The Footsteps of Ahmadinejad

The newspaper Shargh reported in its front page about the reactions of senior army commanders to the remarks of Hassan Abbasi, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stating: "The army is filing a complaint." According to the newspaper, Hassan Abbasi, who introduces himself as the 'Kissinger of Islam', recently made statements that are circulating on social media; "remarks that insult the army and its personnel," including saying: "If the country is flooded, the army will not even make a sound and will take no position." Shargh noted that Abbasi's remarks, which are considered by many as a theorist of the principlists, have faced significant negative reactions, with the most important coming from the commander of the army's ground forces, who described Abbasi's comments as ill-considered and announced that a complaint would be filed by the legal department of the ground forces. The newspaper also reported that Admiral Siyari, the commander of the navy, condemned Abbasi's statements, describing him as poorly informed in some areas, and simultaneously, Major General Asadollah Heydari, the head of the army's retirees association, called Abbasi's remarks nonsense in an open letter and demanded an apology. Shargh emphasized that "comments like those of Hassan Abbasi about the army are not unprecedented," recalling that in 2014, during a live television program called 'Unread Lines', remarks were made about the army's role during the war that faced reactions from Amir Masoud Bakhtiari and Amir Abdolhossein Mofid, with Bakhtiari stating: "We want to defend against the 30 years of accusations leveled against the army regarding comparisons made between military forces and the Basij and IRGC; tell me how can one guide tanks and planes with revolutionary spirit?" The newspaper Arman also reported on its front page titled "Army's Complaint Against Controversial Speaker" that Hassan Abbasi made his remarks comparing the IRGC and the army, which is the biggest strategic mistake; as the army and the IRGC are two defensive wings of the country, and comparing and preferring one over the other is certainly not wise. This newspaper described Abbasi's remarks as a "great injustice to the army and its personnel," stating: "It is a great injustice to the army and its personnel that a speaker, with complete candor, says that if the country is flooded, the army will not make a sound. Giving such a shameless attribution to the army while there are still soldiers alive who showed bravery during the 8 years of sacred defense, and every Friday, the families of 48,000 martyr soldiers go to their graves and wash their resting places with tears and rosewater." Arman also quoted Habibollah Siyari, the commander of the navy, saying: "Statements have been made by an individual that are certainly ill-considered and cannot serve the system; unfortunately, he believes that his opinions and speeches are accurate in all areas and are taken into account both inside and outside the country; while this is not the case. He considers himself an expert in all areas including political, social, economic, cultural, philosophical, sociological, geopolitical, geostrategic, geocultural, etc., but the question is whether he can really comment authoritatively in all these areas." The commander of the navy stated: "Upon hearing his remarks, I realized that he essentially does not understand the subject and does not know what happened at sea during the 8 years of sacred defense." The newspaper Etemad also dedicated its front page to a report titled "The Footsteps of Ahmadinejad," regarding public opinion on the candidacy of the former president in the marginal areas of Tehran, stating: "While they said they are supporters of Rouhani, they are waiting for Ahmadinejad." This newspaper wrote: "Ahmadinejad's neighbors in Narmak do not see a chance for him, but it is enough to take a bus line to the three-way Afseriyeh and Khavaran to see people who consider him a lucky man in the upcoming elections." Abbas Abdi, a figure close to the reformists, emphasized in an interview with Etemad that "Rouhani's main rival is his own performance and how effective and honest his entourage is. Neither Ahmadinejad nor anyone else is his main and initial rival." Etemad quoted Abbas Abdi regarding the "goal of Ahmadinejad's recent activities" stating: "If he does not become active now, there is little chance that he will have a political presence in the future. He does not have a stable and continuous political group or current. He is an individual and must keep himself alive. Therefore, he has become active to survive, but his main goal is not to come, although if he can come, he will welcome it, perhaps he thinks that the political atmosphere needs him to challenge Rouhani and he will obtain the visa for entry." Abbas Abdi emphasized that "this stems from Ahmadinejad's misunderstanding of Iran's political structure," stating: "He becomes active and a while before the elections, like a snowball in the hot summer, will quickly melt away." The newspaper Shahrvand dedicated its front page to the memorial ceremony for the soldiers killed in the bus crash near Neyriz, showing a photo of a scene where one of the injured soldiers is confronted with the mothers of some of the deceased soldiers in front of Imam Sajjad Mosque in Shiraz. Shadi Khushkar, in this report titled "Soldiers Who Returned in Their Mothers' Dreams," noted that the memorial for some of the slain soldiers was held on Friday, August 7, and others on Saturday in Shiraz, with some ceremonies also taking place in other cities, stating: "In the courtyard of the mosque, the soldiers stand together with broken arms and legs. They say the officials have forgotten their own words," while "every day in some corner of Fars province, there is a memorial for a soldier." Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of the Hope faction in the 10th Parliament, in a note in the newspaper Arman, called on Hassan Rouhani to "disclose the tricks and actions of groups that are seeking to create crises in society" during his televised remarks, and to provide clear explanations regarding "unconventional salary slips," and of course, his remarks should "carry programs and hopeful news for the people." "Explaining the achievements of the JCPOA in the past year, especially the achievements of this agreement in economic and banking areas," and "clarifying the government's plans to boost the business situation, create jobs, exit recession, and in a word, open up the people's livelihood" are among the other issues this parliament member called for the president to explain, also emphasizing that Hassan Rouhani should respond to students' criticisms of the security atmosphere in universities and the reasons for the Ministry of Science's inaction against pressures on the student body. The newspaper Tejarat reported that during a meeting between Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, and Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian of the Astan Quds Razavi, it was stated that "we will clarify the financial situation of Astan Quds Razavi," noting that such an action "could open the door for tax transparency for institutions, organizations, and entities that for any reason" have not paid taxes so far.