Iran Slams West’s Support for MKO on National Day of Fight Against Terrorism
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran has strongly condemned the West for its political and financial backing of the anti-Tehran Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), asserting that the ambitions of the terrorist group and its supporters will never be realized.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani made these remarks on Thursday via his official X account, coinciding with Iran's National Day of Fight against Terrorism.
The day commemorates the 1981 assassination of then-President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. The two officials, along with several others, were killed in a bomb explosion at the Tehran office of the Iranian prime minister during a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council.
Kanaani highlighted the MKO’s extensive history of criminal acts against the Iranian people. He described the terror group as mercenaries for the United States and Israel who have been promoting state terrorism and being involved in the assassination of Iran's nuclear scientists.
He condemned the Western countries, which claim to champion human rights, for their continued political and financial support of the MKO. Kanaani stated that this support has contributed to the martyrdom of 17,000 Iranians.
The spokesman noted that the MKO initially aimed to seize power in the Islamic establishment, which was founded on the people's vote. After failing in this endeavor, the group turned to "indiscriminate and organized" assassinations of Iranian citizens and officials.
Kanaani further pointed out that after fleeing to France, MKO leaders continued their criminal activities against the Iranian government and people with the financial support of Western nations. He also stressed that the group aligned with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during his 1980-88 war against Iran.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the MKO has carried out numerous assassinations and bombings targeting Iranian statesmen and civilians. In 1986, the group’s members fled to Iraq, where they received support from Saddam Hussein.
The MKO remained on the US list of terrorist organizations until 2012. Several European countries, including France, have also removed the group from their blacklists. In recent years, MKO elements were relocated from Camp Ashraf in Iraq's Diyala Province to Camp Hurriyet (Camp Liberty), a former US military base in Baghdad, before being sent to Albania.
Despite their history of violence, MKO members continue to operate freely in the US and Europe, even holding meetings with American and EU officials.