Iran
MKO Maryam Rajavi (left) speaking at her organization’s conference in Paris in January 11, 2025. Photo: Maryam Rajavi/X
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Saturday condemned France for permitting the dissident Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO/MEK) to hold an anti-Tehran conference in Paris.
“The move is a clear example of supporting terrorism and violating the French government’s international legal obligations to prevent and fight terror,” Iran’s foreign ministry cited its spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying.
The conference’s theme was “New Policy toward the Iranian Regime” and aimed at “overthrowing of the ruling theocracy is the only path to freedom in #Iran and peace in the region,” Maryam Rajavi, leader of MKO, said in a post on X.
“Today, the balance of power in the region has shifted against the regime. With the fall of Bashar Assad, the regime’s forces in Syria disintegrated and everyone saw how weak and fragile the #IRGC is,” she added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
She emphasized that the Iranian “regime will be overthrown”.
Iran was a staunch support of Assad’s regime which fell last month after a coalition of rebel groups launched a blistering offensive.
The event contradicts “the fundamental principles of international law regarding friendly relations and cooperation among states based on the UN Charter," Baghaei added.
France has been accused of engaging in “an illegal act” by hosting the "terrorist group" and facilitating the "holding of a meeting," the spokesperson claimed.
The conference was attended by former government officials from the United States and the United Kingdom, along with representatives from several Western countries and international organizations.
James Jones, former US National Security Advisor, called for the closure of Iranian embassies and the imposition of stricter sanctions on Tehran in the event.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, speaking at the conference, stated that pressure to overthrow the regime in Iran should come “internally,” after which external support could be provided.
The MKO/MEK is a leftist Islamist organization that was established before the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It initially supported the current government for a period but later emerged as an opposition group.
They habited in Iraq and supported during Saddam Hussein’s rule and then relocated to Albania after the fall of Saddam.
Iran considers MEK to be a terrorist organization and blames it for thousands of deaths since the group took up arms against Tehran, including the bombing of a gathering of Islamic Revolutionary leaders in 1981 that killed 75 people, among them Ayatollah Beheshti, the second-in-command to Ayatollah Khomeini.
MEK was treated as a terrorist organization by the US until it was removed from the list by the State Department in 2012.
The MEK has established a self-styled parliament in exile under the umbrella of the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), a coalition of five groups dominated by the MEK.
In 2022, the MEK attempted to gain popularity and position itself as an alternative government in the event of the overthrow of the Islamic regime. However, this effort was not well-received by the public.
“The move is a clear example of supporting terrorism and violating the French government’s international legal obligations to prevent and fight terror,” Iran’s foreign ministry cited its spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as saying.
The conference’s theme was “New Policy toward the Iranian Regime” and aimed at “overthrowing of the ruling theocracy is the only path to freedom in #Iran and peace in the region,” Maryam Rajavi, leader of MKO, said in a post on X.
“Today, the balance of power in the region has shifted against the regime. With the fall of Bashar Assad, the regime’s forces in Syria disintegrated and everyone saw how weak and fragile the #IRGC is,” she added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
She emphasized that the Iranian “regime will be overthrown”.
Iran was a staunch support of Assad’s regime which fell last month after a coalition of rebel groups launched a blistering offensive.
The event contradicts “the fundamental principles of international law regarding friendly relations and cooperation among states based on the UN Charter," Baghaei added.
France has been accused of engaging in “an illegal act” by hosting the "terrorist group" and facilitating the "holding of a meeting," the spokesperson claimed.
The conference was attended by former government officials from the United States and the United Kingdom, along with representatives from several Western countries and international organizations.
James Jones, former US National Security Advisor, called for the closure of Iranian embassies and the imposition of stricter sanctions on Tehran in the event.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, speaking at the conference, stated that pressure to overthrow the regime in Iran should come “internally,” after which external support could be provided.
The MKO/MEK is a leftist Islamist organization that was established before the Islamic Revolution in Iran. It initially supported the current government for a period but later emerged as an opposition group.
They habited in Iraq and supported during Saddam Hussein’s rule and then relocated to Albania after the fall of Saddam.
Iran considers MEK to be a terrorist organization and blames it for thousands of deaths since the group took up arms against Tehran, including the bombing of a gathering of Islamic Revolutionary leaders in 1981 that killed 75 people, among them Ayatollah Beheshti, the second-in-command to Ayatollah Khomeini.
MEK was treated as a terrorist organization by the US until it was removed from the list by the State Department in 2012.
The MEK has established a self-styled parliament in exile under the umbrella of the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), a coalition of five groups dominated by the MEK.
In 2022, the MEK attempted to gain popularity and position itself as an alternative government in the event of the overthrow of the Islamic regime. However, this effort was not well-received by the public.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment