Ahmadinejad's Speech in Tabriz Finally Held

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech in Tabriz, previously announced to be canceled due to 'lack of necessary permits,' was held despite warnings from Ansar Hezbollah in the city. ILNA news agency had reported the 'cancellation' of the speech scheduled for Thursday (June 10) at the 'Shahryar' hotel in Tabriz. The Telegram channel 'Dolat-e Bahar,' close to Ahmadinejad, which initially reported the cancellation and criticized Hassan Rouhani's government for it, later denied this news and announced Ahmadinejad's trip to Tabriz. In a strange turn, the channel accused foreign media of 'spreading rumors' regarding this matter and its Instagram page also live-streamed Ahmadinejad's speech. Previously, Ansar Hezbollah in Tabriz had warned Ahmadinejad about his trip and speech in the city. In a threatening statement, this group warned Ahmadinejad to reconsider his behaviors and to focus on self-improvement instead of creating a stir. Hezbollah in Tabriz accused the former president of playing a role in 'the enemies' plot against the revolution.' Despite public criticisms of various institutions of the Islamic Republic and even those under the authority of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ahmadinejad was present at a recent meeting between the Supreme Leader and state officials, and a photo of him was published. However, Ahmadinejad's programs had previously been canceled at Imamzadeh Saleh and the shrine of Abd al-Azim in Tehran. Following increased pressure on senior officials from his government, such as Hamid Baghaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, and the Supreme Leader's public opposition to his participation in the presidential elections, Ahmadinejad has openly protested against the Islamic Republic system as a whole. In recent months, Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for the dismissal of Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, and for 'structural' reforms within it, emphasizing that this institution has 'strayed from the path of justice.' In two letters to the Supreme Leader written on February 19 and March 11 of the previous year, he severely criticized the country's situation and called for structural reforms in several institutions, including the Guardian Council and the judiciary, the resolution of parallel institutions, the establishment of a constitutional court, and the withdrawal of armed forces from political affairs and economic activities. In May of this year, he also stated in an interview with the magazine 'Bahareh Javadaneh' that the proposals mentioned in the appendices of his letters to Khamenei are 'very lengthy.' He added, 'Now either they will publish them themselves, or if necessary for the people to be informed, they will be published.' Ahmadinejad's conflict with the institutions under the Supreme Leader intensified last year with the trial of Hamid Baghaei and the summoning of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei to court. Hamid Baghaei, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for 'embezzlement' and 'misappropriation of government property,' was arrested on March 11, 2018, to serve his sentence. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency, was also arrested two days after he burned Baghaei's verdict in front of the British embassy in Tehran. Following reports of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's suspension from the Expediency Discernment Council, an official from the public relations department of this body stated without 'denying' the news that any decision in this regard must be communicated by Khamenei's office. Reports about Ahmadinejad's suspension from the Expediency Discernment Council emerged after the newspaper 'Javan,' close to the Revolutionary Guards, wrote that 'repeated news' indicated that the heads of the three branches had not attended three consecutive meetings of the council. The newspaper noted that Hassan Rouhani's 'irregular' attendance at the council meetings had a history, but added that Sadegh and Ali Larijani, heads of the judiciary and legislative branches, had previously attended these meetings regularly. Javan linked the absence of the heads of the branches in the council meetings to Ahmadinejad's presence in this body.