| Founding director of the Center for Iranian Studies, Tel Aviv University, says he is not enthusiastic about the US decision to delist terrorist MEK group from the List of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). |
According to a report published by Habilian Association, Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Prof. David Menashri, Iran expert, as saying that the terrorist MEK group “has not been popular with the Iranian public, aside from during a brief period following the fall of the Shah and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini.”
“While it is one of the few opposition groups that has managed to create centers of influence in Iran, Iranians have not forgotten that it sided with Saddam Hussein when Iraq invaded Iran 22 years ago,” he added.
Menashri went on to say that he can't discern any recent changes in the MEK's character, and wondered how the change in the American government's view of it meshes with Washington's claim that it is ready to begin a dialogue with the Iranian regime.
“This move will provide ammunition to those Iranians who say the United States is using the nuclear issue to overthrow their regime,” he cautioned.
After paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to a high profile team of former Members of Congress and ex-administration officials, the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization, whose hands are smeared up to the elbow in the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians bought its way out of the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).