Reports from the US Department of State indicate that Secretary Hillary Clinton will remove the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) from the list of designated terrorist organisations. The action is believed to take place on or before 1 October, when a Federal Court order* required her to either remove the MEK from the terrorist list, or re-designate it. The Secretary had delayed making a decision on the removal of the designation. The MEK had failed to move from Camp Ashraf, in Iraq, to a new camp near the Baghdad Airport, by 20 July, as a prerequisite to consideration of delisting. Reportedly, most of the MEK followers have now relocated.
In light of the fact that the MEK, which many consider a cult, was responsible for the assassination of US military and government officials in Iran, during the 1970s, and that it does not promote democratic principles, removing the MEK terrorist designation is a major foreign policy mistake. Many highly-paid US politicians have supported the deletion of terrorist designation, but inasmuch as the MEK opposed Iran in the 1970-1980 Iran-Iraq War, it has no popular support in Iran, and removal will ultimately hurt the interests of democracy in the Middle East. It will not encourage regime change in Iran, leave the MEK where it is, Madame Secretary.
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*Appeals Court orders Secretary Clinton to decide on MEK Terrorist Status
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