A Mujahideen Conundrum

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    A Mujahideen ConundrumThe multiple faces and roles of the Iranian MeK

    Abstract:

    This paper attempts to understand the ambiguous and multifacetedrole played by the

    Islamic-Socialist organization Mojhedin-e Khalq (MeK) in its trajectory from anti-Shahdissident to anti-American terrorist, from American protg to pro-western spy. The

    American troops protect the MeK members as a politically threatened minority while atthe same time the US Department of State classifies it as FTO- Foreign Terrorist

    Organization. I argue that historical changes and political choices of both the USA and

    Iran prompted the MeK to assume diverse and even contradictory roles, while attemptingto reach its main goal of defeating the Islamic Regime of Iran. Friend or foe, the

    Mojhedin-e Khalq plays a crucial role in the relationship between USA, Iraq and Iran.

    Key Terms:

    FTO, Iran, Iraq, MeK, NCRI, NLA, PMOI, Terrorism, United States

    Eduardo Lacerda

    Winter 2009-10

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    Introduction

    The term Terrorist carries a highly political undertone and value. As a highly

    contentious term, it can be used both to punish enemies and to protect allies. In some

    cases it can also be used as a bargaining chip which countries use for diplomatic

    pressure and gains. The objective of this paper is to understand under which

    circumstances a non-state group can be classified as Terrorist, and how countries exploit

    the significance of that nomenclature. I will use as case-study the dissident Iranian group

    MeK /PMOI, and its tumultuous relationship with the United States.

    Seen by some as a relic of another era1 the MeK is nowadays the largest Iranian

    opposition movement in exile. Well-known for its violent past acts against the Iranian

    Islamic regime, nowadays the group is seen by most countries as a legitimate dissident

    organization in exile, fighting for democracy in Iran2. It purportedly carries an agenda of

    democratic values, social inclusion, feminine empowerment and the struggle against

    authoritarianism.

    However, the MeK has been classified by the United States Department of State

    as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) due to its origins: a left leaning group fighting

    against the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and internationally connected to radicals,

    revolutionaries and communists. Only four countries in the world accept that FTO

    definition: USA, Canada, Iraq and Iran itself. The paper explores the permutations of this

    movement, its importance and international role along the years. We argue that the USA

    maintains an ambiguous relationship with the group neither due to political doubts nor

    1 Blanche, Ed. pp.12

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    due to historical contingencies, but simply due to MeKs utility as a political tool in the

    bargaining with the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

    A Jigsaw of NamesThe MeK is the acronym for Mojhedin-e Khalq, (Szmn-e Mojhedin-e Khalq-

    e Irn), which in Farsi stands for the Peoples Holy Warriors of Iran. Over the years the

    group has been and still is referred to by several names and acronyms. These varied

    denominations seem to have three distinct origins: 1) self-imposed, for political, strategic

    and cultural reasons; 2) pegged to the group by its foes as a way to express views of

    dishonesty and ambiguity, and finally 3) denominations due to MeKs association with

    other political bodies.

    The group is sometimes named MKO (Mojhedin-e Khalq Organization) and

    PMOI (People's Mujahedin Of Iran), two partial transliterations of the original Farsi

    acronym. The Iranian government officially refers to the organization as theMonafeqin,

    the Hypocrites3. In the past, MeK suffered an ideological schism, from which a rival

    group emerged, first hijacking the original name but further changing it, first to

    Mujahidin (ML) and then to Peykar4. During the 80s the MeK evolved into a large and

    well trained wing named the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA). Complicating the

    matter further, the MeK it is the founder, controller, largest and most active group within

    another organization named National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

    3Munfiq (n., in Arabic: , plural munfiqn) is a term used in Islamic Arabic to depict a religious

    hypocrite, who outwardly practices Islam, while inwardly conceals his disbelief (kufr). The term derives

    from the 63rd sura of the Qur'an, the Surat Al-Munfiqn (Arabic: , The Hypocrites. This surabears 11 ayat(verses). See http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/063.htm4 In Farsi: , meaning battle.

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    The mutable nature of its denomination and the multiplicity of its affiliations have

    generated a great deal of confusion among journalists and policy makers, also raising

    difficulties for the creation of a unified body of literature on the subject.

