On April 24, 2020, Iran’s state-run Nasim-e Kermanshah website republished an article originally printed by the state-run Nama News and Nasim News agencies. The repeated dissemination of the article demonstrates the regime’s extraordinary fear of Iran’s main opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The article describes the MEK as the main threat to overthrow the regime and outlines the organization’s role inside Iran. It also quotes regime officials and media talking about supporters of the deposed monarchy as a “distraction” to prevent people from joining or supporting the main opposition.
The truth is that monarchy in Iran was historically buried when millions of Iranians rose up against it and marked the 1979 revolution. With their revolution, the people of Iran expressed their historic choice of rejecting all forms of dictatorship. The mullahs’ unparalleled and inhuman crimes will not simply erase from the people’s memory the horrendous crimes committed by the monarchy in the past. Therefore, the people are not yearning for the return of the Shah’s dictatorship instead of achieving true freedom and democracy.
Making claims about supposed supporters of the monarchy inside Iran and comparing them to the MEK by the regime’s officials and media is an orchestrated plot by the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) to divert the attention of the Iranian people and the international community from the most viable alternative to the Iranian regime. The regime does this because it is fully aware that supporters of the uprooted monarchy do not amount to a serious opposition or an alternative to the regime. Therefore, continuously highlighting their presence will not pose any significant threat to the regime. By mentioning them, the regime intends to discredit the main opposition group, namely the MEK. The article republished by the Nasim-e Kermanshah acknowledges this fact.
The translation of this article is below:
The “distraction” tactic and a costly negligence
Why we unreasonably use the name of Reza Pahlavi [the Shah’s son], who poses no threat to the system, as a distraction and put it beside the real enemy, the MEK, which seeks our downfall.
Dr. Meysam Parsa: My trip to the holy city of Mashhad and pilgrimage of Imam Reza’s holy shrine refined my soul. On my way back to Tehran, the train’s moving and the quick reflection of trees and houses in the wagon’s window filled me with a sense of passion. I was not paying attention to the search result on my telephone. Because of the expertise and research subject, which is the MEK, I search the keywords “MEK” “PMOI” every day. I should emphasize, that when I started my research about the MEK grouplet, I was willing to do some research about Islamic history during the Safavid dynasty. But I quickly understood that the “MEK” subject is very vast. Entering its maze will not leave any chance to research other subjects. As I was enjoying the view of the road, I reminded myself that I should not lose the opportunity, so I looked at the search results. One of the [state-run] news agencies wrote something like this: “The MEK and monarchy plots ….” Seeing this created the same question for me: How far we are going to continue this negligence?
This was the same question I heard from one of the Friday Prayer leaders and representatives of the supreme leader. We were discussing the MEK and the process of these sworn enemies of the revolution and the Islamic Republic. It was amid the 2018 rebellion and it was clear for all of us that the MEK was having a leading and expediting role [during the uprising].
January 14 – Tehran, #Iran
Tehran University
Students protesting and chanting:
"Death to oppressors, be it the Shah or the leader!" referring to regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/lFOsTBVFTq— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 14, 2020
On the other hand, due to the knowledge I had from the supreme leader’s representative and that he was close to the supreme leader, I knew the question of “How far will we continue our negligence,” reflects the reality and pain. Yet, I was not quite aware of the subject. So, I gently rose my hand and asked: Sir, what do you mean by saying “negligence?” He gave me a profound look, pulled his cloak over, wiped the perspiration off his forehead with the back of his hands, and said:
“Today I heard, Commander Kazem Mojtabaei. He said that the MEK and supporters of the monarchy were leading the recent incidents (in 2018).” I was baffled. So, I looked at him and asked: “So what is the matter with this, Haji?” He looked at me and this time with a lecturing tone said:
“The problem is that in his remarks, Commander Mojtabaei unintentionally distracted the minds of people and loyal forces of the system from focusing on the main enemy which is the MEK. How on earth could we describe the monarchy as the main enemy of the system? Have they taken even one serious step to disrupt our national security? Are they even an organized force? They are just a name, monarchy, and some scattered people. Therefore, these people have never been and will not pose a threat to the system.”
