Iranian officials: MEK building military bases on Afghanistan borders

Javan Press Club: MEK building military base on eastern borders of Iran

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Jan. 18, 2019 - In another frantic reaction to the growing influence of the PMOI/MEK inside Iran and abroad, a state-run Iranian news outlet claimed NCRI president Maryam Rajavi has traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, along with an American delegation in order to examine the construction of a military base for the PMOI/MEK along the eastern borders of Iran.

Javan Press Club, affiliated with the Basij paramilitary force, made the claim and added that the U.S. administration has forced the government of Kabul to accept the members of MEK on its soil.

This latest claim comes as the newest installment in a series of fake news being published by the Iranian regime’s media and disseminated by its officials, a reflection of Tehran's fear of its overthrow at the hands of the Iranian people and their popular resistance movement.

Earlier this week, Tasnim, a news website run by the terrorist Quds Force, claimed that the U.S. was exploring the option of returning MEK members to Iraq, where the organization had been based for more than two decades before being located to Albania in 2016.

More recently, regime officials authorities claimed that the MEK was behind the upcoming conference in Warsaw, Poland, in which officials from U.S. and other countries will be discussing countering the destructive role of the Iranian regime in the Middle East.

In this latest chapter of frantic thrashing of Iranian regime officials and media outlets, Javan, which published the made up news of Maryam Rajavi’s trip to Afghanistan, writes, “The goal of this trip is to create military bases for this terrorist group near the eastern borders of Iran with the help of the U.S. In the coming days, Maryam Rajavi will be visiting the Shindid region of Herat. First, they will be building a military base and a number of [MEK] troop who had been previously transferred to this region from Baghdad will occupy a part of an American base.

“As part of its measures against [the Iranian regime], the Trump administration is planning to increase its aid to the [MEK] and build military bases for this group in the neighboring country. In this regard, there has been discussion with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan. [MEK] will use these bases to infiltrate into Iran and stage sabotage and destructive operations.

“In a strategic agreement with Afghanistan, the U.S has forced the government of this country to accept the members of the MEK on its soil.”

Maryam Rajavi calls for support of Iranian protesters in the New Year

Maryam Rajavi calls for support of Iranian protesters in the New Year

Maryam Rajavi

On Sunday, January 13, 2019, Maryam Rajavi attended a New Year ceremony attended by French mayors, elected representatives and supporters of the Iranian Resistance. Titled, “Solidarity with the Iranian People’s Resistance and Uprising,” the conference called for greater support for ongoing protests in Iran and the Iranian people's efforts to free their country from the tyranny of the ruling mullahs.

Among the participants in the meeting were Mrs. Anissa Boumediene, former First Lady of Algeria; Mr. Dominique Lefebvre, former MP; Bishop Jacques Gaillot, a number of Paris district mayors, the mayor of Val d’Oise, and a number of French personalities.

Maryam Rajavi welcomed the audience and extended her New Year felicitations. She briefly reviewed the events of the past year and elaborated on the prospects of 2019. Following is the text of her speech:

Elected ladies and gentlemen,
Very dear friends of the Iranian people’s Resistance,

I wish you all a year filled with happiness, health and prosperity.
A year when the people of France could overcome all hurdles.
Happy New Year to you who have been the friends and supporters of this Resistance in the past 15 years.
By relying on you and your support, we could endure the difficult circumstances and achieve victory.
After the June 17, 2003 attack, when you brought water and ice, and especially your love and smiles, to the hunger strikers. And after our victories in courts, you used to ask me what was it that you could do to help this Resistance and for freedom in Iran. Some of you travelled to Ashraf, to show your support to Ashraf residents. Others went to demonstrations in other countries; some others collected signatures on the streets in support of Ashraf residents.

You shared our happiness and sorrow. You cried with us for our martyrs in Ashraf and Liberty. You celebrated with us for the great relocation of Ashraf residents from Iraq. And you continued to participate in conferences and demonstrations in support of the uprising against the religious dictatorship in Iran.
Some of our friends passed away. We pay tribute to them and are proud of having had friends like them.

