Iran: The End in Sight for Mullahs’ Propaganda

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Staff Writer
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three American senators urged Attorney General William Barr to instruct the Department of Justice to investigate the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a lobby group of the Iranian regime, and its affiliated organization, NIAC Action, for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The NIAC propagated the regime’s demonization campaign against the organized opposition, specifically the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

three American senators urged Attorney General William Barr to instruct the Department of Justice to investigate the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a lobby group of the Iranian regime, and its affiliated organization, NIAC Action, for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Much of the mullahs’ propaganda takes place through the use of illegal domain names. Now, the United States Department of Justice has decided to ban 27 additional domain names that the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has used to disseminate disinformation about the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).

It appears that at least 4 of the domains appeared to be real news outlets but in reality, were controlled by the IRGC and they were aimed at audiences in the USA in order to influence US policy and public opinion. This is a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Other domains targeted audiences throughout the world.

This is not all the US has done in countering the regime’s influence as it has also seized fuel and Iran’s weapons according to John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

The main target of the regime’s disinformation campaign has been the Iranian resistance movement, particularly the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI), and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).

One example of the way websites have been used by the mullahs is one called the American Herald Tribune, which was first published in 2015. Americans are hired to write their articles. It wasn’t until January 24th, 2020, that CNN revealed that the website was disseminating false information to influence its readership. A spokesperson for Facebook told CNN that a thorough examination of the Facebook page linked to the American Herald Tribune found that it was connected to Iran’s state media. This website has been responsible for publishing numerous anti-MEK articles.

Iran’s lobby

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) openly defends the religious fascism ruling Iran and its foreign policy but on January 14th, 2020, U.S. senators, Mike Braun, Ted Cruz, and Tom Cotton requested that the U.S. Department of Justice investigated NIAC. They said that NIAC’s relationship with the Iranian regime and its role of over publicizing the regime’s propaganda in the US has been under discussion in Washington D.C. for years.

When Qassem Soleimani, known as one of the regime’s main terrorist organizers, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, NIAC condemned this action, even though Qassem Soleimani was responsible for the loss of life of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers in Iraq. NIAC has been the Iranian regime’s key outlet in Washington and its founder, Trita Parsi, keeps in close contact with the clerical regime in Iran.

NIAC has played a major role in disseminating lies and making accusations at the Iranian Resistance and in particular the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).  NIAC’s propaganda says that Iranian society’s key problem and its main barrier to change in Iran has been due to the presence of the opposition MEK.

Regime Lobbyist
The regime’s only other hope was that most of MEK’s supporters lived overseas but even the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, said in a January 2018 speech that MEK’s leading role in the uprising had widespread support in 150 Iranian cities and towns throughout Iran.

Propaganda and Terrorism in Iran

The world went into shock when it was told Assadollah Assadi and 3 other terrorists were arrested when attempting to bomb an opposition Free Iran rally in Paris in June 2018. The “Free Iran,” rally is an annual event organized by the NCRI where the President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and hundreds of key European and American personalities are in attendance.

These sorts of acts of terrorism against organizations like the MEK need to come to an end and the international community must no longer hesitate but it must insist on the expulsion of Iranian diplomats spread throughout the world, some of which could be helping to plan a similar attack to the one in June 2018.

MEK Iran (follow them on Twitter and Facebook)

and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube

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