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 RevolutionaryGuards (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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