Today, in step with the people of Iran, we are closer to victory than any other time.
The secret to our progress over the 40 years of struggle against the religious fascism in Iran, has been persistence, perseverance and paying the price of freedom.
So, in this new year, let me wish happiness and prosperity for all the people of France.
May the New Year be a year of driving back extremism and terrorism in the world and be a year of great change in Iran.
The most significant development in Iran was the outbreak of popular protests and uprisings against the mullahs’ regime.
Everyone saw how terrified the mullahs were. They were particularly scared of the role of the Mojahedin in the uprisings.
Despite the deaths and arrests of thousands of protesters and their torture, the uprisings and protests have continued to this date.
The latest developments in December and January have been student protests in Tehran, protests of workers in Ahvaz, and protests of farmers in Isfahan. We salute their courage.

A significant development in 2018 was the unprecedented isolation of the mullahs’ on the international level.
For years, western governments especially the US had adopted the policy of appeasement of the mullahs. Although some in Europe continue to seek to placate the mullahs, the time is over for the policy of appeasement. This is a great setback to the Iranian regime.
On the other hand, the democratic alternative has made great progress.
When Ashraf residents were in Iraq, they were exposed to the danger of massacres and missile attacks by operatives of the Iranian regime. Today, however, they have built a small township in Albania, called Ashraf 3. The Resistance Units have spread throughout Iran.
These activities offer a backing to protesters. Today, the Resistance Units supporting the PMOI are the flames of hope in the darkness of the mullahs’ religious fascism.
For this reason, one can conclude that the regime has clearly regressed in status and the Resistance has obviously progressed.

The mullahs have no solution to offer for the country’s economic bankruptcy. They have no solution for the environmental disasters and for the protesters.
They are particularly bewildered in the face of the upcoming uprisings. Just recently, the mullahs’ supreme leader warned that the enemies are planning for the next year.
This is why the mullahs who are unable to confront the uprisings, have found their only way out in terrorism against the Iranian Resistance.
In 2018, they sought to carry out a major terrorist plot against the annual gathering of the Iranian Resistance in Villepinte, but they failed. They also hatched terrorist plots in Albania, the US and Denmark, all of which were foiled.

They also launched an extensive demonization campaign in the media against the Iranian Resistance. By their propaganda, they very well demonstrated who their alternative is.
In 2018, France expelled an Iranian regime diplomat and froze the assets and properties of the mullahs’ Ministry of Intelligence. This was a right step towards a firm policy.
Albania also expelled the regime’s ambassador and the Intelligence Ministry’s station chief. And the Netherlands also expelled another two diplomats of the clerical regime.
On Tuesday, the European Union announced sanctions against the Iranian regime’s terrorism and its intelligence services.

We have always urged western governments to be firm against the mullahs’ terrorist dictatorship. So, today, we urge them to expel the mercenaries of the mullahs’ Intelligence services and the terrorist Qods Force from the U.S. and Europe.
We also urge democratic countries to support human rights in Iran. The only force which could end the Iranian regime’s terrorism and belligerence is the uprising of the people of Iran with their organized resistance.
The time has come for France and the world community to recognize the right of the Iranian people’s Resistance to overthrow the theocratic regime and attain freedom.

Dear friends,
In the early days of the New Year, the world must listen to the cries of protesters in Iran.
They want freedom and democracy. They want a republic based on separation of religion and state.
I am confident that with the support of freedom-loving women and men like you, and with the endurance of the people of Iran, the Iranian Resistance will establish freedom and democracy in Iran.
Once again, Happy New Year and I wish all of you to enjoy the night.
Thank you.

January 13, 2019, Maryam Rajavi attends in New Year ceremony in France

January 13, 2019, Maryam Rajavi attends in New Year ceremony

Iran’s Friday prayer leaders warn about the re-emergence of protests

Iran’s Friday prayer leaders warn about the re-emergence of protests

Iran's ruling mullahs are afraid of nationwide protests

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Jan. 15, 2019 - Every Friday, mullahs in various Iranian cities reflect the views and opinion of regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei during Friday prayers. In recent weeks, Friday prayer leaders have been increasingly focused on warning about the role of the PMOI/MEK in undermining the tyrannical rule of the mullahs. The mullahs are also showing their fear of the threat of popular uprisings and protests pose to their rule.

