Hersh: US funding opposition forces in Iran

Seymour Hersh's new article in the New Yorker adds credence to Iran's claims of US involvement in Iran.

Iranian leaders have long blamed the US and other foreign powers of supporting the opposition forces operating in the ethnic regions of Iran's periphery, and Hersh specifically points to Baluchi groups like Jondallah, Arab groups in Khuzestan, Kurdish Pezhak (Pjak), and the MKO as likely recipients of US funding and support.

Hersh also quotes Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner, Vali Nasr, and Bob Baer on the problems with taking such a course.

Baer criticizes the idea of funding Sunni-fundamentalist groups like Jondallah as counterproductive and likens it to the funding of Afghan militants (and by extension Al Qaeda) in the 1980s.

Nasr speaks of the ineffectiveness of trying to foment ethnic unrest in Iran, arguing "“You can always find some activist groups that will go and kill a policeman, but working with the minorities will backfire, and alienate the majority of the population.”

Gardiner sums up how US involvement is being perceived by Iran's leaders and how it's actually used to their advantage: “This is new, and it’s an escalation—a ratcheting up of tensions. It rallies support for the regime and shows the people that there is a continuing threat from the ‘Great Satan.’ ”

Another problem with supporting such ethnic-based militant groups is that they often have operations and interests in more than one country. This is the case with the Kurds and the Baluchis, the latter being involved in attacks against the Pakistani state. If such groups are funded, armed, or empowered, it is unlikely that they will only operate within the parameters designated by the US.

The US can hardly afford to support movements that would also destabilize its allies in the region, especially Pakistan. And supporting Kurdish separatists will do nothing for Iraq's long-term stability--nor that of its neighbor, Turkey.

MKO rally calls for US and EU to legalize group

Hailing the recent decision by a British court to remove the MKO from the country's list of banned terrorist organizations, Maryam Rajavi (spiritual leader of the MKO) spoke to a packed convention hall of Iranian ex-pats in Paris and called for the US and EU to follow Britain's lead.

The BBC wrote a stunningly uncritical story on the event and the MKO's newly-legalized status in Britain. What is troubling about the BBC's short article is that it calls the MKO and their "supporters" (see below) the "Iranian opposition," which any analyst of the region worth their weight in grass clippings can tell you is simply incorrect.

MKO already legally operates as the National Council of Resistance of Iran--a so-called umbrella organization dominated by the MKO--which appointed Maryam Rajavi as its President-elect (she'll become the President of Iran for a transitional period after the current regime is overthrown, they say).

Although they are politically savvy, and have managed to gain the support of influential members of the regime-change lobby, the Mojahedin remain a marginalized group with little support among Iranian ex-pats and virtually no support in Iran.

The BBC's story doesn't even hint at this.

Luckily, Lisa Bryant at VOA actually did a little research into the event:

A number of analysts however, believe the People's Mujahedeen carries little weight inside Iran and critics liken the group to a sect.

Still, a number of people attending the rally did not appear to know much about the group. They said they had been flown or bussed in to Paris, with their expenses paid for to [sic] attend the rally.

Iran: 3 terrorist cells discovered in Sistan-Baluchistan

Fars News writing in Persian reports the discovery of 3 terrorist "teams" operating in the border region of Iran and Pakistan. This discovery led to the arrests of ten individuals and the confiscation of various arms.

Iranian authorities argue that these terrorists were trained in tactics and explosives outside of Iran and crossed over the border from Pakistan to commit attacks against security personnel. Iran has hinted that these militants are being trained and armed in Pakistan, and point to that country's own security problems and porous border for enabling the operations of these groups.

Iran did not identify these militants as members of Jondallah, nor did it directly blame that terrorist organization. These militants appear to be part of the larger Baluchi separatist movement, but it's not clear whether they represent a new organization or not. Jondallah has not commented on these arrests and it is possible that their fighters have begun operating as satellite cells as a way of scattering Iran's efforts, which have so far been concentrated on Abdul-Malek Rigi's movement.

The previously unknown Jihadi Movement of the Sunna People of Iran, which claimed responsibility for the Shiraz mosque bombing, also suggests a diversifying (at least in name) of the Baluchi separatist movement in Iran.

The increase in Baluchi militant activities in Iran over recent months may also be a sign that Baluchi groups are benefiting from the resurgent Pashtun Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The emboldened Taliban and similar Pashtun militias have drawn the attention of allied forces and Pakistan's military away from other areas as each has concentrated on combating these groups.

With Pakistan's energy focused on tribal areas of the Pashtun northwest, the Baluchi separatist movement in the country's southwest may be the unintended beneficiary of a looser security environment.

Britian lifts ban on Iranian terrorist organization

India's Economic Times reports that British lawmakers have approved a court ruling which removes the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (aka Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, or MKO) from a terrorist blacklist. This decision, which takes effect next week, removes the MKO from the list of "Proscribed" organizations and will allow the group and its members to operate openly in Britain.

