Iran held its latest national elections in May 2017, resulting in a second term for President Hassan Rouhani. But the country’s banned democratic opposition groups, mainly the National Council for Resistance of Iran (NCRI), universally dismissed the elections as a mere parody of democracy. The People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, (PMOI) aka the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq or MEK, is the largest unit within the NCRI. Such dissenting voices are always barred by clerical authorities who select candidates who can run.
About a week after the elections, President Trump delivered a major speech to leaders of 55 Muslim-majority countries; it marked his first effort to reach out to the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. In his address, Trump made a gesture to the Iranian people but did not provide a mechanism for doing so. Here is where Tehran’s organized opposition could play a role by giving a voice to the Iranian people.
Despite continuing efforts to destroy its main opposition, the NCRI, this organization not only survives but thrives. One of the reasons the resistance prospers is because it maintains principles like refusing to kowtow to Tehran despite sexual torture against women, public hangings, as well as outdoor executions to intimidate. Tehran destroyed other organizations that compromised.
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