Describing their regime as “Islam” and “Iran” and “the Revolution,” the Iranian regime’s Friday prayer leaders are warning about the “plans of the enemy” and “uprisings by the disenchanted population” against their regime.

Mohammad Taghi Keramati, the Friday prayer leader of Golpaygan, spoke of an enemy that wants to “destroy the roots of the establishment” and advised officials not to become frightened and not to weaken their resolve.

Ghorbanali Dori Najafabadi, the Friday prayer leader of Arak, explicitly named the PMOI/MEK as the enemy and stressed that under the current circumstances, the regime must “resist against the enemy with vigilance and awareness.”

In Yazd, Mohammad Reza Naseri, whose sermon was being broadcast on social media, called on regime officials to be wary of rumors. “The enemy intends to cause mistrust in officials and the goals of the revolution through rumors,” Naseri warned.

Other Friday prayer leaders tried to hide their fear and panic by expressing relief that the mullahs’ regime has not been overthrown yet.

Gholamali Naeem Abadi, the Friday prayer leader of Hormozgan, feigned joy that the regime has not collapsed yet. “As we approach the 40^th anniversary of the Revolution, all the enemies who prayed for the destruction of the establishment have themselves been destroyed.”

Others were not so quick to celebrate their regime’s survival. “As Iran puts the 40^th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution behind, the enemies are trying to push protests toward strife by assembling working groups,” Yusef Ghassemi, the Friday prayer leader of Kangan said.

Another theme that recurred in the speeches was the Iranian regime’s discontent and fear with the activities of PMOI/MEK abroad. Mohammad Ali Ale Hashem, the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz, described the MEK as “a group that has disagreed with the principles of the Islamic Republic for four decades and is seeking its collapse.” Ale Hashem expressed concern over the activities of the MEK in Europe and demanded the EU to “respond to the Iranian people about harboring [MEK members].” His laments were echoed by Friday prayer leaders in other cities.

Friday prayer leaders are not the only authorities in Iran complaining about the turn of events against their regime. After the EU imposed fresh sanctions on an Iranian intelligence unit and two of its members, officials from the Iranian regime’s foreign ministry tried to save face by criticizing Europe for allowing the PMOI/MEK to hold gatherings and other activities on their soil.  

While over the years, the Iranian regime has tried to dismiss the role of the PMOI/MEK, its highest officials are regularly revealing their fear and consternation about the continued persistence of the Iranian opposition group in its goals and principles. Whether implied or explicit, Iranian officials constantly warn about the role that MEK and the Iranian resistance units are playing in helping organize protests inside Iran and rally the international community against the nefarious and destructive policies and activities of the Iranian regime.

The mullahs in Iran know better than anyone else who is their true enemy and the alternative to their rule.

Tehran is furious about next month’s Mid-East summit in Poland

Tehran is furious about next month’s Mid-East summit in Poland

The Iranian regime is afraid of the growing international consensus against its terrorist activities

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Jan. 15, 2019 - Since last Friday, when the U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced a ministerial summit on peace and security in the Middle East, a flurry of condemnations and warnings are coming out of Tehran.

Iranian state-run television broadcasted a report last Saturday, in which it described the reaction of the regime’s foreign minister Javad Zarif as such: “[Iranian] Foreign Minister described U.S. attempt to host a summit against Iran an anti-Iranian circus and disappointing. [Javad] Zarif criticized Poland for cooperating with the U.S. administration and added that while during the World War II, Iran rescued Polish countrymen, hosting an anti-Iranian circus by this country is disappointing.”

On the same day, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, described the summit as “psychological warfare”.

This summit “can turn into a losing battle for the U.S.” he said, while simultaneously asking for a “decisive response” to Poland.

