Khamenei: Those Who Have Had All the Country's Resources Have No Right to Play the Role of Opposition

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Wednesday, January 6, accused individuals of 'doing the enemy's work inside' and stated, 'Those who have all the resources of the country in their hands or have had them have no right to play the role of opposition.' According to ISNA news agency, he made this remark during a meeting with members of the Islamic Propaganda Coordination Council. Khamenei did not name any specific individuals, but these comments come after former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his close associates have engaged in verbal confrontations with the judiciary amid facing legal challenges and have taken on an oppositional stance. Khamenei stated, 'These individuals make the enemy happy at the cost of discouraging the people and the youth, especially those who have had all the managerial resources, whether they are in their hands today or were in the past; it does not matter; all resources have been or are in their hands, and then, as the Westerners say, they take on the role of opposition.' He also said, 'Today they say this, and at night it gets wide coverage on British and American radio, these people make the enemy happy.' The leader of the Islamic Republic and other Iranian officials use the term 'enemy' or 'enemies' to describe the United States or Israel, while officials from these two countries have repeatedly stated that they do not have enmity with the Iranian people. Khamenei added, 'Those who have the country in their hands or have had it no longer have the right to speak against the country. They must be accountable.' He continued, 'I, who have resources at my disposal, cannot claim; I must be accountable for what I have done with these resources. Instead of being accountable, I play the role of accuser against this and that; the people do not accept this. Now someone may think it affects the people. The people are aware and do not accept this.' The leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized, 'These individuals lack piety; those who do the enemy's work inside lack piety. Their religion is political; instead of their politics being religious, their religion is political maneuvering.' These remarks come after Ahmadinejad stated that 'the people' do not want Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, and that 'the people's cries from the oppression of certain judicial elements have reached the heavens.' The former president of Iran also criticized the performance of the three branches of government in a letter to Khamenei before this. Khamenei continued his remarks on Wednesday, saying, 'It is not an art to condemn this power and that power indiscriminately; any child can pick up a stone and break windows; that is not art. The art is to speak logically and fairly and not to speak for the sake of gaining power and to consider God.' The leader of the Islamic Republic also stated, 'Of course, our judiciary is not without faults; I am not unaware of the problems in the judiciary and executive; my knowledge may be more than many others, but I also see the positive points... we do not have the right to condemn everyone with the same brush.' He continued, stating that 'slander and defamation are forbidden,' adding, 'One cannot be the main actor in the country for a decade and then become a critic of the country in the next decade.' The judicial cases of three of Ahmadinejad's close associates who were involved in his previous administrations are currently under investigation for financial and other charges, which has led to Ahmadinejad and his associates' severe criticism of the country's situation. In this context, Ahmadinejad, in a lengthy text published on Sunday, January 4, on the 'Dolat Bahar' website, called for 'the closure of special detention centers,' 'the dissolution of the judiciary's information protection,' and 'a complete ban on judicial officials from interfering in political affairs and taking political positions.' Some of Ahmadinejad's critics ask why he remained silent during his presidency against the actions of the judiciary and the crackdowns of 2009. Khamenei's unprecedented remarks about the 'accountability' of 'those who have the country in their hands or have had it' come while, despite repeated reports from various institutions in the Islamic Republic regarding the widespread violations of Ahmadinejad's governments and the significant economic damages inflicted during that period, the leader of the Islamic Republic has remained silent on this issue. Regarding the suppression of protesters against the announced results of the 2009 elections, in which Ahmadinejad clashed with opponents, Khamenei stated that 'the opinion of the president [Ahmadinejad] is closer to my opinion.'