Second Senior Commander of the Iranian Army Criticizes Hassan Rouhani and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Another senior commander of the Islamic Republic Army has joined the critics of Hassan Rouhani, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and the issue of 'astronomical salaries'. According to a report on Saturday, October 24, by the 'Tasnim' news agency, Farzad Esmaeili, the commander of the 'Khatam al-Anbiya' Air Defense Base, explicitly criticized the policies of Hassan Rouhani's government and the positions of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a speech. Esmaeili, without mentioning Hassan Rouhani's name or the foreign policy of the eleventh government, stated that 'some politicians believe we must smile at our enemies to please them.' He added that the Islamic Republic 'does not need the satisfaction of enemies' and is only 'seeking the pleasure of God and the people.' Regarding the issue of 'astronomical salaries' in the eleventh government, he said: 'If any of the managers wants to betray the blood of martyrs with such salaries, they have certainly bought themselves a curse.' He also raised the question, 'Why should we have managers with two, three, and multiple jobs while many of the youth in this country are unemployed?' Criticism of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and a tweet attributed to him stating that 'the world of tomorrow is the world of discourses, not missiles' was another focus of this military commander's speech, which is rare in itself. The commander of the 'Khatam al-Anbiya' Air Defense Base defended the military programs of the Islamic Republic and implicitly took pride in Iran's military advancements. He also stated, 'Today, the era of being hit is over, and if our enemies intend to strike our country, we will ground them in their own territory.' On August 5, Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Army Ground Forces, also implicitly criticized the foreign policy of Hassan Rouhani's government. Pourdastan, without naming the officials of Hassan Rouhani's government, warned them to 'be cautious of this enemy and set aside any optimism towards them.' Ahmad Reza Pourdastan is one of the army commanders who has made two critical statements against the 'JCPOA', the U.S. positions regarding it, and the foreign policy of Hassan Rouhani's government this August. On August 11, he referred to the 'JCPOA' as a tool for achieving the goals of the U.S. and 'the enemy' in Iran to bring people to the streets. Farzad Esmaeili is the second senior army commander to join the critics of the eleventh government after Pourdastan and has, contrary to the previous stance of the army, commented on political matters. Previously, only commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij were known to openly comment on political issues.