Although the MKO remains listed as a terrorist organization by the US, Canada, and the EU, it has made significant gains since 2003 in legitimizing itself as a pro-democracy opposition group in the eyes of powerful lawmakers and lobbyists on both sides of the Atlantic.

The MKO began as an anti-American, anti-imperialist student guerrilla organization in the mid 1960s. They adopted the ideology articulated by Iranian intellectual, Ali Shariati, which mixed thirdworldist Marxism with Shiite metaphors and beliefs. This form of Islamist-Marxism emphasized the revolutionary spirit of Islam and early Shiite heroes and criticized the clergy for its trenchant, medieval worldview.

The MKO was a powerful force during the 1979 revolution, but ultimately broke with Khomeini as the latter consolidated authority around the clergy and Islamist forces. Khomeinist forces, led by the IRGC, violently crushed the MKO resistance in Iran and forced the organization into exile in Iraq. After the start of the Iraq war, the MKO supported Saddam Hussein and worked with the Iraqi forces to topple the Khomeini regime. For supporting Iraq's war against Iran through numerous terrorist attacks (one of which permanently injured Iran's current Supreme Leader) and assassinations, the MKO gained infamy among most Iranians as traitors. After the war, the MKO underwent an "internal revolution" and transformed into something akin to a personality cult led by Maryam and Masud Rajavi.

After US forces invaded Iraq in 2003, the MKO's two main bases (including Camp Ashraf) were disarmed and their members secured by US servicemen. Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Khamenei, have accused the US of "harboring terrorists" for its protection of the MKO. Iran wants to prosecute (i.e. execute) MKO leadership for the group's role in supporting Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war. However, they have also offered amnesty to MKO fighters and have worked with the US in repatriating some of these activists.

The organization is widely credited with exposing Iran's secret nuclear program and the Natanz facility and has been trying to parlay that success into increased support by Western governments as a legitimate alternative to the current Iranian regime. The MKO has a substantial network across Europe and North America and has earned the support of influential "regime-change" lobbyists.

This decision by the British courts is no doubt a major victory for the MKO. It will certainly add fodder to the organization's campaign for legitimacy in the West and may lead to a reconsideration of the MKO's official status in the US, Canada, and the EU.


(Image: "Worker beating Uncle Sam" a Mojahedin revolutionary poster commemorating May Day 1979.)

Jondallah kidnaps 16 soldiers, assassinates judge

According to Fars News writing in Persian, the Jondallah terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the assassination of local Iranian prosecutor, Ibrahim Karimi. Jondallah ("Army of God") is an ethnic Baluchi separatist group that is conducting an ongoing campaign against Iranian officials and military personal in the Sistan-Baluchistan region of southeastern Iran. Iranian authorities announced 11 arrests in the border town of Saravan in response to the recent assassination. (Another report on local Iranian television translated by OSC reported 20 arrested suspects.)

Like other Iranian news organs, Fars blames the US for supporting the Jondallah insurgency.

This latest incident comes just a week after Jondallah (aka the People's Resistance Movement of Iran) ambushed an Iranian military border station and kidnapped 16 soldiers. Tabnak writing in Persian reports that Jondallah released a video of the captives to Al-Arabiyya television. Tabnak intimates that Al-Arabiyya's showing of the video is evidence of Saudi support for the Jondallah militants.

Jondallah has threatened to kill the remaining soldiers (they claim to have already killed two) if Iran does not release the jailed Jondallah activists recently returned to Iran by Pakistan. These activists include Abdul-Hamid Rigi, the brother of Jondallah's leader, Abdul-Malek Rigi.

Hizballah planning attacks in Canada?

ABC News reports "intelligence officials" revealed information to them that suggests Lebanon's Hizballah "has activated suspected "sleeper cells" in Canada and key operatives have been tracked moving outside the group's Lebanon base to Canada, Europe and Africa." The unnamed officials argue that such attacks, which could likely target Israeli and/or Jewish targets, are being planned in retaliation for the February assassination of Imad Mughniya in Syria. Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the assassination and suggested Hizballah would retaliate.

However, the FBI issued a statement on the story to the Globe and Mail saying "no specific intelligence about any group or so-called sleeper cells planning an attack." Also, the chief executive of the Toronto-based Canadian Jewish Congress, after talks with Canadian law enforcement officials, came away with the impression that "the threat was thoroughly investigated and dismissed."

Hizballah criminal activity in North America is nothing new, but terrorist attacks on Canadian soil would be surprising. Hizballah has devoted most of its efforts to consolidating power in Lebanon, any terrorist attack in the West would hamper that effort. Although Nasrallah and Iran have blamed Israel for Mughniya's assassination, it's not clear that Israel (which denied any involvement) had anything to do with it. The fact that Syria refuted Iranian claims that there would be a joint Iranian-Syrian investigation into the matter adds more fuel to suspicions of an "inside job."

