Participation of Turki al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi Arabia�s intelligence agency and an influential figure in setting the country�s foreign and security policies, at the recent meeting of the Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO) in the French capital of Paris, which was the first of its kind, shows that Saudi Arabia is openly rattling its saber against Iran and has indirectly declared war against the Islamic Republic. It is no secret that those taking part and delivering speeches at the MKO meetings are paid hefty amounts of money in order to talk against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Holding such a glamorous meeting for a dead group, which has no base in any field in Iran and is considered by Iranians on the same par as the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein�s Baath Party, and whose treachery against the Iranian nation both during the imposed war with Iraq and after that at various junctures is no secret to anybody, is a sign that the group avails itself of extensive support from foreign and Arab currents to achieve its ominous goals. It also seems that Saudi Arabia is one of the main financial and security supporters of this current.

Turki al-Faisal�s remarks in praise of the leader of the MKO in addition to his remarks against Iran when he explicitly called for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran�s establishment, clearly show that Saudi Arabia has both declared war on Iran, and is hatching a new conspiracy against our country; a conspiracy in which the MKO members are apparently going to play the role of pawns.

Saudi officials are doing their best to put this conspiracy in gear. On the one hand, they had invited prominent Arab figures to take part in this meeting among whom one could enumerate the former Algerian prime minister, Sid Ahmed Ghozali; the former Jordanian intelligence minister, Saleh al-Qallab; the former Egyptian foreign minister, Mohamed Orabi; and Azam al-Ahmad, a member of the Palestinian Fatah Movement in order to show that their conspiracy has enough support from Arab countries.

On the other hand, they had invited a host of Western figures to take part in the Paris meeting to prove that Western countries are also in line with their new conspiracy. Major Western figures taking part in the Paris meeting of the MKO included: Bernard Kouchner, the former French foreign minister, who has always been among staunch enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero, the former prime minister of Spain; Newt Gingrich, the former spokesman of the U.S. House of Representatives and a possible running mate for the U.S. Republican presidential hopeful, Donald Trump; John Bolton, the former U.S. envoy to the United Nations; and Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City. Of course, these Western officials had also taken part in previous meetings of the MKO in past years and the list of money they had received to take part at the MKO meetings has been released time and time again. It seems that financial motivations outweigh all other motivations for their participation in such meetings.

The recent MKO meeting in Paris was held after the police chief of Dubai, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, had made anti-Iran remarks and while expressing support for the MKO and its leader, Maryam Rajavi, retweeted her remarks.

The MKO meeting received wide coverage from al-Arabiya and al-Hadath news channels both of which are run by Saudi Arabia, as well as the Sky News Arabia, which is aired from the United Arab Emirates.

According to documents released by Iraqi sources, the MKO members, who are still considered as cooperating with the outlawed Baath Party in the Arab country, have been helping the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, whose main members are former members of the Baath Party, in its crimes. Therefore, it would be plausible to say that the MKO is equal to the Baath Party and equal to Daesh, and its members will repeat the same crimes, if they are given needed time. A case to the point is that they are still committing all kinds of crimes in Iraq in cahoots with Daesh and the Baath Party.

Saudi Arabia�s unprecedented show of support for the MKO proves that in their animosity with Iran, Saudi officials are now resorting to a dead horse. Perhaps, Saudis themselves are well aware that the MKO has no place in Iran and this dead horse will only cause them more cost, but they want to convey the message to Tehran that they will stop at nothing in their hostility against the Islamic Republic of Iran, even if it requires the use of such a dead horse as the MKO.

 

This article was written by Ali Mousavi Khalkhali for Iran Review on July� 15, 2016. Ali Mousavi Khalkhali is Member of Editorial Board of Iranian Diplomacy (IRD).