    Historical Background

    The MeK was founded in Tehran in 1963 by six middle-class students at Tehran

    University, former members of the Freedom Movement of Iran5. Those students were

    supporters of the Dr. Mohammad Mossadeq, the popular and democratically elected

    Iranian Prime Minister of Iran between April 1951 and August 1953. Mossadeq was a

    staunchly secular nationalist, keenly opposed to foreign intervention in Iran. He had been

    the architect of the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry, which pitted his country

    against British interests. Mossadeq ended ousted from power through the Operation Ajax,

    a CIA sponsored coup dtat supported by the MI-5. The coup brought back to political

    prominence the discredited and weak Iranian monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

    With the approval of his western allies the Shah would rule Iran with an iron hand for the

    next 25 years. The event is considered a turning point in Iranian history and it is the

    origin of the MeKs dissidence. It is also the starting point of ascension for a young and

    until then unknownMujtahid6named Sayyed Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini.

    Since its inception, the open objective of MeK had been to overthrow the Shah by

    any means deemed necessary. The group maintained close but independent ties with

    clandestine, religious and radical groups and organizations from all over the world.

    5TheNehzat-e Azadi-e Iran (Farsi: ), also known as LMI:Liberation Movement of Iran is

    an still existing (though now clandestine) Iranian political organization, founded in 1961 as a re-

    embodiment of the National Front, the umbrella assemblage of Mossadegh's original supporters. See: 6 An Islamic cleric competent to interpret divine law.

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    Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the MeK built alliances with the Soviet Union, East

    Germany and Cuba as well as other international guerrillas. Domestically it associated

    itself with underground Iranian groups and organizations such as the Fadaiyan Khalq (a

    Marxist revolutionary organization), theJebhe-ye Melli (the National Front, Mossadegh's

    nationalist liberal party) and the Tudeh Party (the oldest communist party in Iran, of

    Stalinist line). Being a left but religiously-oriented group, the MeK also worked closely

    with a growing number of discontented religious Islamic clerics from the holy-scholar

    city of Qom. Those allied clerics would form the radical movement that would culminate

    with the 1979 Islamic Revolution

    7

    . Ironically, they would also become the MeKs main

    foes.

    The MeK before the Islamic Revolution

    The MeK worked with any and everyone interested in carrying violent terrorist

    acts against the regime of Reza Pahlavi. The group also chose to target American citizens

    along with Iranian government members, due to the involvement of the CIA in the coup

    against Mossadeq. But the initial terrorist acts of MeK not only failed but had also

    disastrous consequences to the group. In November 1971 the MeK failed in its attempt to

    kidnap Douglas MacArthur II, the U.S. Ambassador to Iran. In August of the same year

    the group attempted to bomb Tehrans electrical facilities, and to hijack an airplane with

    the Shahs nephew. Those acts were carried in protest against Pahlavis lavish celebration

    of 2,500 years of continuous Persian civilization and Iranian royalty in the ruins of

    Persepolis. The Shah did not forgive those bold acts against his allies, reign and family.

    7 See documents in:Mohammad Mosaddeq and the 1953 Coup in Iran. Gasiorowski, Mark J and Malcolm

    Byrne (editors). The National Security Archives. George Washington University. June 22, 2004.

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    Pahlavi had been restored to the center of power through a coup dtat and thus

    had to resort to political suppression and mounting dissident repression. A prison

    informant betrayed the MeKs plans, leading the Shahs secret police, the dreaded

    SAVAK, to capture nine leaders of the group. Like a domino effect, one of those nine

    gave out the name of other 66 leaders8, leading to a massive arrest of dissidents. After

    trial, a military tribunal sentenced 11 MeK leaders to death. In May 25, 1972, three of its

    founders were executed by SAVAKs death squads, along with two other leadership

    members9.

    But the group managed to survive the brutal onslaught. With all the MeKs

    original leadership either dead or jailed, the second tier militants took power, restarting

    the terrorist attacks against the regime and its American allies, while undergoing a long

    phase of ideological self analysis. In May 1972 the group attempted to kill the USAF

    Brigadier General Harold Price, a U.S. adviser in Tehran. His car went over a road IED

    (Improvised Explosive Device), breaking both his legs and killing a female Iranian

    passerby10. In June 02, 1973, the U.S. Army comptroller Lt. Col. Louis Lee Hawkins was

    shot to death. After two years trying to redefine its radical left Islamism ideology and its

    strategy of action, the inner debate of the second tier would end up with an official

    schism. In 1975 the rupture was made public in a book entitledManifesto on Ideological

    Issues, in which the out-of-jail leadership stated that after ten years of secret existence,

    four years of armed struggle, and two years of intense ideological rethinking, [we]

    8 Abrahamian, Ervand. The Iranian Mojahedin. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), pp.135.9 "May 25, 1972 Founders of PMOI slain by the Shahs regime". People's Mojahedin Organization Of

    Iran (website). Historical Events.

