Nima Sharif
A transatlantic rift in policy towards Iran seems to be closing rapidly as a momentum materializes in different policy making circles in Washington to close the gap due to recent developments in North Africa and Middle East.  The momentum emanates from a call to reposition the West in support of newly forming democracies across the region, rather than the old approach of engaging tyrants for economic reasons and turning a blind eye on actions of governments towards their own people. Simply, the West wants to be on the right side of history as developments continue.

A major shift, pivotal in realizing this policy change is considered to be the approach towards a leading resistance movement from Iran, the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq organization or MEK. 

Hamid Yazdanpanah
Jason Rezaian is, by his own admission, one of the only “foreign” journalists currently permitted to work in Iran. As we all know since the 2009 elections, the Iranian regime has been loath to allow any foreign journalists access to the country, however Mr. Rezaian has had no problem in this matter.

Indeed Mr. Rezaian has spent a considerable amount of time in Iran, and seemingly continues to enjoy a close relationship with the state; as he concedes in this commentary he wrote for the New York Times: “Last night I rode with some of them in a back of a truck plastered with the incumbent’s photos. These were members of the Bassij, the youth militia — young men in their 20s who are the new generation of the Islamic revolution.”

Nima Sharif
Recently in Washington, DC a number of former high ranked officials and public figures from both parties, made calls for the removal of the main Iranian oppositions group, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq Organisation of Iran (MEK) from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organizations list.  At the same time some discussions began to appear in online publications and blogs with arguments such as the MEK being a cult or being unpopular.

In an in-depth fact-finding researched paper, “Iranian Dissidents and Their Critics“, Raymond Tanter[1] of Iran Policy Committee, addresses these issues surrounding the MEK.