Khamenei on the Eve of the Anniversary of Nationwide Protests: 'Divisions' Have Increased More Than Ever

On Wednesday, September 6, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, spoke near the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police and the beginning of nationwide protests, stating that while 'divisions' have always existed, 'today these divisions are greater than ever.' In brief remarks to a group of his supportive students, Khamenei emphasized that what he called 'connection and adherence to the straight path' is the 'most important issue' and that 'will and perseverance' are essential for it. Some of Khamenei's supporters have repeatedly criticized the silence of certain officials and figures of the Islamic Republic regarding the nationwide protests in Iran over the past year. For instance, Ayatollah Ahmad Hosseini-Khorasani, a member of the Assembly of Experts from Razavi Khorasan and a member of the Guardian Council, criticized what he termed 'the silence of the elites in recent events' in an interview with the 'Jahan News' website on November 20 last year. The protests in the second half of last year and their spread to various cities in Iran were significant enough that Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, previously described them as the 'strongest struggle' against the Islamic Republic and warned of their recurrence. Meanwhile, as the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death approaches, pressure on the families of the victims and civil activists in Iran has increased, with several of them being arrested. In this context, relatives of some of the victims of the 2021 protests have told Voice of America that the intelligence agencies responsible for suppressing the protests have warned the families of the deceased not to appear in public places on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini. Additionally, Amjad Amini, Mahsa's father, has announced in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that they plan to hold a memorial for his daughter, stating: 'To honor the name and memory of the martyr and innocent Jina (Mahsa) and to bring comfort to the family and relatives and all her supporters, we intend to hold the memorial this year. However, given the circumstances, we cannot officially invite people to the ceremony or tell them not to attend.' Furthermore, there have been reports of attacks by plainclothes agents on two civil activists on the streets ahead of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, and various civil activists have faced summonses and legal charges, including accusations of 'effective incitement' against armed forces.