French police have banned a planned Saturday rally by the National Resistance Council of Iran (NRCI), the political arm of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), a group outlawed as a terrorist organisation by Tehran, citing the risk of public disorder amid a "tense international context." Organisers, who had expected around 100,000 attendees, said the last-minute cancellation was suspicious, noting it came hours after a phone call between French and Iranian foreign ministers — an allegation Paris denied. The demonstration was intended to protest a wave of executions in Iran, with rights groups reporting more than 40 people put to death since the recent Middle East conflict began, many of them connected to anti-government protests or banned opposition groups including the MEK.