Iranian Official Calls for Prosecuting Members of the People’s Mojahedin

Members of the People’s Mojahedin in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near Tirana on Tuesday (AFP)
Members of the People’s Mojahedin in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near Tirana on Tuesday (AFP)
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Iranian Official Calls for Prosecuting Members of the People’s Mojahedin

Members of the People’s Mojahedin in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near Tirana on Tuesday (AFP)
Members of the People’s Mojahedin in front of the entrance to Camp Ashraf 3 near Tirana on Tuesday (AFP)

The Assistant for Legal Affairs in the Iranian Presidency called for the trial of members of the opposition Mojahedin-e-Khalq, at a time when the Albanian police issued an indictment against six members of the organization, which is opposed to the regime in Iran.

Mohammad Dehghan, legal affairs assistant to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, said that his country was making legal arrangements to return “the remnants of the hypocrites” to the country, in reference to the designation used by Iranian officials to describe the People’s Mojahedin Organization (MEK).

“We must issue sentences for people who committed crimes against people or state property inside the country and enforce these verdicts abroad,” he said.

The People’s Mojahedin is the most organized faction among the Iranian opposition parties, which includes a wide range of supporters of the Shah’s regime, banned leftist parties, in addition to parties belonging to ethnic groups.

Dehghan, said legal measures were underway in coordination with the ministries of intelligence and foreign affairs as well as the judiciary to return “the hypocrites” to Iran.

The regime alleges that since the establishment of Iran in 1979, the group has carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian officials and civilians, killing some 17,000 people.

Fars Agency, which is affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, stated that the IRGC’s intelligence service had arrested the group’s “recruitment official” in the provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, without revealing the identity of the person.

The Iranian vice-president’s comment came at a time when the Albanian police announced the indictment of six members of the MEK, in connection with clashes in Camp Ashraf 3, the headquarters of the group.

The Albanian police said that they had carried out raids at Camp Ashraf 3, which is inhabited by members of the People's Mojahedin, who are suspected of plotting cyber-attacks against foreign institutions, according to local media.

Media reports added that these operations were carried out as part of investigations into cybercrimes, noting that the police confiscated computers and software.

The clashes at Camp Ashraf 3 coincided with a French decision to ban a major demonstration in Paris by the Iranian opposition, due to security threats.

More than 290 French deputies and 76 members of the Senate had called for “supporting the Iranian people in their quest for change" and for taking “strong and decisive measures against the current regime.”

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to his Iranian counterpart, Ibrahim Raisi, for an hour and a half, on various bilateral and international issues.

 



UK's PM Confirms Plan to Boost Defense Spending to 2.5% of GDP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets military personnel onboard HMS Iron Duke on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets military personnel onboard HMS Iron Duke on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP)
TT

UK's PM Confirms Plan to Boost Defense Spending to 2.5% of GDP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets military personnel onboard HMS Iron Duke on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets military personnel onboard HMS Iron Duke on December 17, 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia. (Photo by Leon Neal / POOL / AFP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated on Wednesday his Labour government's plan to increase defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), after NATO called on members to boost spending to meet threats from Russia.

In an interview with LBC radio, Starmer was asked whether Britain would be willing to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP, but the leader repeated his government's position that it would plot a route to spending 2.5%.

"The commitment we've made is to set out a path to 2.5%," Reuters quoted him as saying. Starmer has said his government will set out that path next year
Last week, NATO head Mark Rutte warned the US-led alliance that it was not ready for the threats it would face from Russia in the coming years and called for a shift to a wartime mindset, with much higher defense spending beyond the 2% target.
US President-elect Donald Trump has called on NATO members to boost defense spending to 3% of economic output. The alliance estimates 23 of its 32 members will meet its target of dedicating 2% of GDP to defense this year.