Attack on Mousavi and Karroubi at Government Rally on December 30; Ejei's Claim about Saudi Arabia's Financial Support to Karroubi

On the anniversary of the government rally on December 30 in Iran, close associates of the Supreme Leader once again attacked Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the Green Movement. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the First Deputy and spokesperson of the Judiciary, claimed that Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries were providing financial support to Mr. Karroubi. In an interview with the Tasnim news agency on Sunday, December 30, he stated that during the presidential election period, the Ministry of Intelligence had 'intelligence indications' that some of Mr. Karroubi's associates were receiving help from Saudi Arabia and some Gulf countries. However, he did not provide any evidence or documentation for this claim. Ejei only mentioned that he had told Mr. Karroubi in a meeting that 'a certain Sheikh who was previously an ambassador is collecting money for you,' without naming this individual. This reference could be to Mohammad Reza Noori Shahroudi, a former Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a close associate of Mehdi Karroubi, who is currently the ambassador of Iran in Oman. Previously, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, former head of the Basij Organization and cultural deputy of the Revolutionary Guards, had claimed that Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran, had received money from Saudi Arabia for the 2009 elections. Khatami filed a lawsuit against Naqdi two years ago due to this accusation, but the court hearing has not yet taken place. On the anniversary of the government rally on December 30, while Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi remain under house arrest, close associates of the Supreme Leader have made accusations against them. Meanwhile, the website of the Supreme Leader published an unreleased video of his remarks on July 21, 2009, during a meeting with several clerics. Ayatollah Khamenei stated that he had sent someone to Mir Hossein Mousavi, saying, 'I said we would give him a warning, and he would back down... but Mr. Mousavi said the election should be annulled, and I was truly astonished.' Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who believe that there were violations and fraud in the vote counting of the election, had called for the annulment of this election, but the Guardian Council only recounted a number of ballot boxes. On Sunday, a government rally was also held in Imam Hussein Square in Tehran, where Hossein Salami, the deputy of the Revolutionary Guards, stated that 'the 2009 sedition was more severe than the imposed war and was a factor in the country's sanctions.' Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, also claimed in remarks during the parliamentary session on Sunday that 'American interference' in the 2009 protests was explicit. This claim has been repeatedly made by close associates of the Supreme Leader, while the United States and the leaders of the Green Movement have denied it. The Supreme Leader and his associates refer to the protests against the 2009 presidential election as 'sedition.' Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, Mousavi's wife, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. In 2009, the Committee for the Protection of Votes of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign published a detailed report of 'documents of fraud and violations.' Recently, Mohammad Reza Khatami, former Secretary-General of the Participation Front, spoke of 'fraud' in this election through the addition of eight million votes to the total, and he has been summoned to the prosecutor's office for these remarks. According to a report from the committee established by the leaders of the Green Movement regarding the situation of victims of the post-election protests, more than 70 people were killed in these protests by security and anti-riot forces. Meanwhile, the website Nedaye Sabz Iran had previously reported that this committee had received reports about the deaths of around 300 people, but due to the detention of its members, it was unable to investigate them.