Khamenei: Anyone Who Revolts Against National Security Will Face Severe Consequences

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic warned about the possibility of creating "insecurity and sedition" in the upcoming elections, threatening candidates and their supporters that "anyone who revolts against the security of the country will face severe consequences." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, May 10, at a ceremony at Imam Hussein University, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, that elections can be both "a source of elevation and dignity, as well as a source of weakness, fragility, and problems." He emphasized that if the people engage in "lawbreaking and immorality" and "encourage the enemy with their words, the elections will turn against us." Khamenei's remarks come as he has previously described elections as "beneficial for the country and the people, leading to the material and spiritual welfare of the nation." On May 7, Khamenei referred to public participation in elections as "a safeguard for the country and a protector of the nation's interests, enhancing the system's prestige in the eyes of adversaries." However, he stated on Wednesday that "the enemy's short-term goal is to disrupt security and create chaos and sedition in the country." He added, "If we are prepared to deal with this issue of insecurity and sedition, we will certainly be able to neutralize it." Khamenei also referred to the handling of protests against the 2009 presidential election, stating, "It is the same today. The security of the country must be preserved." He emphasized that "if anyone acts against the security of the country, they will certainly face severe consequences." Khamenei urged candidates not to provoke "ideological, geographical, linguistic, and ethnic fault lines" due to misjudgment and not to fall into the enemy's unfinished design. Protests against the results of the 2009 election, known as the "Green Movement," continued for months in Iran, with reports indicating that thousands were arrested and dozens killed. Leaders of the 2009 protests, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, have been under house arrest since February 2011. Khamenei had also stated on the election day in 2009, "I hope the people will thwart the efforts of the malevolent to create tension." Previously, the head and some officials of Iran's judiciary warned about the possibility of events similar to the 2009 protests. Some of these warnings came before the disqualification of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections and were implicitly directed at his supporters. However, in recent days, the tone of presidential candidates against each other has intensified. Hassan Rouhani criticized the non-payment of taxes by the Astan Quds Razavi and implicitly called Ebrahim Raisi a person who has only been involved in "executions and imprisoning" people over the past 38 years. In response, Ebrahim Raisi accused Hassan Rouhani of "aggression" and told him, "Your rhetoric is an insult to the people; instead of being angry, you should report your work to the people; there is no reason to insult your rival." Raisi, along with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, another principlist candidate, severely criticized the government's economic performance. Meanwhile, Khamenei stated on Wednesday that "the enemy's mid-term goal is the issue of the economy and the livelihood of the people" and issues such as unemployment and reduced production in the country, so that "the people become disillusioned with the Islamic Republic due to livelihood problems." He emphasized that "the enemy's long-term goal is to change the essence" of the Islamic system and that they previously spoke explicitly about changing the Islamic Republic but are now seeking to "change the behavior" of this system. Khamenei added, "I told the officials at that time to pay attention; changing behavior is no different from changing the system." He emphasized that "deviating" from "the path of Islam and the revolution and the line of Imam" means changing the Islamic Republic. The Supreme Leader has previously regarded attempts to change the behavior of the system as methods of "soft warfare" by the U.S. and Western countries against the Islamic Republic. He has also repeatedly warned about U.S. attempts to, as he puts it, "infiltrate" Iran after the Vienna nuclear agreement. On Wednesday, Khamenei also urged candidates to "clearly state that they want to work for the country's economy and that the livelihood of the people is of primary importance." On May 30, Khamenei had also asked candidates to prioritize solving the problems of the "weak classes" in their programs. While Ebrahim Raisi and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf have promised to increase subsidies, Hassan Rouhani and his government members have described the implementation of these promises as impossible. On Wednesday, Hassan Rouhani also called the promise of increasing subsidies "a lie" in a meeting with 170 members of parliament, stating that the government would have to borrow money from the central bank to fulfill this promise, which would lead to inflation of "800 percent" like Venezuela. The Supreme Leader also stated that candidates must "explicitly" show that they stand against what he called "the greed of America and the malice" of Israel. Khamenei referred to the Islamic Republic as a "government of resistance" that, according to him, "is neither inclined to hegemony and encroachment on countries nor to being in a defensive and passive position." He added, "Some think that to distance ourselves from the accusation of international and regional hegemony and authoritarianism, we must retreat into a defensive shell, while such thinking is wrong." The Supreme Leader mentioned "military power" as one of the "factors of the country's authority" and added that "widespread uproar" against Iran's missile program is "due to the anger and hatred they harbor towards this factor of authority." He also referred to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as "one of the factors of the Islamic Republic's authority" and stated that "the signs of anger and displeasure towards it are clearly evident in international propaganda and the statements of the politicians of arrogance." In the second presidential debate, Hassan Rouhani accused the Revolutionary Guards of attempting to undermine the Vienna nuclear agreement by showcasing missile warehouses and writing slogans on missiles. These remarks were met with a response from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, and Massoud Jazayeri, the spokesman for this military organization, urged candidates to "avoid entering into contentious military issues" and, according to him, "giving incorrect addresses to the people."