Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Is Trump Team Advocating for Iran Regime Change?
Randy-Reed-Image
By Randy Reed, Operations Manager
Published 7 years ago on
June 29, 2018

Share

Two of President Donald Trump’s high-profile allies will address a “Free Iran” conference Saturday (June 30) organized by a controversial group that advocates for regime change in the Islamist country, according to a story in Politico.
Rudy Giuliani, the President’s personal lawyer, and informal advisor Newt Gingrich are headlining the Paris meeting of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and its affiliates.

Terrorist Group Designation

“For 15 years, the U.S. designated the MEK a terrorist group, while analysts describe it as a cult – both allegations the group rejects,” Politico reports. The Obama administration removed the terrorist label in 2012.
While U.S. officials deny that regime change is the Trump administration’s goal, outside experts are skeptical.
The appearance of Giuliani and Gingrich at the conference, Dartmouth University’s Daniel Benjamin told Politico, “underscores once more how some of Trump’s top surrogates are advocates of regime change in Iran.”

“A Call for Regime Change”

Politico also cites the hard-line stance Trump has taken following his unilateral withdrawal from the seven-nation nuclear deal with Iran in early May.
“Soon after, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech laying out U.S. grievances with Iran and listing 12 demands that many analysts said were tantamount to a call for regime change,” the article says.
The MEK has worked hard to gain favor and influence and, as Politico reports, “this weekend’s gathering comes at a heady moment for the group.”
“Several of the politicians it has cultivated in recent years, with the help of handsome speaking fees, are now key figures in Trump’s orbit — including not only Giuliani and Gingrich but National Security Adviser John Bolton.”
The group lists other high-profile speakers for this weekend’s conference, as well. Among them: former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, and Fran Townsend, a homeland security adviser for the George W. Bush administration.

Group Has Marxist Roots

Politico’s reporting says the MEK was founded by leftists, some with Marxist ideological roots. It was alleged to have carried out bombings in the 1970s that killed Americans in Iran, including military personnel.
While the group’s supporters say it no longer employs violent tactics, “the MEK has come to resemble a cult,” says Politico. “It imposes strict rules on members, its funding sources are mysterious and it has little genuine support within Iran. The MEK is led by Maryam Rajavi, and, supposedly, her husband Massoud, who has not been seen publicly in years.”
While its influence in Washington may be growing, experts question the MEK’s effectiveness, says Politico.
“Iranians don’t want to replace one regime with another,” the article quotes one analyst as saying on the condition of anonymity. He called the MEK  “a regime in exile tied to Marxism. They just don’t have the backing in Iran.”

DON'T MISS

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

DON'T MISS

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

DON'T MISS

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

DON'T MISS

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

DON'T MISS

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

DON'T MISS

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

DON'T MISS

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

DON'T MISS

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

UP NEXT

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

UP NEXT

Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother and Keeper of His Legacy, Dies at 78

UP NEXT

Bullard Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Behavior With a Minor, Principal Says

UP NEXT

Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Adults Identifies as LGBTQ+, Survey Finds

UP NEXT

Europe’s Leaders, Dazed by an Ally Acting Like an Adversary, Recalculate

UP NEXT

Arctic Blast Causes Massive Pileups, Power Outages Across East Coast

UP NEXT

EU Official Meets With Trump Counterparts to Resolve Tariff Threats

UP NEXT

Struggling Forever 21 Plans to Close 200 Stores in Possible 2nd Bankruptcy

UP NEXT

2 People Are Dead in a Small Plane Collision at a Southern Arizona Airport

UP NEXT

Official White House Account Declares Trump ‘King’ in Latest Post

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

9 hours ago

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

10 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

16 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

16 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

16 hours ago

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

16 hours ago

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

16 hours ago

Trump-Putin Summit Preparations Are Underway, Russia Says

16 hours ago

Warren Buffett Offers Trump Some Advice While Celebrating Berkshire’s Success

16 hours ago

Hungarians Will Decide Whether Ukraine Can Join the European Union, Orbán Says

16 hours ago

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

ROME — Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pn...

9 hours ago

9 hours ago

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

9 hours ago

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

9 hours ago

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

9 hours ago

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

10 hours ago

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

16 hours ago

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

16 hours ago

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

16 hours ago

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend