The
regime in Iran has come under immense domestic and international
pressure recently. Most vivid are the sweeping sanctions imposed by US
Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
These
developments are sparking an endless stream of reactions from Iran’s
senior officials and various media outlets. Over 500 interviews,
reports, posts, sessions, book introductions and others events have been
discussed in this regime’s official outlets, all regarding the
opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
The
reason behind this chorus of remarks and attacks aimed at the MEK is
obvious. It is crystal clear for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and
his entire regime apparatus how the MEK represent the source of all
their strategic defeats.
Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has recently been classified as a Specially
Designated Global Terrorist entity. This is mainly due to the hundreds
of revelations, press conferences, articles, posts and other activities
by the MEK and its umbrella group, the National Council of Resistance of
Iran (NCRI).
The
IRGC blacklisting is considered a strategic setback for Tehran,
especially since 40% of the regime’s economy is controlled by the
Guards.
The
MEK also delivered major blow to Khamenei’s blueprints aimed at
unifying his regime through engineering the May 19th presidential
election. Conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi, Khamenei’s preferred
candidate, was groomed by the hardliners to replace the incumbent Hassan
Rouhani as president.
The
MEK’s vast network of activists inside Iran, coupled with a variety of
measures abroad, shed light on Raisi’s past as a member of an infamous
“Death Commission” in charge of supervising the 1988 massacre of over
30,000 political prisoners across the country who mostly were members of
MEK.
As
Raisi failed to reach the presidency, the mullahs’ entire apparatus
suffered a major defeat, understood best by Khamenei himself.
The
MEK best gained international credibility in 2002 after blowing the
whistle on Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons program. In the years
since the MEK has maintained a solid record of revealing Iran’s secret
and underground nuclear sites, forcing Tehran to succumb to a still
highly-flawed agreement with the P5+1 aimed at curbing its nuclear
program.
To
this day Iran’s human rights violations have also been condemned in 63
resolutions issued in the past four decades by various United Nations
organizations. UN special rapporteurs, such as Ahmed Shaheed and Asma
Jahangiri, have condemned Iran in numerous texts. Again, the MEK’s role
in alarming the world of the mullahs’ atrocities has been crucial.
Amnesty
International and other such organizations, alongside numerous
parliaments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the US Congress
have also voiced their deep concerns and denounced Iran’s actions.
As
our world becomes further connected through the Internet, the MEK and
Iranian opposition supporters have taken to social media to enhance
their effort against the mullahs.
Iran
is known for its media and internet censorship, and yet social media
and certain technology are allowing this young population connect with
the outside world. This platform has provided means for the MEK and its
vast network to express their desires and shed light on the truth about
the mullahs’ devastating policies.
Sensing
the dangers in this regard, Iran has stepped up its filtering efforts,
especially the highly popular Telegram platform that enjoys dozens of
millions of users in Iran. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has recently
underscored despite claims made by Tehran his company will not yield to
this regime’s demands to censor any political channels.
Topping
Iran’s concerns is the medium provided by the MEK and NCRI to realize a
policy of successful regime change in Iran. As Washington weighs its
comprehensive Iran policy and senior Trump administration officials have
voiced support for regime change initiatives, this potential has become
extremely concerning for Tehran.
“There
are those who say the Islamic Republic will not reach its 40th year and
they seek to topple the establishment in the coming years,” said Ahmad
Jannati, chair of the ultraconservative Guardian Council in a recent
session.
In
addition to making remarks, conducting interviews and posting text in
media outlets, Iran has also sought practical measures against its
opposition.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Paris failed to convince
French officials to prevent the MEK from holding its annual convention
on their soil.
Kamal
Kharrazi, career diplomat and former Iranian foreign minister, also
went to Paris following the Iranian opposition rally in an attempt to
place limitations on this opposition organization’s activity in France.
Through
the years Tehran has reached this conclusion that maintaining its grip
on power hinges heavily on eliminating its main opposition. During the
past three decades, Khamenei and his regime pursued this path with all
their will.
To
this end, the MEK and NCRI represent the Iranian people’s true demand
ofregime change in Iran. Supporting this opposition is tantamount to
standing alongside the Iranian people.
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