Younesi: Some believe the country cannot be governed without a hypothetical enemy

Ali Younesi, former Iranian Minister of Intelligence, reacted to warnings about the possibility of events similar to those of 2009 occurring in the upcoming elections and the alleged involvement of monarchists in the attack on the Saudi embassy, stating that "a few individuals believe that the country cannot be governed without a hypothetical enemy." Younesi also described the claims of some principlists regarding the efforts of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and reformists to create a "diversion" in the Assembly of Experts and Parliament as a "misuse of the issue of infiltration," asserting that these two assemblies are the "homes of these personalities" and "no one infiltrates their own home." In an interview with Khabaronline published on Sunday, February 11, he emphasized that the term "infiltration" refers only to the "infiltration of Israel, the US, and Wahhabism," or "infiltration by subversive movements and anti-Islamic Republic groups," and outside of these contexts, "infiltration has no meaning." The former minister stated that candidates' attempts to enter the Assembly of Experts and Parliament should not be labeled as infiltration. Referring to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, and reformist and principlist parties, he added that the Assembly of Experts and Parliament are the "homes of these figures within the system" and "no one infiltrates their own home." Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly warned about what he describes as "America's attempts to infiltrate decision-making and policymaking centers" in Iran following the Vienna nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, Khamenei's close associates have implicitly considered the potential presence of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and reformists in the Assembly of Experts and Parliament as a precursor to "American infiltration." Younesi described the increase in candidates for the Assembly of Experts elections as a "conspiracy" and "irresponsible," attributing it to the misguided mentality of some extremist groups. He stated that "the same groups that attack embassies, disrupt assemblies, or initiated chain murders... inject false information to ensure that instead of some responsible institutions worrying about the infiltration of Wahhabism, Israel, and the US, they become concerned about the activities of domestic political movements." Following an unprecedented registration of over 12,000 candidates for the elections, Mohammad Yazdi, head of the Assembly of Experts, and Ahmad Jannati, secretary of the Guardian Council, criticized the abundance of registrations, emphasizing that "there are other objectives behind these registrations." Younesi also condemned the disqualification of thousands of candidates for the Assembly elections as instances of infiltration and under the pretext of non-commitment to the leadership and constitution, calling it a "wrongdoing" against the constitution and the Supreme Leader. He emphasized that the composition and informational resources of the supervisory bodies, affiliated with the Guardian Council, are "one-sided, biased, and strict." Younesi continued: "We cannot invite the Baluch, Kurds, Sunnis, etc., to participate in the elections while saying, 'Come vote for us, not for a Baluch, Kurd, or Sunni.'" He added: "Of course, we certainly do not say they should vote for any Baluch, Kurd, or Sunni, and their qualifications must be confirmed. But there must be a correspondence and similarity between the Assembly and the people." Younesi stressed: "Unfortunately, in this way, with every election we hold, we dishearten and discourage a significant portion of our compatriots." Regarding the principlists' concerns about forming a parliament similar to the sixth parliament with a reformist majority, he stated that "this parliament, aside from its extremism and structural violations, had very good legislation and acted well when it needed to make national decisions." The Supreme Leader had previously even urged "those who do not accept the system" to participate in the upcoming elections to "preserve the country's credibility." However, he stated on Wednesday, January 30, referring to his earlier remarks, that "I said those who do not accept the system should vote, not that someone who does not accept the system should be sent to the parliament." Younesi, in response to warnings about the possibility of events similar to those after the 2009 presidential election, stated that "there is no information about this, and many of these predictions are, in fact, prophecies that have arisen from pessimistic views and have no external reality." He emphasized that "some extremist groups are in certain positions, and they have turned their pessimism into analysis and fed it to the decision-makers." Younesi stated: "It has been clarified who was behind the embassy attack, but some came and said it was the work of monarchists." He added: "Unfortunately, there are individuals who are trying to steer movements towards extremism. Even if they are not successful, they enter the field themselves to create incidents that make the atmosphere tense and emotional. Because a few individuals believe that the country cannot be governed without creating a hypothetical enemy." Previously, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, head of the Basij Organization, announced that "mercenaries of American intelligence services" and "monarchist elements" were involved in the attack on the Saudi embassy to "discredit the faces of Hezbollah." However, reports indicate that Hossein Kordmihan, founder of the Noor Ma’refat cultural-religious institute and a supporter of the Supreme Leader, played a role in the embassy attack and was subsequently arrested.