Commander of the IRGC on Possible Involvement of a 'Former Official' in Protests

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while attributing the recent protests to foreign countries, implicitly stated that if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president, is proven to have a role in the unrest, he will be dealt with accordingly. In recent days, government officials and conservative factions have been trying to identify those responsible for the protests that occurred over the past few days. The IRGC commander linked the recent protests to foreign countries, stating, 'America, the Zionists, and Al Saud have sworn to take revenge on Iran.' On Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to 'Iran's enemies' as the cause of the recent unrest. In another part of his speech, Jafari said, '...everyone who was in the middle of the scene in these last days were all rioters and foreign agents.' He also identified social media as another factor in the protests, saying, 'The conditions of the virtual space were not suitable at all, and some lost control of this space due to interests or negligence of warnings.' Following the recent unrest, popular networks like Telegram and Instagram were blocked in Iran. Government bodies like the judiciary and the IRGC have consistently opposed the availability of such networks in Iran. Fars News Agency reported that the IRGC commander, in response to a question about statements from some officials in Razavi Khorasan province regarding the involvement of a faction linked to a former official in the initiation of protests in Mashhad and other areas, said: 'This issue was initiated by a call from one of the websites belonging to a person who has recently begun to voice opposition to the principles and values of the regime.' He clarified: 'Security forces are investigating this issue, and if they reach the involvement of this former official, they will certainly deal with him according to the situation and the request of the police.' The commander’s reference could be to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the 'former official' who, in recent weeks, along with his associates, has accused the judiciary of widespread corruption and injustice. These statements have elicited a strong reaction from Ayatollah Khamenei, who previously hinted at Ahmadinejad by saying: 'One cannot be the key figure in the country for a decade and then become a critic of the country in the next decade.' Ahmadinejad had warned the Supreme Leader about the country's situation in a letter. However, recent analyses and reports suggest that the protest gathering in Mashhad, held in Shahid Square, may have been initiated by conservative factions in Mashhad and Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader appointed by the Supreme Leader in Razavi Khorasan, but as people joined, the slogans went beyond the control of the initiators. The protests on the 7th of Dey in Mashhad coincided with the visit of Eshaq Jahangiri to the city. In response to these protests, Jahangiri stated: 'Those who are the cause of these issues in the country will find the smoke of it in their own eyes; they think that by doing this, they are harming the government.' In this context, Mohammad Reza Heydari, the head of the Mashhad City Council, has also asked the governor of Razavi Khorasan to provide the public with information about how the protests began in this city. Ahmad Midari, the deputy minister of labor, was another government official who identified conservatives as the cause of the situation in the country. On Tuesday, he said: 'Today, the government-opposing news agencies are upset about the chaos. Well, you are reaping what you have sown. When inflation was at 40 percent, no one spoke up; why didn't Fars News and state TV publish anything at that time? You have continuously pumped despair, and today you must go and fix the situation.' Meanwhile, on Tuesday, ISNA reported that the Ministry of Interior held a meeting 'inviting the secretaries and officials of the major parties in the country,' in which 'special attention was paid to the role of the deviationist current and the leader of this current in undermining the credibility of various governmental institutions and promoting public distrust in the performance of the regime.' It was emphasized in this meeting that this 'current' is 'considered one of the factors leading to these events, and careful analysis of the Supreme Leader's admonition on Wednesday, the 6th of Dey, in this regard was emphasized.' The term 'deviationist current' has previously been used in the rhetoric of Islamic Republic officials to refer to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his close associates.