Asked what he means by a “decisive response” to Poland, Falahatpisheh said: “Something beyond a simple complaint.”

Still in shock of the recent round of European sanctions against the Iranian intelligence ministry and revealing the almost-defeated Iranian game plan to divide the international community, Asr-e Iran website wrote: “While it appears that the Europeans still haven’t made up their minds about the hosting country for the economic exchange mechanism with Iran [Special Purpose Vehicle] (SPV), it’s interesting how a relatively important EU country is preparing to host an anti-Iranian summit.”

Asr-e Iran, which is close to Hassan Rouhani’s so-called moderate faction, also revealed Iran’s strategically weak position and the dilemma it faces and further wrote: “In response to news about next month’s summit in Poland, Iranian officials only considered it from the angle of bilateral relationships between the [Iranian] regime and Poland and also the hostile relationships between Washington and Tehran. They didn’t try to turn it into a European-Islamic Republic issue; Especially when the EU has passed new sanctions against the [Iranian] regime’s intelligence community.”

But yesterday the Iranian foreign policy establishment took the whole game to a new level and while still refraining from escalating the issue into an EU-Islamic Republic confrontation, it nonetheless stepped into unknown territories.

“In response to hosting the hypocrites [Iranian regime’s official term for the PMOI/MEK] by Poland, Bahram Qassemi, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said: ‘There is no doubt that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s response to this act will be very serious and without any appeasement and considerations,’” Young Journalist Club reported.

“Poland must be held responsible for the consequences of this hosting and accept the responsibility for the outcome of participating and hosting a summit against an independent country, unless the Polish government eventually makes a wise move and changes the direction of this summit to something different than what it mentioned in its invitations,” Young Journalist Club quoted Bahram Ghassemi.

The amount of warning and threat in Ghassemi’s language is unusual in diplomatic parlance and makes one more curious about the text in the Polish invitations.

But there is a far more important message in how the report was put together by the YJC: The Iranian theocracy’s fear of its organized alternative, the PMOI.

By equaling a summit that officially aims at peace and security in the Middle East and containing the Iranian regime’s malevolent influence in the region to hosting the PMOI, the news agency, close to Khamenei’s faction, is clearly pointing at its undeniable redline.

In other words, there is nothing more fearsome to the Iranian theocracy than the existential threat that the PMOI/MEK poses to its rule.

At the end of the day, the Iranian regime is able to handle all sorts of sanctions and foreign intervention through propaganda and the use of raw violence. But it can’t tolerate an opposition that threatens its ideology of radical Islam at the roots.

The right response to four decades of Islamic terror around the world and particularly this very region is to embrace a tolerant interpretation of Islam represented by the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s president-elect Maryam Rajavi.

It is up to world leaders to manifest the intellectual capacity and mental courage to recognize the Iranian opposition and put an end to this decades-long nightmare.

How Europe should stand firm against Iran’s regime

How Europe should stand firm against Iran’s regime

The Iranian regime is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Jan. 12, 2019 - The mullahs’ regime in Iran is desperately seeking good and expanding relations with the European Union in the face of the United States exiting the 2015 nuclear deal, and the mullahs are frantically counting on the EU to continue a policy of appeasement with Tehran. All the while, the European Council of Ministers issued a statement on January 9 imposing sanctions on two senior officials of the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and adding their names to the EU terror black list. Restricting measures have been extended on individuals and entities previously designated by the EU.

The Iranian regime’s reactions to these damning measures are quite interesting.

On his Twitter account, mullahs’ Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized Denmark, Netherlands and France for giving refuge to memebers of the MEK, which the Iranian regime considers a terrorist group. "Accusing Iran won't absolve Europe of responsibility for harboring terrorists.”

Alireza Rahimi, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament) also voiced his concerns over these developments.

“… We must not consider these chain allegations as unassociated,” he said. Rahimi took one step further than Zarif, yet very carefully, and called for European ambassadors to be summoned and issued warnings. Of course, this is very normal in diplomatic relations and the regime is not taking any risks in such measures..

“It is necessary for the Foreign Ministry to summon the ambassadors of Denmark and the Netherlands, and provide necessary explanations in this regard, demanding they not allow a number of extremist European states to damage or downgrade relations with Iran…” he added.

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a former deputy foreign minister and now Parliamentary Director General for International Affairs and Assistant to Speaker of Majlis Ali Larijani, resorted to the old-fashioned approach seen from the mullahs’ threats during the past four decades. He tweeted:

“Having strong relations w/ #Europe is part of #Iran foreign policy's logics. But West should face a ‘shock’ to realize we won't remain in one-way tunnel of the current #JCPOA at any cost. Now, safe Europe for #terrorists & #MEK has to get a logical, prudent but shocking message.”

Of course, it is crystal clear for all parties, especially the Iranian people, that the mullahs will carry out terror attacks whenever they can. And if they don’t, it is not a matter of not wanting to carry out such atrocities, but a matter of literally not being able to.

Considering the regime’s shaky and very fragile status quo, various Iran analysts are asking will the mullahs’ regime ever end its support of terrorism in other countries? The answer is quite obvious: This regime has no solution for its incurable crises other than domestic oppressionand exporting terrorism abroad.

This is exactly the reason why the Iranian Resistance has continuously emphasized on the necessity to adopt a firm policy aimed at preventing the mullahs’ terrorism in European countries and abroad.

Iranian opposition President Maryam Rajavi issued a thread emphasizing on this very important subject.

View image on Twitter

Maryam Rajavi

✔@Maryam_Rajavi

Following the remarks by @SecPompeo, I would like to once again reiterate --on behalf of a Resistance movement which has been seeking the oil and arms embargo of the mullahs’ theocracy since 1981—the need for taking the following steps:#Iran#FreeIranhttps://www.maryam-rajavi.com/en/item/iranian-people-right-resistance-freedom-needs-recognized …

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12:54 AM - Jan 12, 2019

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Iranian diplomats act as spokespersons for the Taliban, Afghan official

Iranian diplomats act as spokespersons for the Taliban, Afghan official

Shah Hossein Mortazavi, spokesperson for the Afghan President

Reported by PMOI/MEK

Iran, Jan. 12, 2019 - Following the Iranian regime’s incessant meddling in Afghanistan and its aiding and abetting the extremist group Afghan Taliban, officials from the Afghan government have started to issue statements and criticize Tehran for the destructive role it is playing in their country.

In this regard, Shah Hossein Mortazavi, the spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said, “These days, the officials of the Iranian regime’s foreign ministry are acting as the spokespersons for Taliban. If the neighboring country believes dialog will solve problems, why isn’t it opening the way to dialog with dissident groups inside Iran, including the PMOI/MEK? Why isn’t trying to solve its years-long domestic crises through dialog?”

Mortazavi added, “The Iranian government is afraid that the freedoms that exist in Afghanistan will become an example for Iran, and that’s why it is vouching for the ideology of [Taliban leader] Mulla Omar in Afghanistan.”

Javad Zarif, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, has recently said that the Taliban should have a role in Afghanistan. His deputy Abbas Araghchi recently traveled to Kabul to discuss the establishment of a new Afghan government with the participation of the Taliban.

Moreover, the Iranian regime hosted the Taliban in Tehran and had detailed discussion with the extremist group. Both the Iranian regime and the Taliban confirmed that the negotiations had taken place.

Interestingly, the Iranian regime previously considered the Taliban its enemy. Tehran helped provide the U.S. with intelligence about the Taliban when coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The Iranian regime has also tried to associate the Taliban with the MEK for years.

History has shown that the Iranian regime forges alliances based on its short-term interests. And then it breaks them as soon as they no longer serve its purposes. This is a pattern that has been observed in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and other places.

Victims of Kermanshah earthquake continue to suffer the consequence of the Iranian regime’s incompetency

Victims of Kermanshah earthquake continue to suffer the consequence of the Iranian regime’s incompetency

Victims of Kermanshah earthquake are living in harsh conditions

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Jan. 10, 2019 - On January 6, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Gilan-e Gharb city in the western fringes of Iran’s Kermanshah province. Following the incident, Iranian regime officials declared they were assessing the inflicted damages.

But if past earthquakes in Kermanshah (or anywhere else in the country, for that matter) are any indication, the Iranian regime will never issue a full and proper report of the amount of damage that the people of the region have subdued. Meanwhile, solely reporting the damages will solve none of the many problems the people of the affected region are faced with in the aftermath of the natural disaster.

Immediately after the earthquake, the people whose homes and shops had been damaged filed damage reports to the government Housing Foundation office in Gilan-e Gharb so that the foundation’s experts could make the proper assessments. But as is the Iranian regime’s routine, government officials took no measures to remedy the situation and make amends for the damages dealt to the lives of the city’s inhabitants.

Likewise, “assessments” over the damages caused during an earthquake in Qasr-e Shirin, another Kermanshah city, which happened more than two months ago, are still ongoing! This means that the Iranian regime hasn’t taken any serious steps to even compile a damage report on the natural disasters that have hit the province, let alone send relief efforts and try to remedy the suffering of the people of the region.

The epicenter of the Jan 6 earthquake was located in the Shiakouh heights at 32 kilometers’ distance from Gilan-e Gharb. An approximate 100 people were injured. The infrastructures of the city were severely damaged. The city’s potable water has become muddied and the entrance to the city’s main water tank has been ruptured. The ways that connect the city to nearby villages have been blocked, making the daily lives of the people of the region harder.

According to reports and videos published in social media networks, the financial damage caused by the earthquake was considerable. Most of the damage was done to low-resistance residential buildings of Gilan-e Gharb and the livestock preservation buildings in the surrounding villages. Without proper support, the people of the region don’t have the means and facilities to build strong buildings that will protect them against earthquakes and other natural disasters.

The panic and terror caused by the earthquake has become one of the most serious problems of the people of the region. The people are in constant fear and stress from the possibility of another disaster and they feel insecure.

Even the government buildings such as government offices and schools don’t have strong infrastructure and won’t stand an earthquake of considerable magnitude. In the recent earthquake, many government buildings and schools were damaged.

One of the MPs from Qasr-e Shirin said, “Given that schools were open and working at the time of the earthquake, nine of the injured are schoolchildren because the school buildings of Gilan-e Gharb are not strong enough [to withstand the quake].”

The current problems of the people of Gilan-e Gharb are happening while the Iranian regime is still neglecting the miseries of victims of the disastrous 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Kermanshah in November 2017, leaving 830 dead and 8,100 injured.

After 14 months, many of the people of the region are still living in makeshift homes, which means there’s no sign of relief efforts and government projects to restore housing, health and livelihood conditions to their previous state.

Farhad Tajari, a member of the Iranian regime’s parliament, admitted that the people of Gilan-e Gharb still don’t have proper shelter, they don’t even have trailers. “They will have to sleep in tents and cars in very harsh conditions,” the MP said. Tajari also warned that with earthquakes regularly happening in the area and the government not taking proper measures, there’s a real threat that the people will start deserting the region and migrating to other locations where they feel safer.

Given the track record of Hassan Rouhani’s government, there’s no serious prospect of help coming to the victims of the Gilan-e Gharb earthquake.

On the anniversary of the Kermanshah earthquake, Ruydad 24 website wrote, “A year passes from the 7.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Kermanshah. This was an earthquake that was so powerful that its tremors reached as far as Iraq and Turkey and it destroyed many homes in Kermanshah. There is a large number of people who are still living in trailers and tents. The living conditions of home renters in the region is still uncertain. The home owners don’t know what to do with the current situation. Pollution in the temporary residential area of the earthquake victims (which has effectively become their permanent homes) has become a source of diseases in the region. There’s news of suicides in the region and now, on the anniversary of the earthquake, we’re at the doorsteps of the cold season, and all the calamities of last year will repeat themselves.”