Three-Year Extension of IRGC Command

Mohammad Ali Jafari has been retained as the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with changes among some mid-level commanders, and senior IRGC commanders' reactions to Hassan Rouhani's criticism of the economic activities of this force are among the main headlines of Wednesday's newspapers. The Hamdeli newspaper reported in its front page about the 'three-year extension of the IRGC command' and stated: 'While General Aziz Jafari's mission as the commander of the IRGC had reached ten years, on Tuesday some media quoted him saying that this mission has been extended for another three years.' According to this newspaper, although there are still a few months left until the end of Mohammad Ali (Aziz) Jafari's ten-year command over the IRGC, 'in such cases, speculations about the succession of individuals arise in the political and media space of the country, but it seems that speculation did not take place, and as Mohammad Ali Jafari himself announced, the Leader of the Islamic Republic has 'extended his mission for another three years so that he spends the most time in command of this military institution after Mohsen Rezaei.' Hamdeli noted that 'the course of command over the IRGC, although it has had ups and downs, and some temporary commands lasted one year or 18 years, the ten-year command of Yahya Rahim Safavi over the IRGC created the perception that from now on, the duration of command of this force would be ten years, especially since some other appointees by the Leader of the Islamic Republic, such as the head of the judiciary and the head of state radio and television, also held their positions for ten years.' This newspaper reminded that 'events such as street protests following the controversial 2009 elections and the country's missile power increase by the IRGC and challenges related to these issues have been significant during Mohammad Ali (Aziz) Jafari's command.' The Etemad newspaper also published the news of 'the extension of the IRGC command' on its front page, stating: 'Mohammad Ali Jafari, the 60-year-old commander of the IRGC, announced his continued leadership for another three years at the farewell and introduction ceremony of the commander of the Mohammad Rasulullah Corps of Greater Tehran.' Simultaneously, the Shargh newspaper reported that on Tuesday, 'Mohammad Reza Yazdi' was appointed as the commander of the Mohammad Rasulullah Corps of Tehran by the order of the IRGC commander, succeeding Mohsen Kazemini, the former commander of the capital's special corps. This newspaper referred to Mohammad Reza Yazdi's appointment as 'the second change in the command of the capital's IRGC' and wrote that a few days ago, Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, a principlist representative of the eighth and ninth parliaments who failed to enter the tenth parliament, was appointed as 'the deputy commander of the Sarallah Headquarters,' which is responsible for ensuring the security of Tehran, especially in crisis situations. Thus, Mohsen Kazemini, who until last week simultaneously held the command of the Mohammad Rasulullah Corps, the special IRGC of Tehran, and the deputy command of the IRGC at the Sarallah Headquarters, has been removed from both positions as of Tuesday. The Javan newspaper published the reactions of the IRGC commander and the commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas branch, to Hassan Rouhani's remarks. Hassan Rouhani recently stated that during the privatization of part of Iran's economy, it was transferred from 'the government to a government with guns.' This newspaper did not directly refer to the reactions of senior IRGC commanders to Hassan Rouhani but quoted Qassem Soleimani as saying: 'No one should weaken the IRGC and subject it to various attacks,' 'How can some frighten the community from the faithful? This is a wrong strategy and policy. I do not say this as a member of the IRGC; do not compare the IRGC with me, who has faults; target me, not the IRGC. If there were no IRGC, there would be no country, and this is said every day.' According to the Javan newspaper, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, also stated: 'The meaning of the great jihad is distrust of the enemy and not obeying the enemies. It does not mean not negotiating. Some want to say that we are entirely against interaction with the world and are seeking war. I say loudly that the IRGC is also seeking peace, but peace can only be achieved and maintained if the enemies are afraid to start a war with us and fear the consequences. Peace is not achieved merely through negotiation. If someone has caught a whiff of the realities of the system of domination, they will understand this.' The Ebtekar newspaper reported on 'ambiguity in the establishment of councils' and wrote: 'The fourth term of the Islamic councils of cities and villages will end on August 4, 2017, and it was supposed that the fifth term and new elected members would also start their work from August 5 of this year, just one day after the end of the current council. However, now the start date of this council in August has faced opposition from the Guardian Council.' This newspaper, recalling the resolution passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in May 2016 regarding the end date of the fourth term of the city council on August 4 and the start of the new term on August 5, pointed out that this resolution has not been 'determined' by the Guardian Council, and for this reason, officials of the Ministry of Interior have not yet set a precise time for the start of the fifth term of the city and village councils. Ebtekar also reported that Mehdi Chamran, the head of the fourth term of the Tehran City Council, announced the start date of the fifth council as September 3. The Shahrvand newspaper, in a report titled 'The Long Queue of Paradise,' wrote: 'In the last days of the controversial fourth term of the Tehran City Council, enthusiastic but unofficial meetings are being held by the fifth term elected members, and every day a new name is added to the long list of candidates for the mayor of Tehran.' This newspaper quoted two