Iran-Iraq war in the Political Discourse of the Freedom Movement of Iran

The Freedom Movement of Iran is among political groups that were active before and after the victory of Islamic Revolution and joined and supported Imam Khomeini during his stay in Paris. Knowledge and experience of organizational work helped the movement to form the first cabinet after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. During the Iran-Iraq war, especially after the liberation of Khorramshahr, based on some basic religious principles of Islam, the movement adopted different positions and practices, compared to the revolutionary forces. Regarding the continuation of war or terminating it, the stance of the movement was different from revolutionary forces. Freedom Movement's stances on war fluctuated from full support to harsh criticism of the authorities of the Islamic Republic. They followed a foreign policy based on good neighborliness and détente through diplomatic channels. Finally, a fundamental shift in their stance and political discourse after the liberation of Khorramshahr, side by side with their isolation from political scene, turned them into a dissident minority within the system. This article is an attempt to study the attitude of the Freedom Movement of Iran towards the Islamic Revolution and the status of Iran-Iraq war in their political discourse. Positions and performances of the Freedom Movement in various stages of the war has been studied within the framework of discourse analysis authored by Laclau and Mouffe as well as Martin White's theory of continuity of the Revolution and the War