    10 Larzelere, Alex R., CAPT, USCG, (Ret.). Witness To History: White House Diary of a Military Aide to

    President Richard Nixon. AuthorHouse, 2009. See:

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    reached the conclusion that Marxism, not Islam, was the true revolutionary

    philosophy.11

    As the grip of the Shah tightened his regime accumulated more reverses and

    enemies. Using an entirely secular new Marxist guidebook, the group kept its attacks

    under MeKs name, completely disregarding the original leadership and its original left-

    Islamic orientation. In May 21, 1975 the Air Force Col. Paul Shaffer and the Lt. Jack

    Turner were shot and killed in Tehran and in May 1976 six other Americans were shot

    dead. They were Rockwell International employees working in an electronic intelligence

    gathering system geared toward the neighboring USSR, an ally of the Marxist MeK. With

    the Islamic Revolutionary movement gaining momentum, the Marxist MeK joined forces

    with Ayatollah Khomeinis allies. On December 7, 1978 the group renamed itself

    Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class, becoming known as

    the Peykar, and completing the schism initiated in 1975.

    The MeK during the Islamic Revolution

    Among the original MeK leaders imprisoned and sentenced to death in1972 by

    the Shahs secret police SAVAK was Massoud Rajavi, a 20 year old political law

    undergraduate student from Tehran University. In order to save him, his elder brother

    Kazem Rajavi organized a worldwide campaign, using his influence as a university

    professor. International pressure from the Amnesty International, the International

    Committee of the Red Cross and the French socialist president Franois Mitterrand,

    forced the Shah to commute his sentence to life in prison with forced labor i. Massoud

    Rajavi would spend the next seven years in prison, being released only three weeks prior

    11 Abrahamian, Ervand.Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. 1982, p.493-4

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    to the ascension of the Islamic Revolution to power. Massoud would then become the

    leader of the left-Islamic fraction of MeK.

    Originally, both fractions of MeK supported the Revolution due to its coalitional

    revolutionary nature, involving all sectors of the society, from the military to

    businesspeople, from the secular intelligentsia to the Islamic scholars. Soon however, the

    most radical sectors of the revolutionary movement rose to prominence, casting aside the

    democratic and moderate sectors. In November 1979 Iran adopted the new constitution of

    the Islamic Republic, approved by a national referendum, and Khomeini became the

    Supreme Leader of Iran, officially known as the Leader of the Revolution. Initially his

    position was adamantly against clerics running for government positions, and the secular

    moderate Abolhasan Bani-Sadr was chosen and elected as the first president of the

    Islamic Republic of Iran in 4 February 198012.

    In September 1980, the Arab nationalist regime of Iraq invaded Iran, initiating a

    war that would last for eight years. Saddam Hussein wanted to destroy the menacing

    Shia revolution while taking control of the Iranian province of Khuzistan, predominantly

    Sunni Muslim and rich in oil. The war changed the fragile balance of power among the

    members of the Iranian revolutionary coalition, tilting the scale in favor of the most

    conservative and centralizing minds surrounding the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

    These clerics had never wanted a western-type regime, but an unrestrained Islamic one.

    What began as a genuinely popular-based revolution would soon be distorted into an

    Islamic fundamentalist theocracy.

    12 Bani-Sadr was the president of the Council of the Islamic Revolution.

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    In 1981 Bani-Sadr was impeached for his opposition to the radicalization of the

    government. The MeK's called for a mass rally under the banner of Islam, accusing

    Ayatollah Khomeini of obscurantism and his Islamic regime of fascist. Its Islamic but

    pro-democratic left leaning perspective soon started to be seen as public threat that, as

    many others, had to be purged. The coalition was over and all former allies had become

    the main enemies. The Islamic leaders acted fast, first eliminating most members of the

    anticlerical Peykar branch members and effectively destroying the faction. Then they

    turned against the MeKs religious branch: thousands were brutally persecuted, tortured

    and killed

    13

    . After MeKs leader Mohammad Reza Saadati was executed on 27 July,

    1981 the remaining oppositional leaders were forced to flee the country. Massoud Rajavi

    and Abolhasan Bani-Sadr secretly left Iran with the aid of the MeK and the Kurdistan

    Democratic Party (KDP), finding exile in the socialist controlled France of Francois

    Mitterrand. Two days later and disrespecting their exile agreement terms Bani-Sadr,

    the MeK and the KDP founded the NCRI, National Council of Resistance of Iran.

    Headquarters were established in Paris while a military infrastructure was established in

    Iraq, under supervision of the Iranian enemy Saddam Hussein.

    The MeK after the Islamic Revolution

    As the Iran-Iraq war escalated, the MeK found a safe haven under the protection

    of the Baathist regime. The group was granted with weapons, training, funds and a base

    ground. In 1986 the MeK transferred its headquarters from France to a sprawling 30-

    square-mile complex in Iraq, less than 70 miles from the Iranian border. The place was

    13 U.S. Department of Homeland Security. University of Maryland, START:The National Consortium for

    the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. TOPs:Terrorist Organization Profiles (formely known

    as TKB:Terrorism Knowledge Base). Terrorist Organization Profile.Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MeK). Retrieved

    March 6, 2010.

