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Ahmadinejad Supporters Say He Warned Of Widespread Dissatisfaction


Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (front row C) with commanders from the Basij Militia in Tehran May 7, 2006.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (front row C) with commanders from the Basij Militia in Tehran May 7, 2006.

Supporters of the former President of the Islamic Republic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have re-circulated footage of him presenting it as "prophetic comments" on the recent anti-regime protests that left up to 150 dead, and thousands more injured and arrested.

In the videotape initially circulated on August 8, 2018, the hardline former President lambastes his successor, the mid-ranking cleric, Hassan Rouhani, for his failure in controlling widespread financial corruption in Iran.

Directly addressing the heads of three branches of power in the country, Ahmadinejad blasts them for using an iron fist to silence the people of Iran brutally.

"Whoever dares to speak up, you suffocate them, slap them on their mouth, suppress them. One arrests people, the other insults them. For what reason?" Ahmadinejad demands, adding that Iran "belongs" to the nation, not to the heads of three branches of power.

"The nation is hurt and broken-hearted. On one side, it is doomed to bear the burden of poverty, on the other tolerate corruption that has increased ten-fold during your term, Mr. Rouhani," Ahmadinejad has insisted, demanding further, "People of Iran have committed no crimes---Today, I explicitly say that the nation is totally dissatisfied, specifically with the government."

Ahmadinejad's supporters re-circulated the footage to underline his comments as "prophetic," warning about the recent anti-regime demonstrations that spread to more than 100 cities across Iran.

The former president and his supporters have been highly critical of authorities in the past two years, but many Iranians say that Ahmadinejad himself is responsible for tolerating corruption, rigging elections and squandering the nation’s oil income, which surpassed $600 billion during his presidency.

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