People's Mojahedin of Iran

People's Mojahedin Organization سازمان مجاهدين خلق
Abbreviation	MKO, MEK, PMOI
Leader	Maryam Rajavi and Massoud Rajavi
Secretary-General	Zahra Merrikhi
Founders Mohammad Hanifnejad Saeid Mohsen Mohammad Asgarizadeh Rasoul Meshkinfam Ali-Asghar Badi'zadegan Ahmad Rezaei
Founded	5 September 1965; 52 years ago (1965-09-05)
Split from	Freedom Movement
Headquarters	Paris, France (1981–1986; 2003–) Camp Liberty, Iraq (2012–2016) Camp Ashraf, Iraq (1986–2013) Tehran, Iran (1965–1981)
Newspaper	Mojahed
Military wing	National Liberation Army (NLA)
Political wing	National Council of Resistance (NCR)
Membership (2011)	5,000 to 13,500 (DoD estimate)
Ideology	Islamic Marxism Nationalism Populism
Political position	Left-wing
Religion	Shia Islam
Colours	Red
Slogan	Arabic: فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا‎‎ "God Has Preferred The Mujahideen Over Those Who Remain [behind] With A Great Reward." [Quran 4:95]
Party flag
Website
www.Mojahedin.org
Politics of Iran Political parties Elections

Armed wing of MKO National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA)
Participant in Black September, Iranian Revolution, Iran hostage crisis, Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution, Iran–Iraq War, 1991 uprisings in Iraq, 2003 invasion of Iraq, 2011 Camp Ashraf raid, 2013 Camp Ashraf attack, Iran–Israel proxy conflict, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
NLA flag used since 1987
Active	1971–1977 1979–present Since 20 June 1987 as NLA
Leaders	Maryam Rajavi, deputy commander-in-chief Mousa Khiabani, Commander (1981–1982; KIA) Ali Zarkesh, Commander (1982–1988; KIA) Ebrahim Zakeri, Head of 'Security and Counter-Terrorism' (1993–2003)
Area of operations	Iran and Iraq
Size	Brigade (at peak)
Allies	Iraq (1982–2003)  Israel  Saudi Arabia Non-state allies Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (1960s–1981) Fatah (1969–1970s) Palestine Liberation Organization (1969–1970s) Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (1981–1985)
Opponents	Imperial State of Iran (1965–1979) Islamic Republic of Iran (Since 1981) Non-state opponents Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Islamic Supreme Council Badr Organization Mukhtar Army
Battles and wars	Operation Forty Stars Operation Eternal Light

The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran or the Mojahedin-e Khalq (Persian: سازمان مجاهدين خلق ايران‎, translit. Sāzmān-e mojāhedin-e khalq-e irān‎, abbreviated MEK, PMOI or MKO) is an Iranian political–militant organization in exile that advocates the violent overthrow of the current regime in Iran, while claiming itself as the replacing shodow government.

According to a 2009 report published by the Brookings Institution, the organization appears to be undemocratic and lacking popularity but maintains an operational presence in Iran, acting as a proxy against Tehran. Some analysts state it still remains unpopular among Iranians.

It is designated as a terrorist organization by Iran and Iraq, and was considered a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom and the European Union until 2008 and 2009 respectively, and by Canada and the United States until 2012.

Various scholarly works, media outlets, and the governments of the United States and France have described it as a cult. The organization has built a cult of personality around its leaders Massoud and Maryam Rajavi.

It was founded on 5 September 1965 by six Muslim students who were affiliated with the Freedom Movement of Iran; however in a coup-style ideological transformation, leftist members hijacked the Muslim group and adopted a Marxist platform in 1975. The organization engaged in armed conflict with the Pahlavi dynasty in the 1970s and played an active role in the downfall of the Shah in 1979. They hailed "His Highness Ayatollah Khomeini as a glorious fighter (Mojahed)" and urged all to remain united behind him against plots by royalists and imperialists.