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    named Camp Ashraf, after Massoud Rajavi's first wife, assassinated at home by the

    Iranian Revolutionary Guard14. Throughout the second half of the 1980s the group

    operated as a proxy army, conducting clandestine operations across borders, targeting

    Iranian civilians and military in attempts to destabilize the Iranian regime.

    In fact, the last important war operation between Iran and Iraq had the MeK

    forces as the main actor. In early 1988 Iran and Iraq accepted as a cease-fire agreement

    under the terms of UN Resolution 598. In July however, Saddam Hussein authorized a

    military incursion to force further concessions from Iran. Under heavy Iraqis air support

    7000 MeK soldiers launched the Operation Eternal Light (Farsi: Foroughe Javidan),

    using National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA) as alias. The MeK/NLA attacked western

    Iran and battled the Pasdaran15

    for the city of Kermanshah, capturing and destroying the

    Iranian town of Islamabad-e Gharb. However, under international pressure due to the

    cease-fire, Iraq withdrew its air cover and Iran was able to react, cutting the supply lines

    of the MeK/NLA and ultimately winning the battle. Between 1400 and 4500 MeK/NLA

    soldiers were killed, while over 55.000 Iranian soldiers died in combat. That would be the

    greatest defeat of the MeKs history. It was the largest and the last military regime

    change attempt even made against the Islamic Republic.

    As a tit-for-tat response to Operation Eternal Light (called by Iran Operation

    Mersad), Tehran launched a silent, brutal and systematic execution of all political

    14 Interestingly enough, the MeK/PMOI now controlled by Rajavis second wife, does not provide any

    bibliographical information about his first wife, Ashraf Rajavi. The official PMOI web site has just a

    picture with four short entries containing her age, education, occupation and the year of her death. No

    mention about the fact that she was Rajavis first wife nor any connection to the Iraqi Ashraf Camp, home

    to the bulk of MeKs core members. See:

    http://www.iran.mojahedin.org/pagesen/martyrsDetails.aspx?MartyrId=15557>15Seph e Psdrn e Enqelb e Eslmi (Farsi: ): The Army of the Guardians of theIslamic Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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    prisoners with ties to the MeK. The figures are unclear but several thousands of

    oppositionist, mainly members of the Mojhedin-e Khalq, but also Fedaian, Tudeh and

    others, were hanged and strangled to death in SAVAKs dungeons16.

    MeK: Grassroots democrats or Terrorists?

    Hybrid Ideologies, strange alliances.

    The group had suffered massive losses during both the Operation Eternal Light

    and the Iranian purges of 1988. MeK came to existence in a period of intense intellectual

    debate and political turmoil in Iran. Traditionalists, modernists, revolutionaries, secular

    and religious groups were in struggle against each other, trying to define and redefine the

    place of Iran in the world. It was amidst such effervescence that the radical Iranian

    sociologist of religion Ali Shariati appeared, proposing his unique philosophy. The so

    called Revolutionary Islam ideology represented a midpoint that seemed to balance all

    sides, and thus, quickly gained great appeal among the urban intelligentsia of the time.

    It was this blend of religious values and socialist activism that formed the core of

    the MeKs ideologies. It inspired the group to connect itself with Cuba and the Soviet

    Union, support guerrilla activities all over the world and target US citizens. Not

    surprisingly, the relationship of the group with the United States had always being of

    open antagonism. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend. At the time Saddam Hussein

    was not yet an American enemy, but an ally against Iran, and the MeKs position against

    the Islamic regime served well the American strategic purposes in the region. Despite the

    antagonism, the Mojhedin and the US had become bedfellows.

    16 The Amnesty International mentions over 4,500 political prisoners but Iranian opposition groups suggest

    that as many as 30,000 prisoners may have been executed. See:

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    From Friend to Foe

    The 1990s brought radical changes to the international system, dramatically

    changing the coalitional dynamics in the region, the role and importance of MeK. In 1989

    the Communist Soviet block started to collapse and the world seemed to be heading away

    from revolutionary left ideologies. Having suffered massive losses during both the

    Operation Eternal Light and the Iranian purges of 1988, and being largely unsuccessful in

    every single facet, the MeK had no choice but to adapt and head toward less armed

    attacks and more political activism. At a conference in 1995 the group established a 16-

    point plan named the Charter of Fundamental Freedoms17. The plan encompasses all the

    constitutional democratic values held in western countries, including separation between

    religion and state, freedom of expression and gender equality ii.

