Mojahedin-e Khalq

The Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), also known as the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), originated as a splinter group from the Freedom Movement of Iran. It was co-founded in 1965 by Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, and Ali-Asghar Badizadegan, blending progressive Islam with anti-imperialist politics. After the three founders were executed by the Shah in 1972, Massoud Rajavi emerged as leader upon his release in 1979. The MEK participated in the revolution but clashed with Ruhollah Khomeini's regime, organizing the June 20 uprising and carrying out the 1981 bombing that killed President Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. After a brutal crackdown, the MEK relocated to Iraq under Saddam Hussein's patronage and founded the National Liberation Army, whose catastrophic Operation Forough-e Javidan in 1988 provided a pretext for the mass executions of thousands of prisoners. The NCRI, led by Maryam Rajavi, serves as its political umbrella. The MEK's intelligence network revealed Iran's secret Natanz nuclear facility in 2002. Now based in Albania, it was removed from the US terrorist list in 2012.