CBS News Finds 'Hope' in Discredited Iranian Cult as US Seeks Regime Change
CBS News proudly showcases an 'armed and outlawed Iranian opposition group' from northern Iraq, suggesting these shadowy figures represent legitimate hope to 'topple the regime.' They gloss over the uncomfortable fact that this group, almost certainly the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), was until 2012 on the U.S. State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations ( National Consortium for the
Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, University of Maryland ). Apparently, with enough lobbying funds and a convenient alignment with Washington's geopolitical ambitions, yesterday's terrorists become today's freedom fighters. One might wonder why CBS News chose to omit the MEK's documented history of assassinating U.S. personnel in the 1970s, their alliance with Saddam Hussein during
the Iran-Iraq War, or their widely reported cult-like structure and human rights abuses ( Human Rights Watch, 2005 ). This isn't journalism; it's a press release, carefully crafted to echo the chorus for foreign intervention and regime change, echoing the same playbook that destabilized Iraq, Libya, and Syria. The implicit message: Iran's internal protests are only valid if they can be co-opted by
a foreign-backed, deeply dubious entity.