Dear President Hollande,
On behalf of the people of Iran, we are writing to express our deepest sorrow in response to tragic events that in recent months have been unfolded in your country.
Please accept our condolences, for we share your pain and sorrow for the loss of innocent lives due to the heartless actions of terrorist groups. We convey our sympathy to the people of France and stand in solidarity with families of victims of such barbaric acts.
We, in Iran, understand the horror of terrorism as we have experienced it in first hand and for a long time. In our country thousands of civilians have been targeted by terrorist groups, such as Mujahidin- e- Khalq (MEK). Similar to ISIS, MEK also stands for violence and destruction of precious lives in order to achieve its “goal” and “win.”
In fact, we are saddened and hurt to witness Turki bin Faisale Al Iskander, the Saudi official, entered Paris last week only to openly support Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK), a terrorist organization. This group led by Mariam Rajavi, is responsible for the lives of 17000 Iranians alone, as well as numerous non-Iranians throughout years of terrorist activities.
Sadly, in the eyes of many observers, friendships and collaborations of Saudi officials with terrorist groups and organizations is not anything new. For decades, directly or indirectly, Saudis have supported groups such as Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and now is openly supporting the MEK. While we deeply sympathize with the people of France and share their pain, we also believe this is the time for the international community to revisit consequences of wrong policies toward states and non-state actors who overtly or covertly have supported terrorism.
In solidarity,
A group of Iranian Artists.