Marginalizing Ahmadinejad from Khamenei at the Night of Mourning

Did Ali Khamenei respond to all the letters, videos, speeches, and requests from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the 'Night of Mourning' ceremony in 1397, held on Wednesday evening at the 'Imam Khomeini' Hosseiniyeh? In images released from this ceremony, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seen sitting a considerable distance from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, which has sparked a strong reaction from Ahmadinejad's supporters. In the published images, at least six officials or security agents are seated between the former president and the Supreme Leader, and some social media users have analyzed this distance. The 'Imam Khomeini' Hosseiniyeh is the venue for many programs and ceremonies held by the leader throughout the year, and the seating arrangement of invitees can indicate their proximity or distance to the leader. Ahmadinejad, when he was president during the ninth and tenth administrations, enjoyed the support of the Supreme Leader and often sat next to him at many events in this Hosseiniyeh, which indicated his prominent status. After his presidency, Ahmadinejad maintained a close position to the leader, but in recent years, he has gradually lost this status, reaching its lowest point during this year's Night of Mourning. Ahmadinejad's sharp letters, revealing videos, and fierce speeches against the judiciary and the Revolutionary Guards, which have been published in recent months, are cited as factors contributing to this decline. These positions intensified after two of his close associates, Hamid Baghaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, were arrested, tried, and imprisoned. The former president wrote letters to the leader regarding these two individuals and other issues, which contained controversial content, but Khamenei has not publicly responded to any of them so far. The leader's reaction to Ahmadinejad's demands during the Night of Mourning in 1397 took a different form, leading to Ahmadinejad's marginalization in the 'Imam Khomeini' Hosseiniyeh, which has angered his supporters. Mohammad Saleh Meftah, the director of the news site 'Farda', who is considered a supporter of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, was the first to report on this distance, stating, 'Tonight Ahmadinejad came to mourn at the leader's house. He is sitting further away; however, they probably did not allow him to sit close to the leader. Before the ceremony, they also warned not to chant slogans for or against the guests.' Alireza Motaji, the public relations officer of the 'Committee for the Protection of Iran's Interests', also published images of the 'process of distancing Ahmadinejad by the leaders' office during the leader's mourning ceremonies' over the past three years and criticized this action. Motaji tweeted, 'Year by year, the leader's office has increased the distances; who is responsible for managing these details and the messages conveyed from the meetings with Ayatollah Khamenei?' He wrote, 'As far as we know, apparently, the distancing and closeness in the leader's meetings are planned. The question is, who or what group is responsible for managing the messages conveyed from these meetings? Is this perception management part of Ayatollah Khamenei's plan or not?' Saeed Najafi Asli, who introduced himself as a student at Zanjan University, wrote about this distance, 'Why is Ahmadinejad's seating position the only subject of media attention among all these officials? This shows that Ahmadinejad is the most influential politician in Iran.' Another user named 'Yousef' tweeted, 'Ahmadinejad is getting further away from the leader's seat; next time they will sit him in front of the door.' Mansour Qanavati, the editor-in-chief of the news site 'Baharniaz', also tweeted, 'After heavy sentences were issued for his close associates, Ahmadinejad was officially sidelined tonight. The next stage will likely be his house arrest.' Qanavati wrote, 'Membership in the Expediency Council will not prevent this [house arrest]. Mir Hossein was also a member of the council when he was placed under house arrest.' Another user named 'Adalat' tweeted, 'Ahmadinejad's presence is an act, and determining his seating position at the leader's mourning ceremony is a reaction, just as Ahmadinejad's benevolent letters to the leader are an act, and the arrest of his associates is a reaction!' Ahmad Amoui, another Ahmadinejad supporter, wrote, 'Are you measuring distances? Is your understanding of religious concepts at this level? Let’s measure our actions against principles; the distance to justice, to the rights of the people, to the respect of public funds, to the people, and to God. We have not seen the Ahl al-Bayt, but in word and deed, we find Dr. Ahmadinejad more similar.' Abd al-Ridha Davari, a supporter and close associate of Ahmadinejad, wrote, 'The image of Dr. Ahmadinejad's presence at the leader's house should be interpreted alongside images of him at public gatherings such as Hosarak.' Davari wrote, 'A man with unparalleled popularity, at a time when the regime's overthrowers are sharpening their teeth, offers his high popular capacity directly to the regime outside the framework of parties and power institutions.' Saeed Sadraian tweeted, 'It’s fine to analyze Ahmadinejad’s distance from the leader, but be patient, because then the close seating can also be analyzed. In general, any relation or irrelevance can be analyzed.' Faizeh Akbarshahi wrote, 'At the Night of Mourning ceremony, Ahmadinejad was a guest of the leader. The mere presence of Ahmadinejad at this ceremony certainly carried a clear message for the fair-minded and concerned. Therefore, measuring the seating position of individuals only undermines the dignity and status of the host and the owner of this mourning.' In the meantime, Ahmadinejad's official Twitter account also published one of these controversial images without any commentary, announcing the participation of the former president in the 'Night of Mourning' at the leader's house.