The Islamic Republic Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has accused some individuals inside Iran of “doing the enemy’s job”.
Addressing members of the Islamic Publicity Organization on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei lambasted “those who hold, or used to hold, all means in the country" saying that "they do not have the right to play the role of the opposition”. This was an apparent reference to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his team who have engaged in an intense war of words with the Judiciary.
The Islamic Publicity Organization, is one of the propaganda entities within the Iranian theocracy tasked with promoting the Islamic revolution’s ideology.
Khamenei also warned about the consequences of recent tensions feeding Western media.
“Today they [Ahmadinejad and his close aides] say something and it gets a massive coverage on the British Radio and the American Radio, such approach makes the enemy happy”, the Iranian leader stated.
American Radio and British Radio are apparent references to Radio Farda and BBC Persian that have been denounced on several occasions by Khamenei. He accuses Western powers, led by the US and Israel of having waged a "soft war" against the Islamic Republic.
Ayatollah Khamenei also compared the cyber space to a war front, saying that "Western artillery" is targeting the Islamic government therein.
Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei taunted Western media: "the first day after the victory of the Islamic revolution they said it would last only six months, then they said it would fall after two years. They kept repeating similar statements but the Islamic Republic has survived and lived its blessed life for forty years".
Today they [Ahmadinejad and his close aides] say something and it gets a huge coverage on the British Radio and the American Radio, such approach makes the enemy happy.Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei
In another indirect criticism of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s camp, Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated “I, having all means at my disposal, cannot be a claimant, I have to be held accountable as to what I did with all those means”.
He voiced his displeasure, accusing the critics of lacking reverence: “Their religion is political, instead of having religious politics, their religion is politicized”.
“Every child can throw stones and break windows, this is not a virtue. The virtue is if one speaks logically and justly and does not speak in order to seek power, one has to deem God witness to their deeds”, the Islamic Republic leader stated.
Meanwhile, Ayatollah Khamenei, admitted he was aware that the Islamic judiciary was not faultless: “I am not unaware of the problems with the judiciary and the executive branches of power ...however...we do not have the right to treat everyone alike”.
In 2009, following the street protests to the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a highly disputed election, Ayatollah Khamenei came full force to the aid of Mr. Ahmadinejad. In a famous statement, the Islamic Republic leader announced that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s views were close to his.
The war of words between Ahmadinejad and judiciary flared up when Hamid Baghaei, a senior former aide of Mr. Ahmadinejad, was detained last June charged with financial corruption. Baghei was later released on a heavy bail.
Meanwhile, according to a former member of Iran’s parliament, there are seven definitive legal verdicts issued against Ahmadinejad, who is charged with financial violations amounting to around $3 billion, asserts a former member of the Iranian Parliament.
The Iranian Parliament’s Audit Court has also announced that Ahmadinejad, in the last 18 months of his presidency, spent 4.6 trillion Tomans or approximately $1.3 billion of Iran’s oil income illegally.
The court ordered the former president to repay the money, according to parliament’s website. The ruling said that during his tenure, Ahmadinejad spent oil revenues without proper transfer from the Oil Ministry to the treasury.
Although the court found Ahmadinejad directly responsible, it has issued no other measures against him.
The Audit Court has limited powers of punishment. It can reduce an official’s pay or at most fire officials from government jobs but is not empowered to issue harsher verdicts.