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Iran Judiciary Spokesman Says Spat between Rouhani, IRGC Indicates Growing ‘Sedition’ | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 26, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood


London- Iran Judiciary spokesman Mohsen Ejei said on Saturday that recent disputes registered across the national political and administrative figures point out to a looming threat of sedition. He also evoked the memory of ousted president Abolhassan Banisadr overlying on his popularity to attack ‘revolutionary’ powers in Iran.

“Banisadr was selfish and proud of the majority vote he had garnered,” Ejei said, a tacit reference to Rouhani’s groundbreaking vote of near 24 million this May that kept him for another four years in office.

Ejei, a representative of the conservative political wing, has said signs of “sedition” are seen on the horizon.
His remarks come as a veiled hint at criticism directed by the recently reelected President Hassan Rouhani against the Revolutionary Guard.

“Experience has shown that any act of sabotage against the IRGC and some revolutionary entities has been followed by some dangerous move,” Ejei said, IRIB news agency reported June 30.

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) has been put under pressure recently both in Iran and from outside the country. President Rouhani recently said the IRGC should recognize its place as a non-partisan entity serving the nation, bidding it away from political and economic activities.

For his part, the Parliament’s Second Deputy Ali Motahari urged that any internal strife be tackled with direct dialogue instead of the war of words being exchanged via online platforms.

But the revolution forces also met harsh treatment from the United States last week when the Senate voted for a legislation that would impose new sanctions on it for its missile program.

Experts believe that the recent clash between Rouhani and the IRGC is, in fact, a campaign he has launched to garner the position of leadership after the 77-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei passes away.

Khamenei has been the single staunchest supporter of the IRGC and paved the way for it to capture the core of various sectors in Iran, ranging from culture to economy and homeland security.

Quds day marches hailed Rouhani with slogans drawing on Banisadr’s legacy.

In Iran, the government sponsors and organizes the International Quds Day’s rallies, and its celebration in that country has had a decade-long tradition of voicing anti-semitic attacks.

Quds Day is also held in several other countries, mainly in the Arab and Muslim world, with protests against Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem. Rallies are held in various cities by both Muslim and non-Muslim communities around the world.

On the other hand, IRGC Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari called Rouhani’s statements as biased, accusing the government of compromising its undertakings for funding the revolutionary guard.

Jafari stressed that the Revolutionary Guards will rely on their missiles, saying that arms power is vital to securing a regional role and facing enemies.