Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army: The Enemy Wants to Incite the People Against the Regime

Amir Pordastan, the Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army, stated on Thursday, February 10, that "the enemies of the Islamic Republic intend to bring the people of Iran to the streets and incite them against the regime through economic pressure." According to the Young Journalists Club, affiliated with Iran's state radio and television, this senior military official added in a gathering of army forces in Tehran that "today the enemy has entered the economic war with full force." Iranian officials have often blamed what they call the "enemy" for their problems and crises over the past decades without detailing who or what that enemy is. For these officials, the "enemy" was responsible for the protests of Iranian citizens in 2009 over the presidential election results and the student protest movement in 1999. Mr. Pordastan noted that the revenue from oil sales is not returning to Iran, adding: "This is the enemy's action that wants to bring people to the streets with these pressures." Previously, Fereydoun Khavand, an economics professor in Paris, wrote about Iran's economic situation, stating, "Those at the top of the power pyramid in the Islamic Republic, due to their lack of understanding of the requirements of international relations and without considering national interests, have plunged Iran into the quagmire of crippling international sanctions, bearing a heavy responsibility for future generations. The wounds inflicted on Iran's economy due to recent sanctions cannot be healed overnight with the signing of an agreement called the 'JCPOA.'" Amir Pordastan indicated that "the enemies have re-entered the battlefield against the Islamic Republic of Iran with a new face today" and said: "The threat that exists for the regime today is a combination of hard, soft, and economic warfare." In another part of his speech, the Deputy Commander of the Army stated that the "enemies" of the Islamic Republic intend to ignite the "flame" of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and eastern Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and Iranian officials typically refer to the United States and Israel as the "enemy." Meanwhile, American officials have repeatedly emphasized that their country has no hostility towards the people of Iran. They have warned about what they call Iran's "interventionist" and "destabilizing" actions in the Middle East. Previously, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, accused the "enemy" on December 16 of this year of thinking that by focusing on certain labor and professional protests, it could "create the grounds for confronting the regime." Dowlatabadi added that "some are trying to portray every gathering or protest as political and confrontational against the regime and thus ride the wave of some discontent." Earlier, Ayatollah Khamenei had stated in May of this year: "Despite livelihood problems, workers have never paid attention to anti-revolutionary propaganda and have not stood against the regime..." Generally, Iranian officials have spoken of the support of workers and other lower classes of society for the government despite economic difficulties since the victory of the February 1979 revolution. In this context, some Iranian officials have spoken of the "enemies'" efforts to pressure the Iranian people economically after the signing of the JCPOA. Amir Pordastan also referred to the JCPOA on August 2 as a means to achieve American and "enemy" goals in Iran to bring people to the streets. He implicitly criticized the foreign policy of Hassan Rouhani's government on August 5, stating to unnamed officials of Rouhani's government: "Be careful of this enemy and set aside any naivety towards the enemy." Previously, according to Mehr News Agency, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a special military assistant to the leader of the Islamic Republic, warned on February 3 about the "enemies' efforts to infiltrate decision-making and policymaking centers" in Iran and also about "attempts to weaken resistance and exhaust value-driven forces." Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani and his government members reject such criticisms. In this context, the deputy representative of the leader of Iran in the IRGC stated that some infiltrators are "under control." Safavi's warning about the "enemies' efforts to infiltrate decision-making centers" accused a member of the IRGC of "playing for the enemy" and "media manipulation." Two members of parliament stated that foreign intelligence services are seeking to recruit border youth. The changing battlefield of "proxy forces"; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkoff: A horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran. The shadow of war over Tehran; "Trump is looking for decisive military options against Iran."