Attack on Iranian Opposition Meeting Foiled

Over the weekend, Belgian, French, and German authorities cooperated in thwarting a plot to bomb a conference hosted by an exiled Iranian political party, the Mujahidin al-Khalq (MEK). The Free Iran Gathering of 2018 took place in Villepinte, France, between the MEK and international diplomats from Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. Former Senators Newt Gingrich, Robert Torricelli, and President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani also attended and spoke at the event.

The attack plans appeared to be coordinated by Iranians within multiple countries, possibly organized by the Iranian regime. A husband and wife, both Belgian nationals of Iranian descent were arrested during an attempt to carry out the attack. Three others in France were arrested in connection with the investigation, though two were released with no other information provided by French authorities. An Iranian diplomat stationed in Austria was also arrested in Germany.

The Belgian couple were only identified by their first names but were known to local police. They were arrested Saturday with a detonator and a pound of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a common ingredient in improvised explosive devices. They were driving through a residential neighborhood on their way to the conference when Belgian authorities intercepted them.

The Iranian diplomat from Austria was arrested in Germany after revelations that the Belgian couple had been in contact with him. After confirming his identity as Assadolah Assadi, the Austrian government removed his diplomatic immunity. The Austrian government lists him as a low-level diplomat, but MEK officials claim that Assadi has been the head of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) in Vienna since 2014. The MOIS has a long history of repression, assassinations, and supporting terror groups. According to a 2012 Pentagon report, the MOIS considers the MEK to be the biggest threat against the Iranian regime.

Iran’s foreign minister rejected the claims that the regime was involved, calling it a “false flag ploy.” However, the fact that the suspects were in contact with an Iranian diplomat suggests it may have been carried out with approval from a prominent official within in the regime.

Meanwhile, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani is on a European tour to salvage the Joint Cooperation Plan of Action (JCPOA). His effort is focused on limiting the damage from U.S. sanctions by maintaining ties with European businesses. He will be meeting with the Austrian President and his chancellor on Wednesday in Vienna. Since the U.S. withdraw from the JCPOA in May, European and Iranian leaders have been scrambling to keep the deal intact while simultaneously preparing for its potential collapse.

The MEK has been exiled from Iran since 1981 after ongoing violent conflict between themselves and the newly formed government of the Islamic Republic. The MEK then set up a new headquarters in Iraq in 1986 and supported Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980’s. The U.S. State department blames the MEK for killing 6 Americans during the 1970s and supporting the U.S. Embassy seizure in 1979, though the MEK denies involvement in the attack on the Embassy. The group continued bombing attacks against the Iranian regime throughout the 1990s, even after the Iran-Iraq War. Eventually, in 1997, the State Department designated the MEK as a terror organization.

After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, MEK fighters surrendered and were granted protected status from the new Iraqi government. Since then, the group has renounced violence and has earned its removal from U.S. and European terror lists, most recently being removed from the U.S. terror list in 2012. The MEK hosts several annual events, including the Free Iran Gathering, attended by current and former diplomats from the U.S. and major European countries. It raises funds at these events and lobbies Western governments to attend events and recognize the MEK as a viable alternative to lead Iran. The MEK developed a 10-point plan that it believes will lead to a more democratic Iran that protects human rights. For these reasons, despite the group’s violent history, U.S. officials from both political parties have increasingly expressed support for the MEK.

Recent protests reveal increasing discontent with the Iranian government, but the amount of internal support for the MEK over any other new leadership is unclear. At the moment, the MEK is the largest opposition group and the only group that is armed and organized.

The MEK enjoys wide international support, but because it is unclear how much internal support the MEK has within Iran, the current members of the U.S. government are hesitant to promote the MEK as the alternative to the new regime. The U.S. should continue applying pressure against the Iranian regime by condemning Ayatollah Khamenei’s government and following through on economic sanctions. These methods are the best way for the U.S. to promote reforms in Iran as opposed to a more overt approach that causes backlash. Openly backing the MEK as the next leaders of Iran risks giving justification to Khamenei’s claims that the U.S. is using the MEK to foment a revolution and organize protests against his regime. Long-lasting protests and government suppression of them expose the brutality of the Iranian regime and the need for a change.