How a revolutionary Iranian group transformed from anti-Shah militants to an exiled political force

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Founded in 1965 to oppose the Shah, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran eventually became a major armed dissident group. After playing a role in the 1979 Revolution, they clashed with the new theocratic regime, leading to a long, violent exile and a controversial alliance with Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) was established by Tehran University students who sought a socialist state rooted in a revolutionary interpretation of Islam. Initially, the group focused on ideological work, but by the 1970s, it had become a militant force opposing the Shah. Internal fractures emerged in 1973, when a Marxist-Leninist offshoot split from the Muslim faction, leading to separate organizations and violent campaigns against multinational corporations and government targets.

Following the 1979 Revolution, the MEK initially supported the new order but quickly turned against the clerical leadership. Tensions peaked in 1981 after the impeachment of President Abolhassan Banisadr. A massive protest in Tehran on June 20, 1981, was violently suppressed, triggering a wave of state executions. In retaliation, the MEK was implicated in the June 28, 1981, bombing of the Islamic Republican Party headquarters, which killed 74 officials. The subsequent crackdown saw thousands of MEK members killed or imprisoned.

Driven into exile, the group relocated its headquarters to Iraq in 1986. There, it formed the National Liberation Army (NLA) with the goal of toppling the Iranian government through military force. During the Iran-Iraq War, the MEK fought alongside Iraqi forces, most notably in the 1988 Operation Forty Stars and the failed Operation Eternal Light. This alignment with Iraq severely damaged the group's popularity within Iran.

By 2003, the MEK's military wing was disarmed by the United States. While the group has since pivoted toward political advocacy, it remains a polarizing entity. Critics often describe it as a personality cult, while its supporters frame it as a democratic alternative to the current Iranian government. Today, the organization maintains its headquarters in Albania, continuing to operate as a prominent, albeit controversial, voice in the Iranian opposition.

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