    In August 2, 1997 Iranians elected the reformist Mohammed Khatami for

    President. Khatami run on a platform of liberalization and reform, emphasizing freedom

    of expression, tolerance and civil society, constructive diplomatic relations and dialogue

    among civilizations18

    . Khatami was seen worldwide as representing a new age in Irans

    relationship with the world. In order to send a 'goodwill gesture' to the newly elected

    Iranian regime19, the US attended a persistent request of Tehran. In early October of that

    same year, the United States Department of State, under the Clinton administration,

    placed MeK on its list of terrorist organizations20

    .

    17 Cafarella, Nicole.Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) Dossier. CPT- Center for Policing Terrorism. March 15,

    200518Dialogue Among Civilizations is the name of Khatamis famous book, written in response to Samuel P.

    Huntingtons theory of Clash of Civilizations. The United Nations proclaimed the year 2001 as the United

    Nations' Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, based on Khatami's proposal.19 Pipes, Daniel. Unleash the Iranian Opposition. The Jerusalem Post. July 12, 2007. Pg. 1420 Armey, Dick.Iranian 'terror' groups; U.S. should rethink designations. The Washington Times.

    December 4, 2007. pg.A19.

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    From Freedom-Fighter to Terrorist

    The U.S. State Department establishes that a terrorist is someone whose acts

    appears to be intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) influence the

    policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a

    government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.21

    By the definition the MeK was an obvious terrorist organization. But so far it had

    been one that attacked an enemy of the United States, and therefore, a tolerated one.

    However, the election of Mohammed Khatami raised the possibility of transforming such

    relationship from antagonism to cooperation, and the Clinton administration did not want

    to miss such unique opportunity.

    The implications for the MeK were vast and swift. Once placed in the FTO list, an

    entity cannot receive any physical, financial or intellectual support or help from any

    American individual or institution. To make matters worse the Department of State had

    classified both the MeK and the NCRI as a single entity, which affected equally both

    those within Camp Ashraf and those working from the NCRI base in France. Under

    pressure from Washington, and for fear of being possibly labeled as terrorist sponsors, in

    2002 the European Union put the organization on its own list of terrorist organizations22.

    After that most countries moved to a position that in practice meant treating the MeK as a

    terrorist group. Jean-Louis Bruguiere, the French judge in charge of counterterrorism,

    declared that the MeK was creating a terrorist base in Auver-sur-Oise, a village north of

    21 The U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations is issued by the United States

    Secretary of State in accordance with the section 219 of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as

    amended through the Title IV of the United States Patriot Act, subtitle B, section 411. See:

    22 Taheri, Amir. Foreign Views: France tries to score points with Iran. Daily Times (Pakistan). Saturday,

    June 21, 2003. < http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_21-6-2003_pg4_9>

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    Paris. The French anti-terrorist Special Forces troops, backed by helicopter gunships,

    raided about 40 houses in the village, arresting over 150 of MeKs members, including

    the president of the NCRI, Massoud Rajavis second wife, Maryam Rajavi23.

    From Terrorists to Protected People

    With the advent of the Second Gulf War and the resulting collapse of Iraqis

    regime in 2003, the Mojhedin-e Khalq finally lost access to all remaining military

    support and financial assistance. Located only 40km northeast of Baghdad in the unstable

    Diyala Province, MeKs complex was bombed by the allied forces, but the group did not

    resist nor counteract, managing to arrange a cease-fire with unconditional surrender of

    Camp Ashraf24. As result over 3400 well equipped and well trained but aged MeK

    soldiers were captured and disarmed by American forces.

    From that point onward a strange and silent revolution started to happen in the

    relationship between the United States and the MeK/NRA fighters. First, Massoud

    Rajavis suddenly became unaccountably absent from power, allowing Maryam Rajavi to

    assume the de facto leadership of both the MeK and the NCRI from her exile in France.

    Then the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld conceded legal status MNF-I to

    all MeK recruits in Camp Ashraf. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the MNF-1

    status positions a group as civilian protected persons and not military combatant

    prisoners of war. Never before or ever since the USA has classified an entire guerrilla

    army as an entity worthy to be protected against enemy attacks, while at the same time

    considering it a terrorist organization. Officially that was done due to the belief that the

    23 Idem24 Blanche, Ed.An uncertain future.Middle Eastno. 401 (June 2009). Pp. 25

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    MeK did not pose a security threat and due to the NLA neutrality and willingness to

    cooperate. But placing an FTO under military protection let the United States vulnerable

    to charges of hypocrisy, especially when one compares the treatment and status given to

    Al Qaeda operatives and the benefit offered to the MeK/NLA.

