Rahimi to Ahmadinejad: Today's Convicted Rahimi Suffers from Your Stubbornness and Disgraces

Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the former first vice president of Iran, reacted to a letter from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's office regarding the rejection of the connection between his "accusations" and the ninth government, stating that "today's convicted Rahimi suffers from your stubbornness and occasional disgraces." Ahmadinejad's office on November 5 rejected the connection between Rahimi's "accusations" and the ninth government, stating that these accusations, "if true," relate to his presidency over the Court of Audit, which is affiliated with the Islamic Consultative Assembly. According to ILNA, Rahimi, on Tuesday, January 7, in his letter, referred to Ahmadinejad's presidency and his own presidency over the Court of Audit, emphasizing that "during that time, critics began to destroy me under the pretext of distorted media statements, and I was accused of exaggeration and flattery." Rahimi mentioned that in 2006, during his presidency over the Court of Audit, someone in Syria told him, "If another prophet were to be chosen, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could be that prophet." Following these remarks, 70 members of the seventh parliament signed a letter demanding Rahimi's dismissal. In his letter, Rahimi wrote: "Some time passed, and you insisted that I join the government; my answer was negative... You did not accept and issued an order without my knowledge, appointing me as legal advisor while retaining my position, which was against regulations." He added: "I had no choice but to resign from the Court of Audit, which caused resentment among some of my old and close friends, and the beginning of grievances started from there." In 2008, Rahimi was appointed as the legal and parliamentary vice president by Ahmadinejad. He continued in his letter, referring to his opposition to the dismissal of some ministers in the ninth government towards the end of that government, stating: "The issue of the first vice presidency arose... At that time, I said that despite political grudges and some old wounds, forgive me, because I knew the outcome would be that some political opponents would seek to disgrace and ruin my reputation; however, opposing your decision was still difficult." Following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's opposition to the appointment of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei as first vice president, Ahmadinejad appointed Rahimi as his first vice president in 2009. Rahimi emphasized in his letter: "Time passed, and gradually Ahmadinejad and his behaviors became different from previous years. Whenever we consulted, you paid more attention to that false heavenly inspiration than to the advice stemming from my various experiences." Rahimi added: "In the last year of the government, your insistence on the candidacy of your preferred individual was such that it seemed you were inspired from somewhere and were unwilling to hear anything other than that, disregarding my opinion and that of some of my colleagues in the government, to the point that I, with the collaboration of some cabinet members, had no choice but to risk my candidacy for the presidency during my wife's difficult surgery to symbolically express my disagreement with your approach." He stated: "Of course, in the end, again at your insistence, I lost the game once more in the arena of friendship and listened to you, and despite my will, I withdrew my candidacy." Ahmadinejad supported Mashaei's candidacy for the 2013 presidential election. Rahimi also referred to the so-called Ahmadinejad's protest during the dismissal of the Minister of Intelligence, stating: "Many of your friends tried to get me to abandon my work so that the government would fall asleep, and many told me to be ready to take over the presidency. But I said, be patient, Ahmadinejad must return, as I have tested my relationship with him through service to the system." Many principlists interpret the so-called "eleven-day house arrest" of Ahmadinejad in April 2011, following Khamenei's public opposition to the resignation of Heydar Moslehi, the Minister of Intelligence, as defiance of the order of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Rahimi also mentioned the dismissal of Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, the Minister of Health, in the tenth government, stating: "Unfortunately, you were stubborn and dismissed her under the pretext of delaying the dismissal of the president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, who was a capable and committed individual, and made me a scapegoat in front of the media and public opinion, and I was informed at that time that you had prepared a draft for my dismissal with the advice of your associates." After rumors about Vahid Dastjerdi's dismissal, Rahimi had said: "As long as Ahmadinejad is here, I am here. Therefore, as long as Dr. Ahmadinejad is here, Ms. Dastjerdi is here." Following these remarks, Ms. Dastjerdi was dismissed on January 7, 2013. Media close to principlists critical of the government linked this dismissal to the former health minister's opposition to Baqer Larijani's resignation from the presidency of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and membership in the Ministry of Health's policy-making council. The former first vice president of Iran continued in his letter regarding his accusations: "Mr. Ahmadinejad, do you really not know or have you forgotten what this case is about?" Rahimi added: "Perhaps you have forgotten that today's convicted Rahimi suffers from your stubbornness and occasional disgraces. Do you remember how much I insisted during the black Sunday incident that you should not do it and disgrace us and let the matter be pursued through legal channels?" He referred to the formation of a committee consisting of "some principlist figures" to collect "non-governmental" donations before the eighth parliamentary elections, adding: "Among the contributors was a person named 'Jaber Abdali,' who was introduced to me by some members of parliament and judicial and executive officials, who expressed readiness to help." He stated: "I also... inquired about him through the Court of Audit's security from the relevant channels, and after assurance and positive response, which documents are attached to the case, we announced our readiness to receive help from him and asked him to assist the candidates we introduced from his personal account and with his own bank check." According to Rahimi, Jaber Abdali paid a total of 1.2 billion tomans to nearly 170 candidates for the eighth parliament, and documents and copies of issued checks are "registered and recorded in the case." Jaber Abdali, in June 2012, in the Iran Insurance embezzlement trial, stated that he had given his signed checkbook to Rahimi before the eighth parliamentary elections. The eighth parliamentary elections were held in 2006, and Mohammad Reza Rahimi was the head of the Court of Audit, affiliated with the Islamic Consultative Assembly, at the time of these elections. In this context, Rahimi was sentenced to five years in prison and fined four billion tomans. Ahmadinejad's office stated that Rahimi's accusations are not related to the ninth government. In a letter to the judiciary, Rahimi implicated members of parliament. Rahimi's lawyer stated that he had given money to 170 principlist members of parliament. Reactions from some principlist members of parliament followed Rahimi's conviction.