IRGC Denies Involvement in Seminary Gathering

Hours after the statements of two Shia clerics protesting the slogans and remarks made by speakers at a gathering of clerics against the government in the Qom seminary, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied any involvement of its forces in organizing this gathering. According to ISNA news agency, on Tuesday, August 29, the IRGC condemned 'some slogans, writings, and placards' at this gathering and stated that it had 'no plans for its personnel to attend this event.' The IRGC also claimed that 'based on available evidence and indications,' this gathering was 'spontaneously organized.' This statement from the IRGC came despite the fact that Hossein Tayebifar, commander of the special clerical brigade known as 'Imam Sadiq Brigade,' was one of the speakers at the event. Hours before the IRGC's statement, Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a Shia cleric, declared that the Qom seminary gathering was 'a complete disaster.' In his statement, he demanded an explanation from the Qom seminary regarding the identity of the organizers of this event and asked the IRGC to clarify whether the presence of 'a group of IRGC members' at this event was authorized by the institution. This cleric, without naming any individuals, stated that one of the speakers at this event 'made the worst insults against the seminary and Shia clerics and held a placard that threatened the honorable president with death and implicitly confessed to other matters.' Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamadani, another Shia cleric, also commented on this gathering, saying: 'Some of the speaker's remarks and certain slogans were incorrect and regrettable, and we will not allow anyone to question the services of the clerics and the seminary, and I urge the respected officials of the seminary to follow up on this matter immediately.' At the Faydiyyah gathering in Qom, in addition to slogans threatening Hassan Rouhani with death, Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, also stated: 'Advanced courses are being held that, instead of theorizing religious civilization, are creating secular jurisprudence and are not addressing issues related to banks and social relations.' At the gathering on August 25, which protested 'economic corruption' in Qom, some attendees shouted anti-government slogans and held threatening writings against Hassan Rouhani. Among these was a placard with the phrase 'O you who negotiate, the Farah pool awaits you,' which gained widespread attention on social media and was interpreted by some as a threat to the president's life, similar to the situation of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. This placard refers to the death of Akbar Hashemi, the former head of the Expediency Discernment Council, which occurred while he was swimming in a pool on January 8, 2017. Reza Siyar, the governor of Qom, announced that he had sent a report on the threatening slogans from the seminarian gathering at the Faydiyyah school to senior provincial officials and that security agencies would investigate this incident. Previously, Fatemeh Hashemi, the daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, stated on Sunday, August 28, that following up on these placards could 'clarify the ambiguities surrounding her father's suspicious death,' which 'has remained unanswered despite the family's inquiries.' Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, also described this gathering as indicative of the 'decline' of part of the seminary. He further commented on the placard, saying: 'The meaning of this slogan is that Mr. President, just as we drowned Mr. Hashemi, we will drown you too.' The deputy speaker called for the Ministry of Intelligence to investigate this matter so that, according to him, 'perhaps the sudden and unbelievable death of the late head of the Expediency Discernment Council can also be clarified.' Previously, members of Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani's family had described his death as 'suspicious.' In this context, Yasser Hashemi reported on January 8 of last year that the Iranian president 'did not accept the entire content' of the Supreme National Security Council's report regarding the circumstances of his father's death and ordered that this matter be reviewed again in the council. Prior to that, Faezah Hashemi, one of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughters, had reported that in a meeting attended by several members of the Supreme National Security Council, the Hashemi family was told that there were '10 times the permissible limit of radioactivity' in their father's body. Fatemeh Hashemi also announced that after her father's death, individuals went to his office at the Expediency Discernment Council and emptied a safe that contained 'important materials.' She also reported the disappearance of her father's 'second will.'