by Chris Menahan, Information Liberation:

Tons of media outlets from Forbes to The Daily Caller ran articles pushing for regime change in Iran which were written by an “Iranian activist” named Heshmat Alavi who “appears not to exist,” according to a new report from The Intercept.

Alavi, in reality, is reportedly a creation of the Western-backed Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) terrorist group which is working to overthrow the Iranian government.

The Intercept’s Murtaza Mohammad Hussain reports:

Hello, I have a story about that shows the extent to which the debate over Iran policy has been turned into a snake pit of disinformation that leads from social media to news outlets all the way up to the White House: https://t.co/wobaKrZEXg

— Murtaza Mohammad Hussain (@MazMHussain) 9 June 2019

For about a year after Trump took office an Iranian activist named Heshmat Alavi wrote more than 60 articles for Forbes and other news outlets, calling for the administration to end the Iran nuclear deal and pursue an aggressive policy of maximum pressure policy against Iran. pic.twitter.com/jvBlwar0jC

— Murtaza Mohammad Hussain (@MazMHussain) 9 June 2019

According to multiple sources this person, also very active on Twitter as @HeshmatAlavi, does not exist. In fact, he is a persona run by a team of people working for the controversial Iranian opposition group MEK to try and influence U.S. discourse on Iran. pic.twitter.com/0SNNf7k6nl

— Murtaza Mohammad Hussain (@MazMHussain) 9 June 2019

They seem to have wild success. Among other places Heshmat’s articles have apparently been getting an audience in the Trump White House. In 2018 the WH helped justify its controversial decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal by forwarding reporters copies of his pieces in Forbes. pic.twitter.com/0xdvkpJ8nk

— Murtaza Mohammad Hussain (@MazMHussain) 9 June 2019

Heshmat’s articles in Forbes heavily focused on opposing the nuclear deal. The last came in April 2018, a month before the White House left it. According to past MEK members their whole strategy is built on influencing Western capitals, since they know they are unpopular in Iran. pic.twitter.com/8RUCRGQtUS

— Murtaza Mohammad Hussain (@MazMHussain) 9 June 2019

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