of the elected members of the fifth council about 61 proposed names for the selection of the mayor of Tehran and simultaneously wrote that Mohammad Ali Najafi, Mohammad Ali Afshani, Mohsen Mehralizadeh, Hossein Marashi, Mahmoud Hojjati, and Reza Ardakanian are among the candidates for the mayoralty of Tehran. The Shahrvand newspaper also reported efforts to introduce female candidates for the mayoralty of Tehran, mentioning: 'Masoumeh Ebtekar, Shahindokht Molaverdi, Marzieh Shah-Daei, Zahra Ahmadipour, Ashraf Boroujerdi, Elaheh Kolayi, and Zahra Farahmandian' as the names of seven women whose names have been repeatedly mentioned as candidates for the mayorship. The Shargh newspaper reported on part of the accusations against Ali Akbar Heydari Far, the former deputy prosecutor of Tehran, and in its front page titled 'The New Case of Judge Kahrizi,' wrote: 'Illegal use of government property, bribery, use of weapons, and various other accusations that due to lack of evidence, there is currently no possibility of publication, but for now, the accused has been sentenced to 155 years in prison for the proven charges.' This newspaper noted: 'Reading these descriptions probably conjures up an image of a seasoned criminal in your mind, while the explanations of Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the head of the Tehran judiciary, are about Ali Akbar Heydari Far, a judge and former deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, an advisor to Saeed Mortazavi, the former prosecutor of Tehran, and a former legal advisor to the security and police department of the Tehran governorate during Ahmadinejad's time.' Shargh reminded that 'it is said that Ali Akbar Heydari Far is currently being held in Ward 8 of Evin Prison, and this news was first transmitted by some prisoners who had been interrogated and charged by this judge and are now residing in the same ward.' According to this newspaper, Ali Akbar Heydari Far, along with Hassan Zarei Dehvari (known as Judge Hadad) and Saeed Mortazavi (the former prosecutor of Tehran), were suspended from their positions by the Disciplinary Court of Judges in 2009 during the investigation of the Kahrizak crime, and at the same time, their judicial immunity was revoked because 'in the events of that year, Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini, Amir Javadi Far, and Mohammad Kamrani died after being transferred to the illegal Kahrizak detention center on July 18, 2009, due to beatings on soft tissues of their bodies. Heydari Far was the deputy who ordered the transfer of detainees to the Kahrizak detention center and later took all charges in the Kahrizak criminal court case to exonerate Saeed Mortazavi.' Shargh also wrote that Ali Akbar Heydari Far, who 'was referred to as the crutch of Saeed Mortazavi,' in a letter sent to the press in 2011, labeled all Kahrizak detainees as a group of thugs and, blaming the press for highlighting the crimes that occurred, called for appreciation of his good work during the turmoil. The Jahan Sanat newspaper reported in a piece titled 'Khuzestan is Burning,' stating: 'Khuzestan has been facing unprecedented heat for a month, making life and livelihood difficult for its residents; a land where both nature's actions and officials' interventions in its nature have left equally ominous effects on their lives.' This newspaper noted the temperature of 54 degrees Celsius in Ahvaz, stating: 'Life has not been disrupted; it continues in every way, but the situation and covering costs have become difficult. It seems that Khuzestan's forehead must be associated with something for every season. For a while, there were dust storms and dust, then terrifying heat, and water shortages that have become synonymous with the daily lives of these hardworking and noble people.' Jahan Sanat emphasized that 'perhaps it is necessary to say for the thousandth time to pay attention to Khuzestan before it becomes uninhabited, before people shout, before more tragic events occur.' Several Iranian newspapers on Wednesday also dedicated photos or illustrations to the anniversary of Abbas Kiarostami's death. The Bahar newspaper, in addition to a photo of Kiarostami, wrote in a report about the outcome of the medical case of this Iranian filmmaker: 'The absence of Abbas Kiarostami was accompanied by extensive discussions in society regarding his treatment process, which is becoming increasingly complex every day. Ultimately, on October 4 of last year, as reported in the media, according to the verdict of the Medical Disciplinary Board, medical negligence was established, and a three-month suspension from practicing medicine and related professions was issued solely at the place of the offense for the treating physician.' The Qanoon newspaper also emphasized that even a year after Abbas Kiarostami's death, 'this land, the head of this land, does not die,' stating: 'Kiarostami's works are a brief pause to look at the world and to be freed for a moment from this dizzying speed, to simply observe and reflect. His cinema is not controversial and has not achieved much success at the box office. But what immortalizes Kiarostami is this very perspective that exists in his works. A perspective full of poetic and spiritual meaning towards today's mechanical life.' The Shahrvand newspaper, with the title 'The Ambiguity of One Year,' wrote: 'The latest news from the forensic medicine indicates that on the anniversary of Abbas Kiarostami's death, the cause of this filmmaker's death is still unknown.' The Shargh newspaper also dedicated four pages of the newspaper to a special issue commemorating the anniversary of this renowned filmmaker's death, stating that Abbas Kiarostami was subjected to various accusations while he was alive. When he became ill, it was as if he was not one of the prominent artists of his time who had resonated the name of dear Iran in the world of cinema. They easily passed by him, and with all the love he had for life, he departed for the eternal abode. Now, we who have always been his admirers will remind him by printing articles and various special issues because we have learned from history to appreciate these great figures.'