Arash Aramesh

A number of high-ranking commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have made statements following the February 11 demonstrations declaring victory for the government and calling it a defeat for the opposition camp. IRGC generals claimed that the opposition camp was no longer posing a threat to the Islamic Republic, thanks to the efforts of the Basij and the IRGC. These remarks were made to imply that the IRGC was in firm control of security matters in Iran and has successfully dealt with “troublemakers” who took on the streets in the past eight months, following the disputed June 12 election.

Brig Gen Ali Fazli, the deputy commander of Basij forces, said on Wednesday, “If those involved in the sedition came to create riots and chaos on the sidelines of the [official] demonstration, they were smacked in the face so badly that most people in the demonstrations did not even notice their presence.” Fazli was referring to IRGC’s tactic of isolating anti-government protestors and separating them from main crowds who had gathered for the official demonstrations.

According to ISNA, Iranian Student’s News Agency, Fazli said, “The foreign media was covering the events of February 11 live, but when they saw large waves of people who had come to show their support for the Islamic Revolution, they [the foreign media] left the scene altogether” implying that the foreign media has been a main instigator of unrest in Iran in the past eight months. Confirming Fazli’s claim that the IRGC defeated the foreign propaganda machine against the Islamic Republic, Brig Gen Masoud Jazaeri also declared that foreign media companies were defeated on February 11. Jazaeri had previously asked the government to pass tougher laws against Iranians who cooperate with foreign media sources.

One of the most radical commanders of the IRGC went on the record yesterday and conformed IRGC’s role in suppressing demonstrations following the June 12 election. In an interview with Sepah News, the official website of the IRGC, Brig Gen Yadollah Javani, deputy IRGC commander for political affairs, claimed on Wednesday that there is an orchestrated effort by the IRGC to scare people. Javani added, “The real reason behind this IRGC-scare tactic must be found in the enemy’s failed seditions, because the IRGC’s blows against seditionists were very effective and the [enemy] understands this very well now.”

Javani went on by accusing former President Mohammad Khatami of having met George Soros, and said, “In that meeting Soros said that democracy cannot be achieved with the government of clerics.” The Iranian government accuses George Soros of providing material and spiritual support to the opposition in order to implement a soft revolution in Iran. Javani also accused Mir Hossein Moussavi of having planned to cause riots in Iran, suggesting that riots were not organic, rather they were pre-planned by Moussavi and his camp prior to the election.

According to Sepah News, Brig Gen Abdollah Araghi, the commander of IRGC forces in Tehran, said on Wednesday, “The IRGC and the Basij managed to save the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic by seeking light from Velayat Faqih and benefitting from the Almighty’s kindness.” Araghi asserted, “This was a great sedition planned by the enemy since four years ago and had it not been for the mighty presence of the IRGC and the Basij, the enemy would have been very close to implementing a color revolution in the country.” He also claimed that the enemy had trained 300,000 forces to show up at illegal rallies and demonstrations.

Rear Admiral Morteza Saffari, the commander of IRGC’s naval forces, addressed a number of IRGC’s naval staff and employees on Monday and said, “The operatives in the velvet revolution sought the invasion on Iran by foreign forces.” He did not mention exactly who in the opposition camp inside Iran had sought Iran’s occupation by foreign troops.

Ali Saeedi, Supreme Leader’s representative at the IRGC, responded to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent remarks warning that Iran was on the verge of becoming a military dictatorship and said, “These silly and irrational remarks is a sign of their desperation and proves that the IRGC has been successful in defeating all their plans and seditions.”