Ashna: Designers of Unseen Patrols Were Responsible for Attack on Saudi Embassy

Hossam al-Din Ashna, an advisor to the Iranian President, states that the designers of the 'unseen patrols' plan were responsible for the attack on the Saudi Arabian embassy, which was supposed to be dismissed 'in due time' and executed with a 'completely political perspective.' In an interview with the latest issue of Andisheh Pouya magazine, Mr. Ashna also accused the designers of the 'unseen patrols,' claiming they are pursuing this plan to tell 'the religious community' after their dismissal that they were removed due to their efforts against 'bad hijab.' The advisor to Hassan Rouhani mentioned that following the investigation into the attack on the Saudi embassy last year, it was revealed that some individuals had 'shortcomings' and had not performed the duties assigned to them. He emphasized that a decision has been made for the dismissal of these individuals, and they will be removed 'in due time.' According to Mr. Ashna, these individuals designed the 'unseen patrols' plan 'with a completely political perspective' before their dismissal. He added, 'Naturally, these individuals, on the date they are scheduled to be dismissed, can tell the religious community that they were removed for wanting to combat bad hijab.' He did not mention the names of the officials who, according to him, are to be dismissed. After the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran last December, Brigadier General Hassan Arab-Sorkhi, the commander of the special unit of the Tehran police, and Safar Ali Baratlou, the security and police deputy of the Tehran governorate, were dismissed. Hassan Rouhani had asked the Ministry of Intelligence and the Ministry of Interior to 'firmly deal with the agents who may have been negligent in this incident and report it to the people.' Mr. Ashna's statements come as Saeed Montazeri al-Mahdi, the spokesperson for the police, announced on Saturday that the activities of 'unseen patrols' have begun in Tehran, reporting issues such as 'bad hijab,' 'harassment of women,' 'noise pollution,' and 'theft.' Hossein Sajedi-Nia, the commander of the Tehran police, announced on April 30 that seven thousand agents are operating under the 'unseen moral security patrol' and will report license plates of vehicles involved in issues such as 'uncovering hijab in vehicles,' 'harassment of women,' 'noise pollution,' and 'performing stunts.' This plan has faced negative reactions from government officials and positive reactions from judicial authorities. Hassan Rouhani, on April 31, opposed these patrols, stating that the 'first duty' of the government towards the people is 'to respect their personality, status, and dignity,' as 'this dignity precedes religion.' In contrast, on Tuesday, May 14, 190 members of parliament supported this plan, and Hassan Firouzabadi, the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, labeled opponents of this plan as 'Western-oriented individuals and promoters of immorality.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also requested on Sunday, May 19, that police commanders ignore 'the opposition of some individuals or media campaigns' and proceed with their work. Meanwhile, Hossein Zolfaqari, the security and police deputy of the Ministry of Interior, stated on May 10 that, with the Minister of Interior's opinion, the 'moral security plan' is to be organized separately from the social security plan. According to Mr. Zolfaqari, various issues such as 'dealing with thugs, drug traffickers, theft, and creating insecurity' were raised alongside the 'moral security and hijab' issue, which 'was stated by the Minister of Interior to be separate because it has its own mechanism.' Some media outlets reported the cancellation of 'unseen patrols' based on Mr. Zolfaqari's statements, but this Ministry of Interior official denied the reports about the cancellation a few days later.