Khamenei's Chief of Staff: The Greatest Denial is Opposition to the Regime

The Chief of Staff of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has stated that the "greatest denial" in the country is "opposition to the Islamic regime" and remarked that "some think that forbidding the wrong (nahi az munkar) only involves admonishing improperly veiled individuals on the streets." According to Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the Chief of Staff, on Saturday, April 12, referred to the Supreme Leader's remarks in the new year, saying: "He stated that today the greatest virtue is preserving the Islamic Republic and the worst denial is opposition to the Islamic regime; with this statement, he opened a new avenue for research and inquiry by scholars." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, had previously stated on the first of Farvardin that the "greatest virtue" is the "establishment and preservation of the Islamic regime." Golpayegani also emphasized: "Today, some think that forbidding the wrong only involves admonishing improperly veiled individuals in the streets, which is indeed very important, but we must understand that the greatest denial is opposition to the Islamic regime." Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Saturday, May 5, stated that the "main denial" in society is poverty, unemployment, and corruption, and these must be eradicated. He emphasized: "Currently, we are clinging to a few branches of Islam and think that all denials and virtues stem from them." These remarks led to criticisms, including from the newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, which wrote: "Let us be certain that the unveiling of some women... is a denial phenomenon akin to the unemployment emphasized by the President and perhaps even beyond that, and the government, based on its duties, is obliged to eliminate this problem from society." Rouhani also mentioned on Sunday, April 23, that "unfortunately, in today's society, forbidding the wrong has only been brought to some streets, and that only against women." In another part of his remarks, the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Leader referred to the military intervention of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, stating that "with God's grace," soon "Al Saud" will become "Al Fall". He added: "Innocent people in Yemen are dying today under Saudi bombardment and are victims of Al Saud's greed." Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated on Tuesday, May 7, that "the first wave of the Islamic Revolution caused the collapse of communism, and subsequent waves will, God willing, lead to the fall of Al Saud." Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, especially in recent weeks, have soured over Yemen, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Saudi chargé d'affaires in Tehran twice in the past two weeks to protest against the attacks on the Houthis and the prevention of Iranian aircraft from landing in Sana'a. Iran is accused of providing military support to the Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, while a regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia resumed airstrikes against this group in central and southern Yemen just one day after announcing an end to them. The Shiite Houthi rebels overthrew the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the internationally recognized President of Yemen, last year by storming Sana'a. Hadi fled to the southern city of Aden in February and sought refuge in Saudi Arabia following the advance of the rebels.