A federal appeals court on Friday gave Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton four months to decide whether a group opposed to Iran should be removed from a list of foreign terrorist organizations.

The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran first received the terrorist designation 15 years ago. But the organization maintains that it ended a military campaign against Iran, surrendered its arms to U.S. forces in Iraq and shared intelligence with the U.S. government on Iran's nuclear program.

A three-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said Clinton has been slow in providing the group with material it needs to respond to the terrorist designation and gave her a deadline to take final action.

The group has had some prominent supporters, including ex-FBI Director Louis Freeh and retired Army Gen. Hugh Shelton, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Treasury Department is conducting an investigation into the source of the group's funds.