Thread by @kaveh20092009

1)3rd Thread on #Iran-#Iraq war.
In the last 2 threads,we discussed who was responsible for the devastating war&the consequences of the war for Iran. Here are the links if you missed them.

https://twitter.com/kaveh20092009/status/1310886051561562113

https://twitter.com/kaveh20092009/status/1313865834377478146

On this thread, let's discuss #MEK's role

2)As the #Iran-#Iraq War erupted,#MEK publicly condemned the occupation of Iranian territory &Independent of forces organized by the regime, MEK members and supporters rushed to the southern &western fronts to fight against the invaders.

3)A large number of #MEK members &supporters were killed or taken prisoner by #Iraqi troops. The MEK was also locked in a political struggle against the mullahs as it called for a democratic outcome of the revolution while the mullahs sought to instill a theocratic dictatorship.

4) Let’s not forget the war was Khomeini’s ploy to get rid of internal opposition:

https://twitter.com/kaveh20092009/status/1313865846708727820?s=20

5) On Nov16, 1980, the regime's prosecutor in Abadan issued an order to expel #MEK from the fronts. The #IRGC harassed and mistreated MEK volunteers, arresting many of them.

6)In June 1982,#Iraqi forces withdrew to internationally recognized borders. Peace was at hand. It was only Khomeini &the dictatorship that wanted the war to continue. He vowed to conquer Jerusalem through #Iraq, coining the motto "liberating Qods (Jerusalem)via Karbala."

7)June1982,#Iraq proposed a ceasefire,offering complete withdrawal of its troops &a resolution of disputed issues through binding arbitration. Khomeini rejected the offer. For him,war offered an excuse to expand its extremist ideology to Iraq while consolidating power in #Iran

8) 3days after ceasefire proposal,#Iraq declared it would unilaterally withdraw all of its forces. But the regime refused the proposal. From that point onward the conflict became the mullahs' war,not the Iranian people's.This is what the circumstances were:washingtonpost.com/archive/opinio…

9)It was only patriotic, heroic, and of course required a heavy price to stand up to Khomeini’s warmongering. This is what MEK and its leadership did. Next several tweets are just a token of what they did in the next 6 years to end the devastating war that only the regime wanted.

10)As #Iraq had evacuated #Iran's territory,it was no longer a legitimate reason to shed Iranian blood &deplet Iran's resources at war. The continuation of the war was unpatriotic and not in the interests of the Iranian people.
Hence #MEK's peace initiative started.

11)Jan9,1983,Massoud Rajavi #NCRI's Chairman met W/Tariq Aziz, then-Deputy #Iraqi PM, in France. A joint statement for a ceasefire &a solution to end the war on the basis of full independence&territorial integrity,respect of the free will of the people of #Iran& #Iraq was signed.

12) On March 13,1983, #NCRI chair, &leader of #MEK, #Iran's main opposition proposed its Peace Plan echoing the #Iranian people's sentiments for peaceful settlement of the disputes between the 2countries, which was accepted as the basis of peace negotiations between 2countries.

13)In the joint statement, Rajavi also asked the #Iraqi Gov to take into consideration the immunity &the security of Iranian cities, villages &defenseless civilians. He requested particular attention, in conformity with the Geneva Convention, to the case of #Iranian POWs.

14)As hostilities dragged on, more #Iranians refused to join the regime's armed forces or fled the fronts in large numbers. According to one regime official,"during the war, 600,000 soldiers fled the fronts."(Abbas Teymouri,Oct7,2017)

15)According to Esmaeel Kowsari,a former #IRGC commander in the war &later a member of the regime's NSC &foreign policy parliamentary committee,the discussion within the regime's command center was that "the people are tired and do not show a willingness to go to the frontlines."

16)NewsWeek March31,1983:"To make up for the severe shortfall in new recruits,Khomeini sent mullahs&war veterans to zigzag the country, visiting schools &mosques, to sign up underage boys who were then coerced to join the war...poor illiterate youths were the most vulnerable".

17)Mr.Rajavi condemned the"war of cities"by both sides. In formal, public letters (published) he called on Gov of #Iraq to halt such attacks, which were not only illegitimate but gave Khomeini the chance to portray his warmongering policies as legitimate,delaying a just peace.

18)#MEK supporters launched demonstrations and rallies even in various cities inside #Iran. The regime's war mobilization began to unwind, as more and more people refused to go to the fronts. MEK also organized an immense international campaign to end to the deadly war.

19) The regime officials vehemently rejected the #NCRI's peace plan &described it as a"ruse"by #Iraq. Instead,they sought to weaken #MEK &NCRI by forcing Western nations to impose pressure on them. The presence of MEK and its leader, Rajavi in France was no longer tolerated.

20)In1985,the #French hostages in Lebanon heated up,as did other terrorist threats by the Iranian regime.This, coupled W/the contacts between the regime &French Gov.,resulted in new restrictions on the activities of Massoud Rajavi in Paris.They wanted to silence #MEK. Never!

21)Being devoted to peace&Freedom,#MEK had a choice to make,to give up to the shameful international pressure by the apologist countries at the behest of the criminal regime ruling #Iran,or to take up max.risk &move to the Iran-Iraq border,to boost its activities 4peace &freedom.

22)May23,1986,#NCRI held a formal session &voted unanimously to relocate #NCRI's Pres.Massoud Rajavi,to #Iran-#Iraq border region to re-organize the forces of the Iranian Resistance. On June 7, Rajavi left France for the Iran-Iraq frontier. A new chapter in #MEK's struggle began.

23)Rajavi was keenly aware of the optics of going to #Iraq,including the political risks for himself&MEK at large. Yet he argued,that peace was an imperative 4saving #Iran's next generations &opted to serve the Iranian pple's strategic interests rather than #MEK's group interests

24) #MEK repeatedly stated that their presence in the border region was only to overthrow the religious, dictatorship ruling #Iran while keeping its total independence,which was confirmed on various occasions by #Iraqi authorities. More will be added to this thread.