A new, anti-Islamic Republic of Iran bill in the US Congress was promoted by Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an Iranian Marxist-Shiite group – formerly designated as a terrorist organization by the US, UK, and EU until 2013.
The bill, first introduced in February and sponsored by California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, has since gained a bipartisan majority of sponsors in Congress and has failed to mention MEK’s involvement, despite openly lauding and commending its leader, Maryam Rajavi.
Bill is anti-regime, calls for a democratic, secular Iran
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. It calls for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic of Iran, recognizing that “the source of terrorism and warmongering in the Middle East region is the theocratic Islamic Republic of Iran.”
It also deems the Islamic regime a central cause of the regional conflict, “due to its fueling of weapons, missiles, and drones to its proxies and targeting of ships and free trade in the Red Sea and American forces in the region.”
The bill further stresses Iran’s violations on commitments under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding its nuclear program, and commends protests in Iran, “primarily led by women and youth,” recognizing that women and minorities Iran have been “the primary targets of repression.
Finally, it reminds that 500 prisoners, including political prisoners and at least 17 women, have been executed in the past year since the current President Masoud Pezeshkian took power.
Iran expert: 'An achievement of the regime'
However, three salient clues reveal MEK’s involvement in drafting the bill:
First, the bill makes use of the slogan “Women, Resistance, Freedom,” an MEK-affiliated version of the original slogan used in Iran, “Women, Life, Freedom.” Second, the bill says that the Iranian people consensually oppose monarchy as an “authoritarian rule,” despite the fact that many Iranians consider themselves monarchists loyal to the Pahlavi dynasty.
Last, and most strikingly, the text of the bill twice openly commends the leader of MEK, Maryam Rajavi, for her “Ten-Point Plan for the Future of Iran.” Notably, the bill fails to mention who Rajavi is, who MEK is, and Rajavi’s background and role in MEK.
‘An achievement of the regime’
MEK, also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, was considered a terrorist organization by the US, Canada, UK, the EU, and Japan until 2013 and was described by critics as featuring traits of a “personality cult.”
According to the US State Department, during the 1970s, MEK killed US military personnel and US civilians in Tehran and supported the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy. After the Islamic Revolution, the group focused mainly on regime-affiliated targets. Despite MEK’s claims to have given up its arms in 2003 to focus on political lobbying, many Iranians from across the political spectrum still view the group with disdain, due to its ideology and actions.
“There is nothing positive about MEK’s activities, period,” said Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran and the Shi’ite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies.
“If there is one thing that unites the Iranian opposition at home and abroad, from monarchists to leftists to separatists – it’s that they all disapprove of MEK,” he said.
Zimmt referred to MEK’s intensive lobbying activities in the West, which he argued involve huge sums spent on decision-makers.
“We have known for years that the organization’s political council invites former government officials and American politicians to its annual conference every year, and, according to all available information, they pay very generously for this participation.”
Zimmt explained that popular contempt for MEK means that any connections with the group directly undermine actions intended to help promote political change in Iran. He added that, as opposed to monarchist elements in opposition who still carry an authentic sense of nostalgia and longing for pre-revolutionary Iran, “MEK is thoroughly loathed by most groups from all sides of the spectrum in the Iranian side.”
Therefore, Zimmt believes that even strongly worded bills, such as McClintock’s, are “a waste of resources. As soon as Iranians see anyone supporting MEK, they are automatically rejected. Supporting MEK is also detrimental to the ability to make political change.”
He added that “This bill is more than just an achievement of MEK. It’s an achievement for the regime itself. There is virtually nothing more that Khamenei enjoys than painting initiatives – political or social ones – as being led by MEK. For many Iranians, this can tarnish the entire struggle for political change in Iran, certainly in desirable directions.”