Scenarios of Iranian targeting of the Mujahideen base in Albania

The presence of the Iranian opposition organization People's Mujahedin in Albania is coming back to the fore, this time under the shadow of growing regional tensions and scenarios that speak of possible moves by Tehran against its installations.

According to a website article Caliber from Azerbaijan, citing information circulating in Iranian media and accounts linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is considering targeting structures that Tehran considers to be related to “hostile activities.” At the center of the reports is the Ashraf-3 complex, in Manza, near Tirana, where about 3,000 members of the organization reside.

Ξανά αντιμέτωπος με τη φυλακή ο πρώην δήμαρχος Χιμάρας λίγους μήνες μετά την αποφυλάκισή του

This camp, with increased security measures and controlled access, has been the organization's new base in Europe since 2013. The relocation to Albania took place after the then Albanian government agreed with the United States and the United Nations, as the group's cadres were in a particularly precarious position in Iraq.

The organization's history spans six decades and is marked by intense contradictions. It was founded in 1965 as an Islamic movement with socialist references and aimed at overthrowing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In the 1970s, it developed armed action, directed against both the regime and American interests in Iran.

Initially supporting the 1979 Islamic Revolution and Ayatollah Khomeini, the break with the new religious leadership was swift and definitive. The organization was outlawed, many of its members were arrested, and others fled abroad, where they continued their confrontation with the Iranian regime.

In the 1980s, its leadership settled in Iraq, benefiting from the support of Saddam Hussein's regime. From there, it launched military operations against Iran, especially during the Iran–Iraq War, a choice that still provokes strong reactions in a large part of Iranian society.

The United States had designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, citing its history of armed activity. After a long legal and political campaign, the group was removed from the list in 2012, with Washington noting that it had renounced violence and cooperated in closing its paramilitary facilities in Iraq.

An important chapter in its history was In 2002, when it publicly revealed the existence of an undeclared uranium Enrichment facility in iran, contributing to increasing international pressure On tehran over its nuclear program.

After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the organization's position in Iraq was drastically weakened. Under pressure from Baghdad and amid serious concerns for the safety of its members, a gradual withdrawal began, culminating in their transfer to Albania.

Recent reports of possible Iranian action abroad reinforce the sense that the confrontation between Tehran and its adversaries is no longer limited to geography. Whether these scenarios will remain rhetorical or take on a practical dimension is a matter that is being closely watched both in Tirana and internationally.