Iran Summons French Ambassador in Protest Against MEK Gathering in Paris

Following the gathering of supporters of the "National Council of Resistance" in Paris, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador in Tehran on Tuesday, July 13, and conveyed the Islamic Republic's "strong protest" regarding the event. According to the government's information portal, Abolqasem Delfi, the director general for Western Europe at the Foreign Ministry, labeled the "National Council of Resistance" as a "terrorist group" and called for an official position from the French government regarding this group. Delfi, without naming anyone specifically, indirectly referred to the comments made by Turki al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence who attended the gathering, describing his remarks as "absurd." He stated: "The holding of this gathering by those whose hands are stained with the blood of the Iranian people, orchestrated by the father and founder of terrorist groups such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS, and in collaboration with the Zionists, and the absurd statements made by them against the Islamic Republic of Iran on French soil, are unacceptable." Delfi also condemned allowing officials from other countries to promote and insult a third country as a "violation of international law." Simultaneously, Iran's Foreign Minister referred to the gathering of supporters of the "National Council of Resistance" as a "political game" and expressed regret over Turki al-Faisal's presence at it. Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at Astana Airport in Kazakhstan: "Turki al-Faisal has been both a producer of al-Qaeda and the Taliban and has had a very disgraceful role in the Saudi regime, and his presence was somewhat newsworthy, which also indicates the incompetence and ineptitude of these individuals who, like Saddam, tie their future to terrorists." The gathering of the "National Council of Resistance" in Paris and Turki al-Faisal's speech at this gathering have elicited reactions from several other Iranian officials. Ali Yunusi, a special assistant to the Iranian president on minority affairs, criticized Turki al-Faisal's presence at the Mojahedin Khalq Organization meeting, introducing him as a security official in the Saudi government. He stated: "This is the same mistake that Saddam made in using the Mojahedin Khalq as his war machine against us." Ramadan Sharif, a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also protested Turki al-Faisal's presence at the mentioned meeting, considering it a sign of Saudi Arabia's "participation" in what he termed the "terrorist" actions of this group. The meeting on July 9 of the "National Council of Resistance" was attended by several former world politicians, including former officials from France, Spain, and the United States, as well as several former Arab officials in Paris. Turki al-Faisal referred to Massoud Rajavi as "the late" at this gathering. Meanwhile, Shahin Qabadi, a spokesman for the Mojahedin Khalq Organization, told Radio Farda that Turki al-Faisal's remarks about Massoud Rajavi have been "misinterpreted and drawn incorrect conclusions." Iran considers the Mojahedin Khalq Organization a terrorist group, but the United States and the European Union have removed this group from their list of terrorist organizations. In this context, thousands of supporters of the National Council of Resistance gathered in Paris, reacting to Turki al-Faisal's statements about Massoud Rajavi and Iran's response to Turki al-Faisal's presence at the Mojahedin gathering. Yunusi stated that Massoud Rajavi was either injured or killed during the U.S. attack on Iraq.