Iran: Exiled opposition group, targeted by 2018 bomb plot, holds annual gathering online

An Iranian opposition group that was the target of a failed bomb plot in France two years ago and is currently in exile recently took their annual rally to the internet due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) which is based in the French capital of Paris is an umbrella organisation for multiple exiled Iranian opposition groups that want to eradicate Shi'ite Muslim clerical rule from their country.  

Exiled opposition group holds online gathering

As per reports, the NCRI is credited with the most influential opposition move against Iran in years, back in 2002 the group made public Iran’s secret nuclear program. In recent years the groups track record has not been as successful. The NCRI claims to have a large support base back in Iran; however, experts and analysts claim that the group's support base is very difficult to gauge.

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According to reports, the NCRI claimed that its recent event was viewed in almost 3,000 locations in Iran and was streamed to around 100 countries. A total of 18 US senators spoke during the event, as well as US President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

The NCRI use to be a part of the 1979 Islamic revolution but collapsed under the ruling clerics. Its members also clashed with US soldiers in 2003 and were once considered a terrorist organisation in the United States and the European Union. However, it is no longer considered as a terrorist organisation and the group has also denounced violence altogether. Tehran, for its part, has reportedly called for a crackdown on the group and its activities in Paris, Riyadh, and Washington.

(Representative Image) (Image Credit AP)

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