IRGC's Reaction to Khamenei's Directive on Election Interference

The political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that the armed forces did not interfere in elections even before the general election policies were communicated by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and only engaged in 'explanation and clarification.' He emphasized that political actors should not undermine the 'dignity' of the armed forces for their 'petty' goals. On Tuesday, October 16, Rasoul Sanaei Rad made these remarks in an interview with ISNA, criticizing some media outlets for highlighting only Khamenei's directive to the armed forces to refrain from entering 'electoral classifications.' On Saturday, October 14, the Supreme Leader communicated the general policies of the elections in 18 articles to the heads of the three branches of government and the chairman of the Expediency Council. Article 16 of these policies prohibits armed forces and the three branches of government, as well as intelligence and security agencies, from supporting candidates. Sanaei Rad criticized what he called 'some margins' in the news regarding the announcement of the general election policies, stating that 'in addition to the armed forces, the three branches of government, including ministries and their subordinate agencies, intelligence and security agencies, organizations, public institutions, and state companies are also prohibited from entering political and factional classifications and supporting candidates.' He added, 'The fact that the media have focused solely on the prohibition of the armed forces' entry into elections creates a kind of suggestion in society and leads the audience to think that something may have happened in the past.' The political deputy of the IRGC claimed that even before the announcement of these policies, the armed forces were 'bound by regulations,' and 'Article 16 of the general election policies does not imply that an issue or violation occurred before the announcement of these policies, nor does it mean that a specific issue will occur in the future.' These statements come at a time when Ali Saeedi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC, had previously called the slogans of 'cross-factionalism' and 'neutrality' in elections a 'big lie' and stated that 'the inherent duty of the IRGC is to logically and reasonably engineer the elections.' The distinction between 'clarification' and interference was further elaborated by Sanaei Rad, who stated that the IRGC welcomes the implementation of these policies and considers itself obligated to adhere to the law, adding that a distinction must be made between 'political activity and interference' and 'explanation and clarification.' He noted that 'sometimes the act of clarification and explanation is perceived by some political activists as a political activity; however, the armed forces must also accurately recognize parties and groups so that if a party or group deviates, they can intervene as the vigilant eyes of the entity that safeguards the security and existence of the system.' He further stated that 'the armed forces must be aware of movements, parties, groups, and personalities,' and 'if clarification or explanation occurs, it never means interference or entering political classifications.' He added that the armed forces have 'no restrictions' in understanding and clarifying and that 'it is necessary for us to know parties and groups. Our military and security duties also require this.' According to the political deputy of the IRGC, 'members of the armed forces, like others, have civil rights and, like other people, have a real personality; however, what is stated in Article 16 of the policies communicated by the Leader regarding elections pertains to their legal personality and organizational status.' Sanaei Rad also claimed that 'all elections in the Islamic Republic have been held with integrity and health, and... we have always seen that votes are cast by the people and counted by officials and the system.' He warned political activists to be cautious not to create issues that could undermine the dignity of the armed forces, which are considered an asset for the entire system, for their 'petty political, temporary, and factional goals.' The IRGC and its commanders have repeatedly denied allegations of interference in elections, calling them 'baseless.' Masoud Jazayeri, the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, stated on October 1 that 'the armed forces are fundamentally prohibited from interfering in elections, and if anyone has documents, evidence, or proof that the armed forces have organized themselves in favor of or against any group or movement, they should present it.'