In a recent podcast interview, Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield, a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in defense and foreign policy, tackled long-standing allegations against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK).
During the discussion, Ambassador Bloomfield, who has served in various high-ranking roles including US Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs, shed light on misconceptions about the MEK’s involvement in the Iran hostage crisis and the killing of American citizens. Bloomfield clarified that multiple groups at the time used the name “Mujahedin,” leading to confusion among analysts and intelligence officers.
Amb. Bloomfield detailed the events of the hostage crisis, noting that the students who took over the American embassy were closely aligned with the clerical regime’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini. He highlighted the role of Masoumeh Ebtekar, a student leader and translator for the captors, who later mocked the MEK in her writings, underscoring that the MEK had no part in the embassy takeover.
“Once the embassy was taken over, it became clear that Khomeini’s followers were the driving force. “There was a young woman, I think her name is Masoumeh Ebtekar, who spoke English. And she became the translator for the captors. And much later in Toronto, she wrote a book about the whole thing and explained her view of what happened. And she was mocking the MEK. She said, Massoud Rajavi and his people, tried to take credit for what we were doing. We wouldn’t let them in. We wouldn’t let them have any take any credit for this because it was quite spectacular.”
Bloomfield recounted the MEK’s exclusion from the hostage crisis by Khomeini’s supporters. “They were not part of the group that took over the embassy. They were kept out by Khomeini’s people.” He emphasized the MEK’s political affiliations, noting their admiration for nationalist figures like Mohammad Mossadegh and Mehdi Bazargan, who shared a pro-democracy vision for Iran. “Their hero politically was Mossadegh, but also the prime minister, Mehdi Bazargan, was in the same kind of nationalist pro-democracy line of politics as Mossadegh and the MEK.”
Addressing allegations that the MEK was involved in the killing of American citizens, Bloomfield emphatically stated that these claims have been thoroughly debunked by multiple Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies. American intelligence officials have interrogated MEK members individually, finding no evidence linking them to terrorism. Similarly, a French investigation, spanning eight years, concluded in 2011 that the MEK had never targeted civilians.
Amb. Lincoln Bloomfield debunks myths about the MEK’s involvement in the #Iran hostage crisis and #American killings, highlighting decades of misinterpreted intelligence and targeted misinformation. #FreeIran2024 pic.twitter.com/R6GTiWBOIP
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 17, 2024
“The myth that they were behind the embassy takeover, or the killings of Americans has been fully debunked. They were not. And by the way, American intelligence and law enforcement people have gone one by one and interrogated every member who was in Iraq and found nothing in their background ever.”
He further noted the extensive investigations by various international agencies. “The same thing happened with the French investigation for eight years, where the magistrate concluded in 2011 that at no time had the MEK ever targeted a civilian. There were 20 years of armed resistance against the regime, which they called legitimate resistance against tyranny. But they said that there had never been any terrorism at any time by anyone in the MEK.”
Amb. Bloomfield emphasized that the designation of the MEK as a terrorist organization in 1997 was not based on intelligence. He noted that key figures in American counterterrorism, including FBI and CIA directors, were not consulted during the designation process and found no supporting evidence during the period the MEK was labeled as a terrorist group.
“The FBI was not consulted. And if you don’t believe me, talk to the FBI director at the time, who will tell you they were never consulted. And then you can talk to the former Secretary of Homeland Security or former counter-terrorism coordinator, CIA directors, I’m naming specific people who were in office during the 15 years of the terrorism designation, not once ever did any of them see any piece of information or intelligence that would suggest that the MEK or NCRI were involved in terrorism.”
The former US Assistant Secretary of State highlighted how the MEK members suffered under the Iranian regime, facing imprisonment, torture, and execution. Despite this, they continued to advocate for a free Iran, gaining support among the Iranian diaspora and international human rights organizations. Amb. Bloomfield’s detailed account helps clarify the allegations and accusations against the MEK and how it has been used to stall real change inside Iran.