in different countries.

Staff writer

Recently, contrary to decades of silence, inevitably, the Iranian regime is admitting the growing popularity and influence of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK / PMOI), particularly amongst the youth.

“Due to deep negligence of officials in culture and cyberspace field, MEK has penetrated deeply into our homes and their impact is being felt; this is one in a hundred problems we face in disorderly cyberspace in Iran.” Kayhan, known as the mouthpiece of the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed fear of MEK’s popularity among the youth and added, “MEK easily parade in cyberspace and can promote their thoughts and influence the minds of our youth and teenagers… Just 1,500 of their units are promoting MEK’s ideas to the public round the clock.”

#IRGC Commander: Second is the danger of #MEK infiltration inside the regime, which is the main obstacle in confronting them.”
Read more here:https://t.co/EC7i7g9XNr #FreeIran #WeSupportMEK @USAdarFarsi pic.twitter.com/C7Sm71qQJu

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) August 14, 2019

Kayhan projected the Iranian regime’s fraudulent activities on social media, that has led to the closure of thousands of its fake accounts, and whose focus was on emanating disinformation on the MEK, on the MEK itself and accused it of using fake accounts as it usually does to deflect attention to its malign activities. It also complained that the “Telegram” messenger app and other social media platforms are “magnifying” MEK’s messages. It wrote, “MEK’s influence is greater than the state-run media… Support by messaging platforms and social media for the context of MEK’s messages have made this situation even worse… social media and the messaging platforms magnify MEK’s activities.”

The paper implicitly called for repressive and filtering measures to impose new limitations on Iranians free access to the Internet and wrote, “If we had the technology and boosted our domestic messaging apps, we wouldn’t need to depend on our enemies so that the well-known terrorists can contact our children.”

The Iranian regime has relied on censorship and Internet filtering to counter the MEK’s popularity, particularly among the youth.

The unrestricted use of the Internet and social media has become a serious challenge to the mullahs’ regime. The availability of encrypted messaging applications has given the Iranian people the ability to bypass regime filtering to share news and information.

As the Iranian people lack any faith in state-run media, they increasingly turn to the Internet and social media networks for information. Over the past year, the MEK has successfully leveraged social media to organize protests and spotlight the regime’s corruption, among other measures. This has helped foster the growth of the protest movement within Iran and has caused panic among the mullahs, who fear widespread rebellion and the ultimate overthrow of the regime.

 

Reports from the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) sources inside Iran reveal that at least seven prisoners have been executed by the Iranian regime since August 7th.

According to a similar report, two prisoners were hanged on Saturday, August 10th, in Mashhad’s Central Prison. The state-run Khorasan daily briefly reported the executions on Sunday but did not name the prisoners. The paper wrote that a full report would be available in a few days.

#Iran Regime Hangs Seven Prisoners
Iran's regime has hanged at least seven prisoners in recent days, according to a group monitoring the human rights situation inside the country.https://t.co/lq10lwUjZZ pic.twitter.com/7lrSGqETI1

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 14, 2019

The regime is notorious for its secretiveness surrounding executions. Many executions are never reported at all, making it difficult to track the true number of deaths at the hands of the Rouhani’s regime.

In another report, the executions of five prisoners in Gohardasht Prison in the city of Karaj is reported on Wednesday, August 7th. The prisoners were identified as Mohammad-Reza Shekari, Yousof Zakeri, Majid Arabali, Hossein Panjeh-Maryam, and Bahram Tork.

Prior to their deaths, the condemned men, along with several others, were transferred to solitary confinement to await execution. This is common practice in Iranian prisons and is a signal that execution is imminent. After the hangings, some of the other prisoners were returned to their original cells. Others were left to wait for their turn with the hangman.

39 prisoners were hanged in Iran during the month of July, including four women. One hanging took place in public.

The executions took place in Birjand, Gohardasht, Karaj, Kashan, Khondab, Mahshahr, Kelardasht, Urmia, Noor, Mashhad, Mahabad, Zanjan, Minab, Bandar-Abbas, Borujerd, Shiraz, Tabriz, Gorgan, Dezful, Rasht and Kermanshah.

Iran’s Human Rights Record

Iran executes more people per capita than any other country in the world. The country is responsible for half of the world’s executions. Since President Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013, more than 3,800 people have been executed by the Iranian regime.

 

The United Nations has condemned the Iranian regime for its human rights violations on 65 separate occasions, but the mullahs have not changed their behavior. Rather, they have escalated their campaign of suppression and intimidation against their own people. The regime uses the death penalty as a tool of oppression to silence dissent from its people, and it will continue to do so as long as it can act without fear of consequences.

The MEK’s Political Platform

The MEK has asked the international community to recognize the right of the Iranian people to rise up against their oppressors and overthrow this brutal regime. The people of Iran want a country where voicing dissent is not a capital offense.

 

The MEK’s political platform includes strong opposition to the death penalty and a commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention against Torture.

We enjoy our people’s support in establishing a republic based on the separation of religion&state, gender equality, abolition of the death penalty, an independent judiciary, autonomy for ethnic groups, a foreign policy based on peaceful co-existence, and a non-nuclear #Iran. pic.twitter.com/Gm9A1ytKvH

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 21, 2019

The brutal crimes of the mullahs will only end when the people of Iran take back their country. The international community can support their efforts by cutting financial ties with the terrorist regime and blacklisting its agents. They can also join the call for an independent investigation into war crimes committed by the regime during the 1988 Massacre.

Staff writer