Where we Disagree, I “Obey”‎

Hashemi: My Love is Khamenei!‎

Speaking to a group of Sharif University students, Akbar Hashemi, while criticizing the ‎ninth administration’s performance, criticized taking over the American embassy in 1980 ‎and referred to ayatollah Khamenei as his “love.”‎

After delivering a speech on Saturday evening at the Sharif University Akbar Hashemi ‎Rafsanjani responded to written questions from students. During the question and ‎response session, Hashemi was asked, “Are you in constant contact with the supreme ‎leader and what is the level and nature of such contact?” Hashemi, the head of the ‎powerful Assembly of Experts, which supervises the supreme leader’s performance, ‎responded, “You won’ find two people in this country who are closer to one another than ‎myself and the supreme leader.” When asked, “Do you still like him?” Hashemi ‎responded, “Very much! My love is Mr. Khamenei. I and Mr. Khamenei have been ‎close friends and confidants for over 50 years and we consult with one another about ‎everything.” ‎

The head of the Assembly of Experts also claimed to be the Islamic Republic supreme ‎leader’s dinner biweekly dinner guest on a regular bases, during which they “discuss ‎current issues for one or two hours,” adding, “Before he became the supreme leader once ‎I would go to his house and once he would come to mine, but after Mr. Khamenei’s ‎promotion I always go to him.” ‎

Nevertheless, yesterday the head of the Assembly of Experts uttered a sentence that ‎implicitly acknowledged differences between him and ayatollah Khamenei on certain ‎issues. Commenting on their differences, Hashemi said, “We solved this issue by ‎agreeing that if in some case I have to forgo my opinion in an issue where I disagree with ‎him I am justified, because I can say my leader has decided so and I must obey my leader ‎legally and religiously and this is our arrangement. Indeed, he is the leader and we are ‎the followers.” ‎

Noting in yesterdays speech that “If factories, refineries and industries are not native ‎independence has no meaning,” Hashemi again criticized the ninth administration’s ‎performance, adding, “Unfortunately, today we are in the danger of dependence due to ‎heavy importing and this is not good for our native industries.” ‎

Hashemi explained his definition of independence by criticizing the North Korean model, ‎warning, “Independence is not enough because there are countries such as North Korea ‎which have closed their borders so that no one enters or exits. They have political ‎independence but Iran does not want to be like them because we can tackle the biggest ‎superpowers.” ‎

In an indirect attack on Ahmadinejad’s economic policies, the head of the Assembly of ‎Experts noted, “Some think helping the poor means handing them something to eat,” ‎adding, “But I rely on an Islamic and political and management-oriented outlook and ‎believe we must act in a way to enable the poor to stand on their feet and live with ‎dignity.” ‎

This section of Hashemi’s speech was a direct response to remarks by Ahmadinejad three ‎days ago. One week ago Hashemi Rafranjani criticized the administration’s economic ‎policies to which Ahmadinejad responded on Thursday, “You have abandoned the ‎people. You must know that the people aren’t your family and party friends. People are ‎those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for their country and revolution on the streets ‎of Zanjan and other parts of the country. We are prepared to solve the roots of people’s ‎economic problems, despite the wishes of a selfish bunch who do not want economic ‎reforms to take place.” ‎

In another part of his speech, the head of the Assembly of Experts criticized some actions ‎performed in the past during the cultural revolution and the hostage crisis of 1980. ‎

Noting that “Not all revolutionary measures were in our hands,” Hashemi claimed, “Even ‎in the case of the hostage crisis Mr. Khamenei and I were not aware. At that time we ‎were in Mecca and heard at midnight on the radio that the nest of spies has been ‎overtaken and that Bazargan has resigned. Certain things took place that now can be ‎criticized and wished that they hadn’t happened.” ‎

Hashemi also criticized the “extremism” of “angry student” during the cultural revolution ‎which led to a two-year closure of universities in years immediately after the revolution: ‎‎“We didn’t really make that decision at the cultural council, but a number of students got ‎enraged and shut down the universities for two years.” ‎

Noting that many of the country’s university professors left the country or were purged ‎by mistake, Hashemi insisted, “One of the things that happened at that time was the ‎purging of university professors, many of whom should not have been purged.” ‎

Conservatists Peak Their Battles

Counter Punches by Allies of Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad

