When the Supreme Leader Speaks, Who Still Listens?

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  By: Struan Stevenson Mojtaba Khamenei inherited the most powerful office in the Islamic Republic. Yet six months into his tenure, a question once considered unthinkable is surfacing in Tehran. When the Supreme Leader speaks, who still listens? For almost five decades, the answer was obvious. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini created a system in which factional warfare could rage beneath the surface, provided everyone ultimately bowed to the Supreme Leader. Ali Khamenei preserved that arrangement for more than three decades. Presidents came and went. Clerics competed. The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) accumulated power. Yet one principle remained sacrosanct. The Supreme Leader had the final word. Today that principle is under strain. On August 28, Mojtaba Khamenei warned officials against creating false choices between war and negotiation, compromise and confrontation. He urged them to avoid publicizing weaknesses and declared that anything damaging social cohesion was forbidden. The mess...
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Explosions in West Iran Trigger Confusing Statements from Officials

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 Written by Hamideh Taati

Last night, a series of huge blasts were heard in Kermanshah, Hamedan, and Kurdistan provinces, Western Iran. People on social media described the blasts, which shook home, terrifying.

The Iranian regime did not initially report anything about the incident but after the news had already spread widely on social media, the state media started to disseminate contradicting statements. Saberin News, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said that the sound of the explosions was the result of a defense exercise.



Then, contradicting Saberin News, Saeed Ketabi, the governor of Assadabad in Hamedan province, confirmed the blasts but said that the cause was not clear.

Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, the spokesman for the Security Committee of the regime’s parliament, also said that he had contacted the relevant agencies but the reason for these explosions was still unknown.

IRGC-owned Fars News Agency quoted the governor of Assadabad County as saying that authorities are investigating the issue but there would be no report to make public. “Currently, all organizations are being investigated and we are in contact with everyone. Nothing has happened in the field of gas, emergency, or the fire department and the crisis management headquarters is following up, he added.”

The IRGC’s Quds Force affiliated Tasnim News Agency wrote: “An informed source in the Armed Forces denied the reports, saying that the sound had nothing to do with the activities of the Armed Forces or any defense systems being tested. He also denied some speculations on the internet that tied the blasts to sabotage operations and attacks by foreign countries, while stressing that there was lightning in the western part of the country.

According to the semi-official News Agency, ISNA, the political and security deputy of Hamedan governorate said that so far, the officials believe the source of last night’s explosion was related to some training procedures. Mehdi Babalhawaeji said: “Our investigations revealed that there had been no explosions in Hamedan Province. These happened in neighboring provinces. The governor has called the neighboring governors and they also said that there had been no explosions.”

A spokesperson of the Khatam al-Anbiya air defense base announced: “Last night, no training, exercises, and operational procedures were carried out in the integrated air defense network of the country, and all speculations in this regard are denied.”

This article was first published by ncr-iran

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