Mike Pence, Liz Truss Support Exiled Iranian Opposition Group at Paris Rally

Former US Vice President Mike Pence and ex-British Prime Minister Liz Truss rallied behind the exiled Iranian opposition group, People’s Mujahedin (MEK), condemning what they termed the West’s appeasement of Iran’s clerical authorities. Both leaders addressed a gathering of MEK supporters in Paris on Saturday, amid a large rally that had initially been banned by local authorities.

The MEK, outlawed by Tehran and once listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the US, was delisted in 2012 by the State Department, which acknowledged its renouncement of violence. However, the group has sparked controversy due to allegations of member mistreatment and its ties to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Pence, who is currently running against his former boss Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in the 2024 US presidential election, declared that the Iranian regime had never been weaker. He described the ongoing protest movements as the inception of a freedom revolution, not just another protest. Truss, the UK’s shortest-term prime minister, also addressed the rise of authoritarian regimes globally, pledging her support for a free and democratic Iran.

The gathering in Paris occurred despite initial police concerns about potential clashes and possible attacks, a decision later overruled by the Paris administrative court.