Mahnaz Maimanat: Who Is the New Secretary-General of the People’s Mojahedin Organization?

The MEK and the Shah

The PMOI’s early history is inseparable from its opposition to the monarchy.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Shah’s security apparatus, particularly SAVAK, intensified its campaign against armed and revolutionary opposition groups.

The MEK became one of the targets.

According to historical accounts published by the organization, many of its leaders were arrested during the early 1970s. Its three founders were executed by the Shah’s government in 1972.

The organization’s surviving leadership subsequently included Massoud Rajavi, who became one of the most important figures in its history.

The experience of imprisonment and execution became an important part of the organization’s political narrative.

Massoud Rajavi and the Transformation of the MEK

Massoud Rajavi became one of the central figures in the history of the Mujahedin-e Khalq.

After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the MEK emerged from underground activity and became an increasingly visible political force.

The organization initially participated in the political environment created by the revolution.

However, relations between the MEK and the newly established Islamic Republic deteriorated rapidly.

By the early 1980s, the organization had entered into open confrontation with the Islamic Republic.

This period fundamentally changed the trajectory of the MEK.

September 8, 2026 | 6:31 pm