Khamenei's Claim on Anniversary of Public Protests: Armed Forces are the 'Honor' of Society

Just a few days after a highly secure atmosphere was created in many cities across the country on the anniversary of the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in custody of the morality police, and the direct shooting by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic at least two individuals in Alborz and Kurdistan provinces, Ali Khamenei claimed that the armed forces are 'security builders' and 'part of the honor' of society. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on Wednesday, September 20, spoke about the anniversary of the eight-year war with Iraq, claiming that 'many countries in the region have official bases, but we do not.' According to the IRNA news agency, he asserted that 'we do not interfere in the region, but we are present. Our spiritual presence and their cries are loud.' This is while the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is present in Syria, Iraq, and some other countries in the region, referring to them as 'defenders of the shrine.' Khamenei also claimed that the armed forces are 'security builders' and 'part of the essential honor of every society,' stating that 'one of the enemy's targets is to undermine the value, dignity, and honor of the armed forces' and 'we must appreciate the armed forces.' Concurrently with Khamenei's statements, Fatemeh Heydari, the sister of the deceased protester Javad Heydari from the nationwide protests of 2022 in Qazvin, published a video on the messaging platform 'X' showing the 'military mobilization' of armed forces to their village to prevent the commemoration ceremony for her brother, stating that another brother, 'Rouhollah, was taken hostage' and several of their relatives were also arrested. Fatemeh Heydari emphasized: 'How right you are! Even if you mobilize all your mercenaries, we are not afraid of you.' Khamenei's claim about the armed forces being 'security builders' comes while their presence in suppressing peaceful urban protests has been reported multiple times. One branch of the armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is considered the main arm of the Islamic Republic's repression and in recent months, public demands inside and outside Iran to list it as a terrorist organization by the European Union have intensified. Additionally, on the anniversary of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini's death in custody of the morality police, Alireza Akhoundi, an Iranian-Swedish parliament member, in a joint campaign with the 'United Against Nuclear Iran' organization, emphasized the Islamic Republic's dominance, especially the Revolutionary Guards over all aspects of Iran's economy, stating that transactions of international companies with Iran imply establishing trade relations with them. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department, coinciding with the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, announced the re-imposition of visa restrictions against several other officials responsible for the armed forces of the Islamic Republic who have played a role in detaining or suppressing peaceful protesters or violating their freedoms of expression or assembly, including through internet censorship.