Iran's IRGC may attack Mojahedin base in Albania

Amid rising regional tensions, the possibility of an Iranian attack on the headquarters of the “Monafeqin” — the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) — located at the Ashraf-3 base in Albania, is reportedly being considered.

The press service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Telegram that the potential actions reportedly concern a facility that Tehran considers to be linked to “hostile activities.”

Some sources, referring to Iran’s recent strikes on targets in Cyprus, claim that Iran is no longer limiting itself to a specific geography when targeting centres associated with its opponents and is expanding the scope of its operational capabilities beyond the region.

What is the Mojahedin Organisation of Iran?

A fortified compound in the village of Manzë, near Tirana, has become home to around 3,000 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), marking a new chapter in the controversial group’s six-decade history.

The opposition movement has been based in Albania since 2013, when the government in Tirana agreed to accept its members at the request of the United States and the United Nations. The relocation followed years of uncertainty for the group’s cadres in Iraq, where they had previously been stationed.

Founded in 1965, the MEK emerged as an Islamic political movement with socialist tendencies opposed to the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. During the 1970s, it carried out armed attacks against the monarchy and targeted US interests in Iran.

The organisation initially supported Ruhollah Khomeini and the 1978–1979 Islamic Revolution. However, relations with the new clerical leadership quickly deteriorated. The group was banned, and many of its members were arrested or fled the country as it shifted into exile and continued opposition activities from abroad.

In the 1980s, the MEK relocated to Iraq, where it operated from bases provided by Saddam Hussein’s government. From Iraqi territory, it launched military operations against Iran during the Iran–Iraq war — a move that remains deeply controversial among many Iranians and has fuelled long-standing resentment toward the group.

The United States designated the MEK as a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997, citing its past involvement in violence. However, after years of legal and political lobbying, the US Department of State removed the group from its terrorism list in 2012, stating that it had renounced violence and cooperated in the closure of its paramilitary camps in Iraq.

The MEK gained renewed international attention in 2002 when it publicly disclosed the existence of a previously undeclared uranium-enrichment facility in Iran, prompting increased global scrutiny of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Following the ousting of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the group’s position in Iraq became increasingly precarious. Under pressure from the Iraqi government and amid security concerns, its members were gradually transferred out of the country, culminating in their relocation to Albania.

By Khagan Isayev