Commander of the IRGC in South Khorasan Threatens Governor

The commander of the IRGC in South Khorasan Province warned the highest executive authority in the province that if the changes in governors, district governors, and managers continue, he will resort to exposing information. These dismissals and appointments have also faced protests from several other conservatives in the province. The local website "Birjand Rasa" reported that Hashim Ghiyasi on Tuesday (July 29) criticized the governor of South Khorasan sharply during the farewell and introduction ceremony of the commander of the IRGC in Birjand. Mr. Ghiyasi considered the changes in managers in South Khorasan Province over the past two weeks to have "political implications" and added: "When the interests of the people and the revolution are at risk, we have a duty not to remain indifferent wherever actions contrary to the interests of the regime are taken." He emphasized: "We have heard that the governor has criticized the managers of the province upon his arrival" and "if these actions {appointments and criticisms} continue, we will share the behind-the-scenes of the election dynamics with the Basij members." This IRGC commander added: "In the province, trial and error no longer works" and "if we feel that the political interests of the people are being compromised, we will inform the public." Ali Akbar Parvizi, the new governor of South Khorasan, as reported by Fars News Agency, has appointed three new governors and five district governors in this province, which has faced criticism from a group of conservatives. Fars News Agency also wrote that "usually for such appointments, at least a month of reviews on the desired candidates is conducted, and the dismissal of managers has its own specific rituals, which have been broken in the recent appointments." According to this news agency, "some old governors received their dismissal text message three nights ago, and this morning {Tuesday} one of the provincial office managers went to the dismissed officials with the new decrees." Mohammad Baqer Abadi, a representative from Nehbandan and Sarbisheh in the parliament, also stated that this action by the governor will "harm" the people and "because representatives are not consulted in important decisions, there are certainly hidden hands involved." Mohammad Reza Babaei, the Friday prayer leader of Ferdows, also said, "The new governor dismissed some governors with a text message without review, which is inconsistent with the government's policies and the situation of the people in the province." Nazar Afzali, a representative from Nehbandan in parliament, also told the news agency "Mizan" that "the dismissal of governors associated with the principlist faction by the governor of South Khorasan has raised suspicions among the people." Mr. Afzali also criticized the governor for not consulting with the representatives of the province in selecting new managers. Farhad Flahati, a member of the South Khorasan representatives in parliament, also considered the dismissal of "eight" governors and district governors to be a "political" decision and stated that "the dismissed governors and district governors were from the ranks of efficient forces." Flahati added: "Forces that had a relative satisfaction from the people and representatives were easily dismissed with a specific political approach, and if these dismissals are from the presidency, one should feel sorry for the government." According to news reports, on Tuesday morning, eight senior managers in South Khorasan Province were dismissed by the new governor of the province. Fars News Agency wrote that according to one of these decrees, Alireza Fatemi, the central district governor of Khusf, has been appointed as the acting governor of this district while retaining his position. In another of these decrees, Hossein Esmaeili, the political and social deputy of the Ferdows governorate, has been appointed as the acting governor of this district while retaining his position. Hossein Moradi, the deputy governor of Bashruyeh, has also been appointed as the acting governor of Bashruyeh while retaining his position. Salman Shabani has been appointed as the acting district governor of central Ferdows, and Mohammad Hossein Nakhaei has been appointed as the acting district governor of Sedeh in the Qaynat county. Gholamreza Ismailzadeh has been appointed as the acting district governor of central Tabas, Mohammad Reza Salari as the acting district governor of central Sarbisheh, and Mohammad Ali Shirdel as the acting district governor of Dasgardan in Tabas county.