The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) denied on Friday that its affiliate, the exiled opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), played any role in the assassinations of two figures involved in Iran’s nuclear program, in a statement sent to Iran International.
The group rejected involvement in the 2010 killing of physics professor Masoud Ali-Mohammadi and the 2011 killing of nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari, calling the allegations “pure lies fabricated by the intelligence services” of the Islamic Republic to “demonize the MEK.”
Response to renewed allegations
The statement followed comments by Vida Mehrannia, wife of Swedish-Iranian researcher Ahmadreza Djalali, in an interview with Iran International’s “Cheshmandaz” program, in which she noted that some Iranian state media outlets had accused the MEK of aiding in the scientists’ assassinations.
Djalali was arrested in 2016 while visiting Iran at the invitation of universities in Tehran and Shiraz and later sentenced to death on espionage charges. He has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying they stem from his refusal to cooperate with the Revolutionary Guards in spying on Western countries.
Past denials and nuclear disclosures
The MEK said it has repeatedly condemned Djalali’s death sentence and called for his immediate release, adding that it had previously, including in a 2012 statement, categorically denied involvement in the nuclear scientists’ killings.
While rejecting the assassination allegations, the group emphasized its history of exposing Iran’s nuclear activities. It said to have made 133 disclosures in the past 34 years aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, including a May report to Fox News alleging the existence of a secret nuclear site in Semnan province, and a 2020 report that facilities in Tehran and Abadeh were linked to weapons production.