Then, Haji explained that there is a huge mistake in our media. This mistake is not about “Knowing the enemy” but is about “dealing with the regime.” Anyone who has worked hard to preserve the inheritance of Imam [Ruhollah] Khomeini, clearly knows that the only enemy of the Islamic Republic is the MEK and that is it. But, once we enter a mediatic war with this grouplet, we see that our writers, those giving speeches, etc. try to tie the monarchy to the MEK.
Hereby, the supreme leader’s representative asked a question: “Why do you think there are those who clearly know that the enemy is the MEK and that the monarchy supporters are a joke, yet make the “sworn enemy of the system” vague?”
One of our friends, who had fought during the sacred defense [regime’s name for the Iran-Iraq war] and I had seen him few times, raised his hand and with a simple word gave the answer: “Haji, a distraction.” I heard Haji as saying “well done” under his breath.
From that night on, and with the explanation Haji said, I understood that many supporters of the revolutions want to see the system lasting. But they consider the MEK’s existence and their ominous intention, which is overthrowing the Islamic Republic, as a barrier to the dream of the system lasting forever. They see how this grouplet, after the June 20 incident (The day, when after two years of political struggle to reform the regime, the regime with opening fire on over half a million protesting in Tehran, showed that it won’t be reformed and should be overthrown) until today, they have been using every minute, hour, day, week, month and year plotting to achieve their goal, which is overthrowing the system and trying to discredit the supreme leader.
Yes, our supporters see this truth, yet take the wrong step in confronting this enemy. Instead of warning the society about the [regime’s] only enemy, the MEK, they try to compare the MEK with the monarchy, so as they say the MEK will not be highlighted.
A friend even referred to a meeting in which Mr. Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, explicitly stated that “All media outlets have been notified that wherever they want to warn of the danger of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization, they must mention the name of the “monarchy” or “Reza Pahlavi” next to it. “So that the MEK does not stand out in the minds of the younger generations!”
The tactic of distraction went as far as the General Yahya Rahim Safavi (former head of the IRGC) despite his incomparable wisdom, under the influence of the [regime’s] supporters. On October 3, 2018, he said: “The Americans are looking to disrupt the Iranian society. Therefore, they are looking to unify the MEK with the monarchy.” Now, those friends that have this mindset of creating a distraction, have they thought about its outcomes? Isn’t the outcome of this work reducing the MEK’s potential threat to our system and revolution in the minds of supporters [of the regime]?
Have you forgotten that the Supreme Leader himself, about the 2018 riots, on January 9, 2018, said: “A triangle was active during this incident. It is not for today or yesterday, it was organized. The pawn of this (rebellion) was the MEK. They were prepared for months before. They were organizing months before.”
Did Imam Khomeini not explicitly say in 1981 that the enemy is not the U.S. or Israel, but the enemy is here, the MEK. If Imam Khomeini and supreme leader Khamenei said this, why do we, in our literature, not specify the enemy for the revolution’s supporters? Why don’t we responsibly and bravely shout that the enemy seeking our downfall is the MEK alone? So, we should all join hands in fighting this evil enemy.
Why do we pointlessly put the name of Reza Pahlavi, who poses no threat to the system, as a distraction along with the name of the real enemy, the MEK, which seeks our downfall. While our supporters continue this wrong method, Massoud Rajavi (leader of the Iranian resistance) constantly speaks of “Resistance Units” and orders chaos and our [regime’s] downfall?
While the supporters of the sacred Islamic system in the psychological and media war try not to “highlight the enemy,” Maryam Rajavi (the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, NCRI) sends a message marking Iran’s new academic year [2018-2019] saying: “The opening of schools and universities injects fresh force to the uprisings and the protest movement, and it can besiege the mullahs’ rotten regime. Rise up to continue the uprisings and to free your homeland occupied by the mullahs. Expand the resistance units to all schools and universities.”
Yes, the enemy is serious and does not use the “distraction” tactic in dealing with us. So, we should be prepared. Let’s pull back the curtains. Let’s abolish the damaging “distraction” tactic and bravely point to the [regime’s] real enemy and give hope to [the regime’s] supporters that we could preserve the system from the MEK’s threat.