    MeK and USA: strange bedfellows

    The Mojhedin-e Khalq has been a constant and unforgettable headache to the

    Islamic regime since its early days. But when tracking back the history of attacks, one

    can observe that most of the MeK attacks failed. The Islamic regime continues in power

    30 years after the revolution and the MeK did not achieve any single political objective.

    Still, Tehran seems to show a disproportionate fixation with the group. Over the years the

    Iranian intelligence services ruthlessly hunted down and killed dozens of its operatives

    worldwide, sponsored waves of domestic purging and demonstrated a willingness to go

    to even higher extremes in order to destroy the leadership structure of the organization.

    Nothing illustrates that willingness better than an unbelievable bargain offered to the

    coalition troops in December 2003. According to the German Intelligence (which works

    closer to Iran's security apparatus than most) Tehran offered to the USA to trade senior

    Al Qaeda operatives under the regime control for MeK commanders under US control in

    Camp Ashraf. The offer included the Egyptian Saif Al Adel, No. 3 in Al Qaedas

    hierarchy, and Abu Hafs the Mauritanian, moniker of Mahfouz Ould Walid, a top adviser

    to Osama bin Laden. Surprisingly, the Americans refused the deal, despite the importance

    of the prisoners.25 Why would the Iranian regime be so interested in a handful of MeK

    leaders to the point of offering such high compensation? And why would the United

    25 Idem, pp. 24

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    States eager to capture all the Al Qaeda leadership refuse such an indisputably

    beneficial swap? According to the US military, 3,418 members of MeK are confined in

    Camp Ashraf. Nine hundred of them are women. Most are reaching middle age and many

    have long term injures, incapacitating them to combat. The faded military capability of

    the MeK may still be a deterrent factor against Iranian incursions in Iraq, but NLA

    fighting days are all but over. Furthermore, considering that its members where disarmed

    and cannot come and go as they wish, Tehrans obsession with the group worldwide does

    not seem reasonable, because the ability of the group to strike terrorist attacks within Iran

    has become negligible.

    The Islamic Republic does not fear the MeKs open fire, but have a much deeper

    reason to fear against this graying group: it is believed that the MeK still have one the

    most well connected network of agents and spies inside of Iran 26. In an autocratic country

    obsessed with security and control, Information is many times more harmful than bullets,

    and that may explain why the American government refused a remarkable deal trading a

    few leaders of MeK by Al Qaeda prisoners that were in the FBIs most-wanted list, and

    why the legal status MNF-I was granted to all MeK recruits by George Bushs

    administration.

    Conclusion

    Since 2002 the MeK has been releasing anti-regime intelligence gathered illegally

    in Iran by its members and allies. U.S. officials say that the Pentagon had already thought

    26 About the network and influence of the Mek within Iran, the CUNY history professor Ervand

    Abrahamian is quoted stating that They are so discredited in Iran that I can't imagine they have any social

    basis. See: Peterson, Scott.Iran sees less threat in exiled MKO militants. Christian Science Monitor.

    February 11, 2008. Pg. 6

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    of using the MeK informants as spies, separating them from the leadership, providing

    training and sending them back to their home country to gather intelligence on the

    clerical regime and its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. In fact it was the MeK, the

    main responsible for the discovery of the Iranian secret nuclear program. They provided

    most of the highly precise and valuable intelligence that allowed the International Atomic

    Energy Agency (IAEA) to find and verify the nuclear test site in Natanz, the heavy water

    production plant in Arak, the nuclear centrifuge testing center in Abali, the nuclear site in

    Lashkar Abad, the centrifuge operations center in Kolahdouz and many other invaluable

    pieces of Intelligence that could not and would not be gathered otherwise

    27

    . The United

    States has maintained control over the members of Camp Ashraf by using the MNF-I

    status while at the same time it has used the classification as FTO to pressure the Islamic

    regime of Tehran. For as long as the group is both officially classified as terrorist and

    maintained under protection, the United States will have a strong instrument to both

    compel Iran to restrain its insurgent activities within Iraqi territory, and to obtain

    invaluable Intel against the Islamic regime.

    Under the light of MeKs role in exposing Irans secret nuclear program the most

    rational reason for the behavior of both countries toward the MeK is its newly found

    importance as an unofficial information tool and spying organization within Iran.