Reuters: Sunni group claims responsibility for Shiraz bombing

Reuters writes that a heretofore unknown Sunni terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the April bombing of a Shiraz religious center (hossaynieh). The bombing, which killed 14 people, occurred in a the mosque that was being used for a meeting of the Rahpuyan organization--a hardline fundamentalist group devoted to preparing the way for the return of the Mahdi or Hidden Imam. The group is ardently opposed to non-Shiite religious expression, especially the the Baha'i faith (which believes the Mahdi returned in the mid 19th century) and Sunnis (who reject the infallibility of the 12 Imams).

Iranian authorities have gone back and forth on their investigation of the bombing. Local authorities initially declared the bombing to be an accidental explosion of improperly stored munitions left by the local Basij (paramilitary) unit. Soon afterward, however, the intelligence ministry began to blame "Wahhabis" and the Baha'is-- the latter have seen increased persecution and the arrests of their informal leadership council due to this erroneous association--and have claimed that the bombing happened with the support of US, British, and Israeli intelligence.

The Sunni terrorist organization (the "Jihadi Movement of the Sunna People of Iran") claimed that the bombing was in response to the execution of two religious leaders from the Sunni Baluchi ethnic community in southeastern Iran. Iran has been dealing with recurring attacks from Baluchi resistance groups, including Jondallah. The Baluchi ethnic population straddles Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, which has made combating groups like Jondallah difficult for Tehran.

Recently, in a show of improving relations between the two nations, Pakistan handed over four Jondallah militants to Tehran, including Abdul-Hamid Rigi, the brother of the group's leader, Abdul-Malek Rigi.

Video of the bombing also made its way to youtube soon after the fact.

IRGC remembers Mostafa Chamran

Sepah News, the daily news organ of the IRGC, remembers revolutionary militant Mostafa Chamran on the anniversary of his death. Chamran was an early leader in the reformulated armed forces of the Islamic Republic and died fighting on the front lines in the Iraq war on 21 June 1981. He was a central figure in the establishment and early direction of the Revolutionary Guards, led IRGC operations in the Kurdistan province, and briefly served as a Majles (parliament) member and the Minister of Defense.

Through his extensive ties with Shiites in Southern Lebanon, particularly with the Amal organization, Chamran helped the IRGC develop its early influence in that country which eventually led to the establishment of Hizballah.

Although Chamran was a vocal proponent of the internationalist (or revolutionary expansionist) faction, a position then at odds with Khomeini, he (like his comrade and fellow martyr Mohammad Montazeri) is revered in Iran as a martyr of the Iran-Iraq war and a revolutionary hero.

Iran: Iraqi government wants to expel MKO

Mehr News writing in English cites an unnamed Iraqi official who suggests that the Iraqi government is actively pursuing steps to expel the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization from Iraqi soil. The same official suggests that the MKO is also tired of its situation in Iraq and is dealing with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to find away out. Mehr also released a similar story in Persian.

Mehr writes in Persian on the role played by Jordan and Saudi Arabia in giving the US a "green light" in dealing with the MKO.

Iran's leaders commonly frame MKO's current presence in Iraq (and its "protection" by the US military) as a prime example of American hypocrisy in the War on Terror. While the MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, Canada, and Europe, their immense and savvy network on both sides of the Atlantic have made it a darling of a certain segment of lobbyists pushing for regime change in Iran.

Maj-Gen. Rashid on Iran's defense strategy

OSC translates on 10 June 2008 an article from the Ansar-e Hezbollah news organ Ya Lesarat ol-Hoseyn that includes statements by Maj-Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, Deputy Commander of the central headquarters of Iran's armed forces.

Rashid articulates what seems to be the foundational philosophy for Iran's current strategy in Iraq (and elsewhere in the region): "We are not interested in war and after the end of the holy defense (Iran-Iraq war), we have been trying to act in a way that no war is imposed on Islamic Iran" [emphasis mine].

He goes on to express the US and Iran's emboldened status in the region: "America's main issue is Iran and the military attacks against Afghanistan and Iraq were carried out in order to frighten Iran; this is while at the present time and after our enemies were destroyed in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved a special geopolitical superiority in the region."

Zibakalam on Iran's strategy in Lebanon

Iranian political science professor and commentator Sadegh Zibakalam discusses Iran's history with Lebanon and its current strategy vis-a-vis Hizballah. Zibakalam who generally offers a reformist line on Iranian politics, does the same here suggesting that support for Hizballah is part-and-parcel of Iran's defensive posture toward the US. He concludes:

"Strange as it may sound, Iranian involvement in Lebanon is first and foremost a defensive strategy adopted by the Iranian leaders against their powerful enemy, the United States. This leads us to an important question: If the Iranian leaders one day feel that the US is not seeking their overthrow, would they still insist on involvement in Lebanon?"