Letter from 300 'Hezbollah Activists' to Khamenei Criticizing the 'Current Situation' in Iran

Three hundred 'Hezbollah activists,' who are supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stating that the 'nation' of Iran is dissatisfied with the current state of the country and that 'fundamental and revolutionary reforms' must take place within the Islamic Republic. This letter, published on the government website 'Dolat-e Bahar,' close to Ahmadinejad, introduces these individuals as 'a group of officials from revolutionary organizations and concerned academic and seminary activists of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.' They noted that they had never previously written to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but in the current situation where the overall system resembles a lifeless and internally fragile body, and considering that the country needs to begin fundamental reforms, they decided to write this letter to the leader. Their argument is that fundamental reforms in the country are 'the responsibility of the leadership according to the constitution, and no other responsible authority has the possibility or authority to do so.' The letter explicitly questions the performance of various legal entities and figures such as 'the government, the president, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the judiciary, the Guardian Council, state media, the diplomatic apparatus, Friday prayer leaders, the Assembly of Experts, and security agencies.' The signatories, like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, referred to the Iranian judiciary as 'the center of oppression and injustice' and stated that the Guardian Council has become 'an obstacle to the election of independent qualified individuals desired by the people.' Regarding security agencies, the authors of this letter expressed that 'it seems their duty is to protect the power of certain rulers and power factions instead of the security of the country... especially the IRGC Intelligence Organization, which has gained enormous budgets and unchecked influence in the country over the past few years and has become a factor of disruption in affairs and limitation and pressure on political, media, and economic activists.' The signatories of this critical letter warned that 'public concern about the future of the country, the rift between the people and the government, and doubt about the possibility of realizing the ideals of the revolution in the current political structure and existing mechanisms have reached their highest level in the past four decades.' They wrote that due to 'the significant gap between the current state of the country and what it was supposed to be,' and for the reasons mentioned above, the Islamic Republic may 'become an unsuccessful experience for future generations.' The signatories explicitly added that the Iranian nation 'is dissatisfied with the current state of the country and does not find it defensible.' The letter stated that 'justice, freedom, democracy, and even sometimes independence are in a deplorable condition in our country today,' and the problems of the country are 'not small or large functional issues, but today almost all governing institutions... have turned against their very philosophy of existence.' These 300 Hezbollah activists, while expressing concern about the 'downward trend of macro developments' in the country, introduced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, as 'the main herald of the people's demands among political elites.' They also criticized the security and judicial actions against close associates of the tenth government, referring to Hamid Baqaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, two senior managers from Ahmadinejad's presidency, as well as several of his supporters who are currently imprisoned. The signatories continued by stating that 'the rulers' view the Iranian people 'as the opposing side and a threat' and that 'the religious and Islamic suffix that was supposed to guarantee the government's movement towards the public good and welfare... has now become the main factor of discrimination and superiority, and unaccountability and creating a safe haven for officials.' The letter also refers to 'the dominance of the discourse of guardianship' as a factor for 'stamping and excluding independent thoughts,' resulting in 'a public sphere that kills personalities.' The signatories emphasized the necessity of 'fundamental and revolutionary reforms' in Iran, stating that due to 'the weakness of the Islamic Republic in creating genuine hope,' the Hezbollah movement has also become inactive and lacks prominent figures. Other sections of the letter refer to the widespread protests of December 2017 and warn of 'the social collapse of Iran.' These Hezbollah activists also mentioned the recent public protests against mandatory hijab in Iran, stating that these protests are a sign of 'the severe distress of society from superficiality and the transformation of the issue of hijab and women's dress into a factor that conceals the increasing emptiness of the government from original religious and national ideals.' This is one of the few critical letters collectively addressed to the Supreme Leader by individuals affiliated with the Hezbollah and student mobilization movement. This letter follows Ahmadinejad's recent public protests regarding the structure and performance of the Islamic Republic. Ahmadinejad, after pressure on his close associates, has also written several letters to the Supreme Leader, severely criticizing the state of the country and calling for the dismissal of the head of the judiciary and 'immediate and free elections' in the country without the interference of 'security institutions' and 'the engineering of the Guardian Council.' Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's media advisor, praised the writing of the Hezbollah activists' letter to the Supreme Leader, stating that 'certainly, if there were no atmosphere of intimidation and threat, the number of signatures on such letters would be even greater.' He added that 'the young elite who wrote this letter are now aware that their connection with Dr. Ahmadinejad not only does not guarantee any livelihood for them but may also put them under systematic pressure and imprisonment,' yet they still signed this letter.