Tehran Police Chief: We Could Have Used RPGs Against Dervishes

While the leader of the Gonabadi dervishes has urged his followers to remain calm, statements from Islamic Republic officials against the dervishes continue. Meanwhile, the Tehran Police Chief stated that "we could have" attacked the targeted house "with RPGs, but we acted with authority and wisdom." Hassan Rahimi likely referred to the home of Nourali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi dervishes. According to the IRIB news agency, Rahimi said on a television program on Wednesday night, March 2, that "the police force decisively cleared Pasdaran Street of rioters and thugs." Several other Islamic Republic officials have also strongly attacked the Gonabadi dervishes. For instance, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General, claimed that the recent clashes "definitely have roots outside the country, and we have obtained signs and indications in this regard." These statements from Islamic Republic officials come as a protest gathering by the Gonabadi dervishes around Nourali Tabandeh's house escalated into violence due to the intervention of security forces and plainclothes motorcyclists. This gathering initially began in front of Police Station 102 in Pasdaran, northern Tehran, in protest against the arrest of a dervish named Nematollah Riahi. About two weeks ago, the Gonabadi dervishes gathered after reports surfaced about the establishment of a checkpoint near Nourali Tabandeh's house, which also turned violent due to security forces' intervention. On Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, a major clash occurred between security forces and the Gonabadi dervishes on Pasdaran Street, during which, according to Islamic Republic officials, three police officers and two Basij members were killed. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have emerged regarding the deaths of several dervishes. Police officials have reported the arrest of over 300 dervishes, and the Majzoban Noor website has stated that there is no information about the status of hundreds of detained dervishes. Additionally, photos and videos of severe beatings of several dervishes during their arrests have been published. Following these clashes, Nourali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi dervishes, issued a message to his followers, stating, "Do not act out of emotion in a way that harms others and causes disgrace, but in defense, you can do anything." There were discussions in the media regarding part of Mr. Tabandeh's statement that "in defense, you can do anything." On the same day, Mr. Tabandeh referred to the "ambiguities" and "questions" raised in his first statement, saying, "Recently, bitter events occurred against the principles of Sharia and mysticism under false pretenses, including the issuance of arrest warrants around my residence, which caused deep sorrow and regret for all of us." He emphasized, "The instigator of this incident was mainly the dominance of emotions, misjudgment, ignorance, and the failure of several dervishes to adhere to my explicit instructions despite my will and the warnings I had given several times, which is by no means acceptable, and I condemn such behaviors." The leader of the Gonabadi dervishes also expressed condolences to the families of the police officers and Basij members who were killed in these clashes. Mr. Tabandeh also stated, without naming anyone, that "some websites directly intervened in promoting mistakes or motives that led to this incident... No website, even if it claims to be mine or identifies itself as affiliated with me, is related to me, and I have no involvement in it." The leader of the Gonabadi dervishes urged his followers to "remain calm" and announced that religious ceremonies at his house would be temporarily suspended. He concluded his statement by asking officials to "deal with those responsible for the recent violent incident, including those who participated in it under the name of dervish, according to law and justice." Despite Nourali Tabandeh's statement and his call for "calm," several close associates of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic strongly attacked the Gonabadi dervishes on Thursday. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stated that "the Tehran Prosecutor's Office has been instructed to complete the cases of the detained individuals quickly and seriously and to introduce those who are guilty in this regard to the court." Judiciary officials, the police commander, the Kayhan newspaper affiliated with the Supreme Leader, and several other close associates of Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the dervishes who clashed with police forces on Golestan Haftom Street in Pasdaran as "ISIS thugs and hooligans." After three police officers were run over by a bus allegedly driven by one of the dervishes, some political figures close to reformists described this action as similar to actions taken by the "ISIS" group. In contrast, some social media users wrote that if comparisons are to be made with foreign examples, "this action resembles movements by Palestinian groups." Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran's Minister of Interior, also stated on Wednesday, "We call the dervish movement in the country a rational, logical, and moderate movement, and we do not attribute the events on Pasdaran Street to this movement in any way." Government actions against the dervishes intensified since 2005, when widespread destruction of Gonabadi dervish houses of worship began in various cities in Iran, leading to the arrest of many dervishes. The "Nematollahi Sultan Ali Shah Gonabadi Order," whose followers are commonly known as Gonabadi dervishes, is one of the Sufi orders that adheres to the principles and branches of Twelver Shia Islam. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Defenders Center, chaired by Shirin Ebadi, wrote in an open letter to Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in 2014 that the Gonabadi dervishes have faced "continuous harassment such as imprisonment, deprivation of social rights, threats..." for over 15 years.