THE FINANCIAL TIMES
Sir, As an Iranian woman who has lost her husband for freedom and democracy in Iran and as the director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK, I was disappointed to see the article “Iran exile group should stay on terror list” (August 11) and the publication of an antagonistic statement by 37 so-called experts on Iran policy against the removal of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran from the US foreign terrorist organisations list (FT.com, August 10).
The reason the PMOI was put on the terror lists has always been crystal clear. The west did it to appease the Iranian regime and in return Tehran would stop nuclear enrichment and stop sponsoring real terrorists such as Hamas and Hizbollah. Jack Straw who first placed the PMOI on the UK terror list has stated on various occasions that he did so when home secretary in return for Tehran stopping its support for terrorist groups. He also told the BBC in February 2006 that he did what was agreed but the Iranians never kept their promises!
The unfair terror tag was later removed both in the UK and the European Union by order of the courts. It is time for the US to do the same and side with millions of Iranians and their organised resistance movement led by the PMOI for democratic regime change in Iran.
Laila Jazayeri,
London W4, UK
