Iran condemns France for hosting MKO meeting, warns of consequences

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Jul 2023 12:32

The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson implores French politicians to address instead the demands of the widespread protests of their people.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani (IRNA)

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani expressed the Islamic Republic's strong condemnation of France's initiative to host a recent meeting of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), which is a designated terrorist group in Iran.

France's initiative has led to tensions between the two countries, causing Iran to send strong warnings to France about the political and legal ramifications of supporting and hosting a terrorist organization.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Kanaani accused the French government of disregarding the demands of its own citizens while providing political support to terrorist groups, highlighting that the meeting comes at an ironic timing for France in light of recent widespread political and social unrest.

The Spokesperson urged the French government to focus on resolving their own country's problems and crises, as well as addressing biased and racist treatment toward French citizens, rather than supporting terrorist organizations.

He emphasized that these individuals, having already betrayed their own nation, could easily betray their foreign supporters as well. Kanaani concluded by advising the French politicians to prioritize the demands of their own people and cease supporting groups that promote terrorism and chaos abroad.

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry echoed these sentiments, stating that it is actively pursuing terrorists beyond its borders. The Ministry revealed that successful operations led to the arrest of individuals affiliated with the MKO terrorist cult. They also commended the Albanian government for its recent actions against MKO terrorists during a raid on their camp in Tirana, Albania.

The MKO, which conducted numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, is responsible for the deaths of approximately 12,000 Iranians out of the nearly 17,000 killed in terrorist attacks over the past four decades.

Back on June 20, the Albanian police raided an MKO camp, owing to the group's involvement in "terror and cyberattacks" against foreign organizations.

Officials seized 150 electronic devices suspected of being used in terrorist activity. During the skirmishes in the Ashraf-3 camp in Tirana's northwest, at least one person was killed and many were injured.

According to reports, one of the MKO members slain in the attack was Abdolvahhab Faraji, a high-profile commander of the terrorist organization. He was believed to be an expert in military engineering operations and was apparently in charge of technical and engineering efforts during an MKO terrorist operation against Iran in July 1988.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson stated that the anti-Iran terror group would always represent a threat to the security of its host countries and hoped that Albania would "make up for its mistake of hosting this terrorist cult."