Continued Reactions from IRGC Commanders: Accusing Rouhani of Attempting to Weaken the IRGC

Following the attacks by the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against the President, the commander of the Basij has described Hassan Rouhani's remarks about the IRGC being 'gunmen' as a mimicry of the term 'thug' used by some opponents of the Islamic Republic in the early years of this government. He also accused the President of deliberately trying to 'weaken' this military force. According to Fars News Agency on Thursday, July 15, Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, the commander of the Basij, in a speech labeled the 'weakening' of the IRGC and Basij as an 'unforgivable sin' and added that 'it cannot be believed that the weakening' of these two institutions is done 'by accident or negligence.' He further stated, 'While the marked enemies of the IRGC in America, Europe, and Saudi Arabia are attacking and insulting the IRGC, it is very surprising that some are also targeting the IRGC from within.' Ghaibparvar noted that in the early years after the 1979 revolution in Iran, opposition groups referred to the IRGC as 'thugs,' and now some have changed the term 'thug' to 'gunman.' Hassan Rouhani, on July 1, implicitly criticized the activities of the IRGC, stating that part of Iran's economy is in the hands of a 'government' that 'has both guns and media' and 'no one dares to compete with them.' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, however, called these remarks 'unfair' and said that if the government is 'without guns,' it will be 'humiliated and subdued' by enemies. On Friday, July 9, Ali Saidi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC, emphasized that 'both America and some insiders are attacking the IRGC.' On the same day, the spokesman for the judiciary, referring to the 'destruction' against the IRGC, Basij, and judiciary, predicted that 'a new sedition is ahead.' Multi-faceted attacks on Rouhani's government continued this week, and Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas branch, warned on Tuesday, July 12, that no one should 'weaken' the IRGC or utter words reminiscent of 'past statements.' Meanwhile, Yahya Rahim Safavi, the former commander of the IRGC, on Wednesday described the 'weakening' of the IRGC as 'weakening the country, foreign policy, and economy' and stated that the 'driving force' of the Islamic Republic's power in foreign policy is the IRGC's Quds Force. According to Mehr News Agency, he added, 'If America and Israel weaken the IRGC, it is natural because they are our enemies, but if some inside weaken the IRGC with slander and lies, it is irrational.' Meanwhile, Masoud Jazayeri, spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces, considered the 'attack' on the IRGC as the 'wish of foreigners' and stated that 'the two main institutions of the Guardianship of the Jurist and the IRGC have faced the most attacks.' The verbal clashes between Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei, as well as the institutions under his supervision, significantly increased after Rouhani's re-election as president. Meanwhile, during the Quds Day rally, some around Rouhani chanted slogans like 'Death to the hypocrite' and 'Rouhani, congratulations on your connection to Banisadr,' which received widespread media coverage in Iran. Judiciary officials have reported the formation of a case regarding this issue, and on the same day, Hossein Hashemi, the governor of Tehran, announced that three of these individuals have been summoned so far, and the others will also be summoned. A few days prior to this event, on Tuesday, July 22, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that the experience of 1979 should not be repeated, where 'the then-president [Abulhassan Banisadr] polarized society and divided people into opposing and supporting factions.' Following these remarks, some Telegram channels and websites supporting Ayatollah Khamenei warned that Hassan Rouhani might face a fate similar to that of Banisadr.