    Bibliography

    Abrahamian, Ervand.Iran between two revolutions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University

    Press. 1982

    27 Azad, Summer.Iran- Solana Incentives: An Engineered Cat and Mouse Game? NewsBlaze. Daily

    News. Op-Ed Contributor. June 17, 2008

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    Armey, Dick. Iranian 'terror' groups; U.S. should rethink designations. The WashingtonTimes. December 4, 2007. pg.A19

    Arraf, Jane. "Tension deepens over intent to close Iraq's Camp Ashraf." Christian Science

    Monitor, June 25, 2009., 6,

    Azad, Summer. Iran- Solana Incentives: An Engineered Cat and Mouse Game?NewsBlaze. Daily News. Op-Ed Contributor. June 17, 2008

    Blanche, Ed. "An uncertain future."Middle Eastno. 401 (June 2009): 24-27.

    Chevalrias, Alain.Brl Vif: Au nom de Marx et de Mahomet. Enqute sur les

    Moujahidine du Peuple d'Iran (Trans.: Burned Alive, in the name of Marx and

    Mohammed). Centre de recherches sur le terrorisme depuis le 11 septembre 2001. 2004.

    < http://www.recherches-sur-le-terrorisme.com/Livresterrorisme/mek-livre.html>

    Dealey, Sam. "'A Very, Very Bad Bunch'."National Review 54, no. 5 (March 25, 2002):

    25-26. < http://old.nationalreview.com/25mar02/dealey032502.shtml>Dickey, Christopher, Mark Hosenball and Michael Hirsh. Iran: The Spying Game.

    Newsweek (February 14, 2005) Section: World Affairs. Pg. 20

    Goulka, Jeremiah, Lydia Hansell, Elizabeth Wilke and Judith Larson. The Mujahedin-e

    Khalq in Iraq: A Policy Conundrum. RAND Corporation. Monograph Series. 2009.

    Henry, Terrence. "Tought to be an Iranian opposition group."National Journal 36, no. 37

    (September 11, 2004): 2740-2741.

    http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.ohiou.edu/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=3&sid=722445c6-4459-4dc8-82a5-

    d3af45d0774a%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=14587068

    Hughes, John. "Obama's dilemma in Iraq's Camp Ashraf." Christian Science Monitor,

    September 16, 2009., 9,

    Iran Memo Expurgated.

    http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/opinion/20070429_iran-memo-expurgated.pdf

    Linda Greenhouse. "Supreme Court Refuses Case Challenging Group's Designation as

    Terrorists."New York Times, January 09, 2007., 15,

    Murphy, Richard W. A Thaw in Iran. Foreign Policy, No. 109 (Winter, 1997-1998). pp.

    182-183Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran

    Peterson, Scott. Iran sees less threat in exiled MKO militants. Christian Science Monitor.

    February 11, 2008. Pg. 6

    Pipes, Daniel. Unleash the Iranian Opposition. The Jerusalem Post. July 12, 2007. Pg. 14

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    Roshan, Majid. "Letter: Iranian Dissidents in Iraq."New York Times, November 20,2009., 34.

    Roshan, Majid.From Iran to Iraq, Tehran Rulers Crank Up Suppression of Dissidents.

    Global Politician 3/3/2010.

    Roshan, Majid. Tehran is Directing Vicious Siege on Camp Ashraf by Proxy. The

    American Chronicle. February 27, 2010.

    Taheri, Amir. Foreign Views: France tries to score points with Iran. Daily Times(Pakistan). Saturday, June 21, 2003.

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security. University of Maryland, START:The National

    Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. TOPs:TerroristOrganization Profiles (formely known as TKB:Terrorism Knowledge Base). Terrorist

    Organization Profile.Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MeK). Retrieved March 6, 2010.

    US Congress. Congressional Research Service. The Library of Congress. CRS Issue Brieffor Congress. Iran: Current Developments and U.S. Policy. Kenneth Katzman. Foreign

    Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division. Updated January 3, 2002

    http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/7974.pdf

    US Department of State. Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Country Reportson Terrorism 2008. April 30, 2009

    http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122449.htm

    Williams Timothy, et al. "Tensions in an Iranian Exile Camp in Iraq."New York Times,July 30, 2009., 1.

    Endnotes

    i This contentious claim, as many others, cannot at this point be confirmed or denied. The MKOWatch, an

    anti MeK website, states that a press release quoted the security authorities of the Pahlavi Regime as

    saying: Based upon the fact that he [Masoud Rajavi] has heartily co-operated during interrogations and

    revealed the members of MKO Society and collaborated to full extent which paved the ground for detectionof MKO network by the security agents thor-oughly, His Majestys Order prescribes the commutation of

    his death sentence to life imprisonment with hard labour. See:

    It is noteworthy however, that the MeK, the NCRI and its leaders have, at least in two occasions, received

    the most prominent public support from influential European politicians who subscribed to the Marxist

    ideology. The first occasion was the above mentioned, when in 1972 the socialist French president Franois

    Mitterrand defended the release of Massoud Rajavi. The second occasion happened recently, when Paulo

    Casaca, a Portuguese politician from Portugal's Socialist Party and Member of the European Parliament

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    through the Party of European Socialists, presided over the European Union decision to remove the MeK

    from the European list of international terrorist groups.

