The Iranian exile group that played Washington for this moment

No one in Washington has prepared for this day as long as the Mojahedin-e-Khalq, an organization of Iranian exiles who have been fighting for decades to turn their homeland into a democracy.

While supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah who hopes to return to Iran as its next leader, have assembled a broad network of enthusiastic exiles, the MEK has focused on an inside game in western capitals. It recruited some of the most prominent figures in American politics, including...