With the express public criticism of the administration by the head of the State ‎Expediency Council and also Experts Assembly on Leadership Hashemi Rafsanjani, and ‎follow-ups by his allies - which are now expressed without any “consideration” - the ‎state-run media have launched an intense counter attack against the two time president. ‎Sensing the battle to be getting out of control, the administration spokesperson asked ‎Rafsanjani to be friendlier towards Ahmadinejad’s government. ‎
Gholam-Hossein Elham, the administration’s spokesperson and who is also the ‎spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary sent a note to Hemat weekly magazine, which had ‎previously criticized Rafsanjani, in which he aired disapproval of the 2-time former ‎president and Majlis speaker. “Mr. Hashemi has made an interesting confession which is ‎that his look at Mr. Ahmadinejad’s government is that of an enemy’s, towards which he ‎has temporarily chosen to be “patient,” Elham writes.‎
The same note was also published this Sunday in Iran newspaper, the government’s ‎official outlet. This article said Rafsanjani’s attitude and words were worth reviewing and ‎asks the influential cleric, “Is it not better to be friendly rather than patient?”‎
Even though the differences that have been aired between Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad ‎go back to the 2005 presidential elections that catapulted Ahmadinejad to the presidency, ‎Rafsanjani’s recent attacks have resulted in stronger counter-attacks by the president and ‎his allies. Two weeks ago while talking to businessmen and economists in Mashhad, ‎Rafsanjani said that the time for being patient with the ninth administration had passed. ‎‎“For three years we have been patient regarding the policies implementation of article 44 ‎of the constitution. When the ninth administration began its work, the esteemed supreme ‎leader had asked that we be patient with it for a period. We can now say that this period ‎has now ended,” Rafsanjani said. [Article 44 of Iran’s constitution identifies the ‎economic activities that the public, private and cooperative sectors shall engage in. Mr. ‎Rafsanjani has asserted that the government had not been observing this division as ‎required.]‎
These remarks brought about sharp and immediate rebuttals by Iran and Keyhan ‎newspapers (both run by editors appointed by the leader of the Islamic regime or the ‎administration), which called the move an “elections propaganda”. Iran’s next ‎presidential elections are scheduled for next year.‎
In related news, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the deputy Majlis speaker leaned to support ‎Rafsanjani in his remarks and said, “Hashemi has criticized the current administration for ‎forgetting the fourth development plan, the 20-year plan, and the absence of economic ‎policies, some of which we support.”‎
General seyed Hassan Firuzabadi, the chairman of Iran’s chiefs of staff also called for a ‎review of the administration’s policies during the “Government Week” and stressed, ‎‎“Review does not mean just looking at the good things and being appreciative. During ‎the Government Week, if deviations and weaknesses exist among state authorities or the ‎government’s allies they too must be reviewed, and the public-serving government must ‎take these into consideration.”‎
But the strongest support for Hashemi Rafsanjani came from Masih Mohajerani, the ‎managing editor of Jomhurie Eslami newspaper. He writes, “Those who believe that Mr. ‎Rafsanjani’s criticism of the government is not valid, should present their views with ‎logic rather than pouncing back or being disrespectful to him. For example, they should ‎provide their reasons to show that the administration has not deviated from the 20-year ‎plan, that the government has been observing article 44 of the constitution and has not ‎taken over all industries, that the price of chicken has not risen from 1,400 Toman to ‎‎3,000 Toman (a two-fold increase), the price of meat has not rise from 5,000 Toman to ‎‎10,000 Toman (a two-fold increase), rice has not risen from 1,000 Toman to 4,000 ‎Toman (a four-fold increase), the price of housing has not gone up 8-fold, the price of ‎detergent has not gone up from 350 Toman to 900 Toman, that we do not have blackouts, ‎or long gasoline lines, that there is no shortage of gas, etc.” [The exchange rate for a US ‎Dollar is about 800 Toman.]‎
In response to this, the government’s official newspaper Iran wrote, “It is noteworthy that ‎the managing editor of the newspaper [Jomhurie Eslami] who held various positions in ‎previous administrations, has been benefitting from being an advisor to the current ‎administration without being cooperative or active in it, and has received 14 million Rials ‎‎(approximately $1,750) per month as a senior advisor to the president until just recently.”‎
ShahabNews, a news website critical of the administration, wrote yesterday that Iran ‎newspaper’s article was a revengeful piece against the supporters of Hashemi Rafsanjani ‎and wrote, “Naturally Iran newspaper did not explain in its published article, if the story ‎‎[about Mohajerani] is true, that Mr. Mohajerani’s salary will now be stopped for ‎supporting Hashemi and is for writing a few critical pieces of the administration.”‎