Senior #US Senators meet #Iran #opposition leader in #Albania
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/598f68fae4b063e2ae058020
While August seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has been quite the opposite for Iran and the wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier.
A senior delegation of
United States Senators travelled to Tirana, the capital of Albania,
today, August 12, 2017, to meet the Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
The delegation,
Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President of the Republican Conference, and
member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and
Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees;
John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select
Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the
Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and
Veterans’ Affairs committees, also visited members of the People’s
Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in the Albanian capital.

NCRI
“Led
by Senator Blunt, the delegation congratulated the safe and secure
relocation of all Camp Liberty residents outside of Iraq and wished them
success in their struggle for democracy and human rights in Iran,”
according to an NCRI statement.
Rajavi
expressed her gratitude for the tireless efforts of the U.S. Senate,
particularly Senator Blunt, regarding the protection of thousands of MEK
members in Iraq, and their safe relocation to Albania.
Senator Blunt was among several American dignitaries, including senior former officials, who at a July 2014 Senate briefing strongly condemned Iran’s highly destructive role in Iraq. While describing Tehran
as part of the problem plaguing Baghdad and the entire country, Senator
Blunt joined the initiative in demanding the urgent transfer of
PMOI/MEK members stationed in a former US military base known as Camp
Liberty near the Iraqi capital.
Senator Blunt and his colleagues John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and former Senator Carl Levin had urged former
Secretary of State John Kerry to “press for the protection of Camp
Liberty and to expedite the resettlement of the Camp Residents to
countries outside Iraq, including the United States.”

NCRI
Earlier in April, Senator McCain, a long supporter of the Iranian opposition and a staunch critic of Tehran’s policies, also visited the MEK in Albania and met with Rajavi. MEK members were able to depart Iraq
after a long 4½ year ordeal in Camp Liberty following a forced transfer
from their 26-year home in Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad. From 2009
following the transfer of their security from the US military to the
Iraqi government, the MEK came under
eight major ground and missile/rocket attacks staged by Iran-backed
proxies against Ashraf and Liberty. This was parallel to a seven-year
logistical and medical siege closing them off from the outside world.
After losing over 160 of their colleagues to the attacks and blockade, MEK members were finally able to transfer out of Iraq to a variety of European countries, mainly Albania.
Saturday’s high-profile visit by the senior U.S. Senators comes at a time when Washington has slapped major new sanctions against
Iran for its ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and human
rights violations. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards is now subject to
sanctions under Executive Order 13224, and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Considering the Guards control over 40% of Iran’s economy, these new sanctions come as a heavy blow to Tehran’s future ambitions. Analysts believe this visit sends a strong signal to Tehran over how the NCRI is gaining momentum through a growing consensus
in Congress over the necessity of adopting a policy of regime change
vis-à-vis Iran. This time last year Iran’s ruling clerics appeared determined on weakening or dismantling the PMOI/MEK. Only a year later, the tides have
turned and it is the Iranian opposition that is now on the offensive.
More such developments threatening the very pillars of Iran’s rule are
most likely set to come in the near future.
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