    The excerpt bellow was extracted from Alain Chevalrias book.Brl Vif: Au nom de Marx et de

    Mahomet. Enqute sur les Moujahidine du Peuple d'Iran (Trans.: Burned Alive, in the name of Marx and

    Mohammed). It serves to illustrate the ideological connection between Rajavi and Mitterrand:

    Immdiatement, les fugitifs obtinrent l'asile politique. Franois Mitterrand prsidait

    alors aux destines de l'Hexagone. Sa femme, Danile, a sans doute jou un rle dans

    cette prise de dcision. On la connat pour son soutien tous ceux qui, devant elle, se

    rclament du marxisme. Les fuyards s'installrent Auvers-sur-Oise sous la protection

    des autorits franaises. Rajavi avait bien jou. Deux jours plus tard, trahissant la

    prparation minutieuse de l'opration, il crait le CNR (Conseil National de la

    Rsistance), dont Bani Sadr, en raison de sa position d'ancien Prsident de la

    Rpublique, constituait l'un des piliers. L'autre tait reprsent par le PDKI (Parti

    Dmocratique Kurde d'Iran). (...) Ce n'est pas le seul soutien franais de Maryam. Outre

    de nombreux dputs et snateurs de notre pays, elle compte parmi ses amis Danile

    Mitterrand. A sa sortie de prison, dans le discours ddi ses partisans, elle remercie les

    personnes qui sont intervenues en sa faveur. En premier lieu, la veuve du Prsidentsocialiste qui a dmontr la grandeur, la conscience et les plus nobles valeurs de la

    France et de la Rsistance franaise... C'est comme si Madame Mitterrand avait amen

    ici avec elle le gnral De Gaulle, le chef de la Rsistance contre le fascisme en France,

    et feu le prsident Mitterrand... Image ose, tant l'on imagine mal De Gaulle et

    Mitterrand unis par un mme sentiment. Mais comment ne pas se laisser sduire par tant

    de fracheur?

    TRANSLATION:

    Immediately, the fugitives obtained political asylum. Franois Mitterrand controlled then the

    directions of the Hexagon*. His wife, Daniele, undoubtedly played a part in this decision making.

    His support for all those who, like him, were followers of Marxism, was well known. The

    escapees settled themselves in Auvers-sur-Oise under the protection of the French authorities.

    Rajavi had played well. Two days later, betraying the meticulous preparation of the operation, he

    created the NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran), which Bani Sadr because of his

    position of former President of the Republic, constituted the one of the pillars. The other was

    represented by the PDKI (Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran). ()It is not the only French support

    of Maryam. In addition to many deputies and senators of our country, she counts with Danile

    Mitterrand among her friends. At her release from prison, in the speech dedicated to her suporters,

    she thanks the people who intervened in her favor. Initially, to the widow of the Socialist president

    which showed the grandness, the conscience and the noblest values of France and the French

    Resistance It is as if Mrs. Mitterrand had brought with her General De Gaulle, the chief of

    Resistance against Fascism in France, and fire president Mitterrand it is a provocative image,

    so hard is to imagine De Gaulle and Mitterrand linked by the same feeling. But how not to be

    seduced with such great originality?

    * The Hexagon is Frances nickname, due to its geographical shape.

    ii 1995 MeK Charter of Fundamental Freedoms:

    1) Guarantee freedom of belief, expression and the press, without censorship;

    2) Guarantee freedom for political parties, unions, groups, councils, forums, syndicates, except those loyal

    to either the Shah or Ayatollah Khomeini, provided they stay within the law;

    3) Ensure governments would be elected;

    4) Respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

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    5) Abolish courts, tribunals, security departments introduced by the Ayatollah Khomeini;

    6) Ensure women enjoy the same social, political and cultural rights as men (including a ban on polygamy);

    7) Abolish privileges based on gender, religion or ethnic group;

    8) End discrimination against religious minorities;

    9) Abolish compulsory religious practice;10) Secure Iranian territorial integrity while recognizing the right of Iranian Kurdistan to autonomy;

    11) Safeguard all social, cultural and political rights for ethnic minorities;

    12) Repeal what the MEK deems to be anti-labor, anti-peasant laws;

    13) Encourage a return from exile for all those who fled either the Shah or Khomeini regime;

    14) Base the economy on the free market, national capitalism and private ownership;

    15) Provide welfare needs to the poor;

    16) Improve Irans foreign relations with neighboring and other states; to live in peaceful co-existence.