Rouhani Strongly Criticizes Paris' Support for MKO Terrorist Organization

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on France to take immediate actions against the Paris-based terrorist group Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) that is inciting violent protests in the Islamic Republic.

News ID: 67886

Date: 03 January 2018 - 13:38

"We expect the French government to abide by its legal responsibility towards this terrorist group along the lines of battling terrorism and violence," Rouhani made the call in a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

The MKO is the most hated terrorist group among the Iranians because of its dark history of assassinations and bombings, and for siding with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in his eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s.

Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist assaults since the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, about 12,000 have fallen victim to MKO’s acts of terror.

Over the past few days, the MKO has been calling for violence during street protests in several Iranian cities.

Since Thursday, groups of Iranian protesters staged demonstrations in several cities to voice their anger over the rising prices and economic conditions. Sporadic violence has erupted during the protests, causing a number of casualties.

While stressing that no country would neglect public security, Rouhani also noted that promotion of violence is separate from a nation's legitimate right to express its demands and criticism.

According to his office, Macron brought up "the number of victims from the demonstrations" during his conversation with Rouhani, and the two leaders also decided to delay a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Tehran which was scheduled for this week to a later date.

In relevant remarks on Tuesday, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that enemies have been using various tools to deal blows to the Iranian nation and the Islamic establishment in the course of the latest developments in the country.

"During the events over past several days, Iran's enemies, using the various tools at their disposal, including money, weapons, politics, and security apparatus, have allied with one another to create problems for the Islamic establishment,” the Supreme Leader said.