“There is a viable opposition to the rule of the ayatollahs and that opposition is centered in this room today.” Months before he became President Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton spoke at the annual gathering of an Iranian dissident group known as the Mujahedeen Khalq or the M.E.K. “The behavior and the objectives of the regime are not going to change. And therefore, the only solution is to change the regime itself.” It’s no secret that Bolton has long been a hardline foe of the Iranian government. “And that’s why before 2019, we here will celebrate in Tehran. Thank you very much.” Even though Bolton’s 2019 prophecy hasn’t come true yet the administration has escalated tensions between the two countries this year, even hinting at the use of force. “We’ll see what happens with Iran. If they do anything, it will be a very bad mistake if they do anything. I’m hearing little stories about Iran. If they do anything, they will suffer greatly. We’ll see what happens with Iran.” Bolton believes the M.E.K. is a viable alternative to Iran’s government. So what is the M.E.K.? It’s a dissident group and its primary mission is to overthrow the regime in Iran. A 2011 State Department estimate said the group had between five to 13,000 members. Most M.E.K. members are Iranian exiles living in Europe and the U.S. Many experts believe it has little support inside Iran itself. They often stage demonstrations against Iran’s human rights record and its cleric-run state. It’s often described as a cult. The U.S. State Department says it calls for forcing spouses to divorce and weekly ideological cleansing sessions. It was led by Massoud Rajavi but he’s been missing since 2003. And so his wife, Maryam Rajavi, has become the de facto leader. Until 2012, the United States considered it a terrorist organization. M.E.K.‘s tactics have shifted over the years. But it has been known to use violence to achieve its goals. M.E.K. started in Iran in the 1960s. In the 1970s, it carried out anti-regime activities against the shah right up until the Islamic Revolution in 1979. And then it targeted Ayatollah Khomeini’s government too. But it didn’t stop there. During this time it was also suspected to be behind the assassination of six Americans and the bombings of American companies in Iran. The group eventually moved to Iraq and tried to destabilize the Iranian regime from there. But after Saddam Hussein was toppled the country grew too dangerous for them, even with U.S. troops present. “M.E.K. was still a pretty undesirable group. But then we did not want to watch it be slaughtered in Iraq.” Today, Bolton isn’t the only public figure to find common cause with the M.E.K. Rudy Giuliani, former D.N.C. chair Ed Rendell and Trump Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao have spoken at or attended M.E.K.’s national conference. The group also has an aggressive lobbying arm and seems to have deep pockets. “The amusing thing is that the M.E.K. will try to buy pretty much anyone and they, you know, I was approached to do events in support of the M.E.K. I know a number of other former government officials who found them truly detestable also were approached. You know, it’s really something to have someone on the phone offering you $15,000 or $20,000 to appear at a panel discussion because that doesn’t happen for former diplomats every day.” Bolton hasn’t said who he’d like to see take over in Iran since he became national security adviser. “Our policy is not regime change.” But he’s continued the aggressive messaging. “So Ayatollah Khamenei, I don’t think you’ll have many more anniversaries to enjoy.” If past statements are any guide, M.E.K.’s most powerful advocate is now within earshot of the president. “I had said, for over 10 years since coming to these events, that the declared policy of the United States of America should be the overthrow of the mullahs’ regime in Tehran.