23 Former U.S. Officials Call for Trump to Collaborate with Group Linked to MEK

Twenty-three former senior U.S. officials have signed a letter urging Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, to reconsider Washington's policy towards Iran and to work and consult with the "National Council of Resistance of Iran" (NCRI). The NCRI, which is primarily led by members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), opened an office near the White House in April 2013, engaging in lobbying activities. Fox News reported on Sunday, January 16, that this letter was signed by former officials from both the Republican and Democratic parties and was personally delivered to Donald Trump. Among the signatories are notable figures such as Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York, Joe Lieberman, former Senator, and Hugh Shelton, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Bill Clinton's presidency. The letter states: "Obama, the President, expressed hope that nuclear negotiations would lead Iranian leaders to act more considerately regarding U.S. interests." It continues by referencing the nuclear negotiations and Iran's responses post-JCPOA, stating that "it has now become clear that Iranian leaders have shown no willingness for mutual engagement." The letter mentions that "Iranian rulers are directly targeting the strategic interests and principles of the United States and our allies and friends in the Middle East," and therefore, "to restore U.S. influence and credibility in the world, the United States needs to revise its policy." Fox News also interviewed John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, regarding the content of this letter. Bolton, a staunch critic of the Iranian government, has spoken at MEK rallies in Paris in recent years. He recently called for U.S. support for actions aimed at "regime change" in Iran, describing it as "the only long-term solution" to the "threats posed by the Iranian government in the Middle East." In an interview with Fox News, Bolton stated that the signatories of the letter want to emphasize that "the Tehran regime is the main problem." He referred to the NCRI, stating that this group "deserves very serious attention. They have a plan for their governance after the Ayatollahs in Iran, and what is very important to me is that they have promised to keep Iran non-nuclear." The former U.S. representative at the UN added that "they also have a progressive approach to women's rights in a way that the Ayatollahs would never even consider. Their leader is a woman." The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the MEK a terrorist group. The U.S. and the European Union previously classified the group as terrorist, but the EU and then the U.S. State Department removed the group from their lists of terrorist organizations. The removal of the group from terrorist lists in Western countries has faced negative reactions from Tehran. As Donald Trump's presidency approaches, various groups have sent letters regarding the new U.S. government's policy towards Iran, including a recent letter from a group of Iranian political and civil activists abroad requesting that the new U.S. government "expand existing sanctions against the IRGC and the financial empire of Ayatollah Khamenei." Fox News reported that Trump's transition team has not yet provided an official response to these letters, including the new letter from the 23 U.S. officials, and it remains unclear whether Trump plans to meet with Iranian opposition groups.