Qasem Soleimani's Warning Against Weakening the IRGC and Echoes of the Past

Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, warned on Tuesday that no one should 'weaken' the IRGC or utter words reminiscent of 'past eras.' He stated, 'No one should weaken the IRGC and subject it to various attacks; we should not evoke the words of past eras.' In a speech in Kerman on Tuesday, July 12, Soleimani remarked, 'Do not compare the IRGC with me, who has flaws; target me, not the IRGC. If there were no IRGC, there would be no country, and this is a daily statement.' Soleimani did not elaborate on 'past eras,' but his warning could be a continuation of remarks made by Ayatollah Khamenei on June 22, in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani, where he cautioned against repeating the experiences of 1979. Recently, a verbal clash has escalated between Rouhani and IRGC officials. On Thursday, July 1, Rouhani told economic activists, 'The implementation of Article 44 policies was meant to transfer the economy to the people and for the government to withdraw from the economy, but what have we done? We handed over part of the economy from a government without guns to a government with guns; this is not privatization.' He added, 'They feared the government that had no guns, let alone that we handed the economy to a government that has guns, controls the media, and has everything, and no one dares to compete with them.' Following this, the IRGC commander reacted to Rouhani's remarks, stating that if the government is 'without guns,' it will be 'humiliated and subdued by enemies.' Soleimani, who appeared in public after a long time, also referred to the Supreme Leader as a 'valuable asset' and warned that 'no words contrary to the policies and directives of the leadership should be spoken in the country, and if they are spoken and no objection is raised, we share in the sin.' He emphasized that 'following the line of Imam without following the line of the leadership has no relevance and should not be applied to political issues,' adding, 'If we want to maintain dignity, we must move behind the leadership.' The verbal clash between IRGC commanders and Rouhani has occurred frequently over the past four years. While IRGC commanders have repeatedly criticized the JCPOA, Rouhani considers this agreement a significant achievement for lifting sanctions, boosting the economy, and enhancing Iran's security. In the recent presidential election campaigns, Rouhani even accused the IRGC of provocative actions, stating, 'Some came and showed a picture of underground cities to undermine the JCPOA, wrote slogans on missiles to undermine the JCPOA, but our people have overcome all of this to reach today and witness our further progress in the future.' Recently, Iran's missile attack on ISIS positions in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, has also been a point of contention between the IRGC and the Iranian president. While Rouhani stated that the retaliatory missile attack was 'not the decision of an individual or a military branch,' but 'such decisions are made in the Supreme National Security Council,' the IRGC in its statement claimed that the attack was carried out 'in coordination with the General Staff of the Armed Forces and under the command of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.'