· Expand the revolutionary front. Recruit… But I don’t mean attracting the PMOI. I do not recommend that we appease those who do not accept the foundations of the revolution. Deal with them explicitly and strongly.
· Do not allow your protests to seem like protests against the Islamic state; If you cease to make demands, others might take up those demands aimed at fighting Islam and the Islamic system; this must not happen.
· I believe in a young and Hezbollahi government to guide the country through difficult straits… Some remain young into their old age, like Soleimani, whom I think about day and night.
In a video conference with a group of handpicked Basij mercenaries posing as students, the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, expressed his fear over the surge in popular uprisings and protests and the increasing support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and the Resistance Units.
“Do not allow your protests to be viewed as protests against the Islamic system; the enemy is waiting for this. Sometimes, you may assume that you are protesting the issue of the stock exchange or Pride [an automobile brand produced locally]. But depending on the way you protest, the enemy views or implies it as a protest against the system. You must seriously prevent this from happening and not allow the enemy to have an opportunity to make such an assumption because of your protest or imply to others that this is a protest against the system,” Khamenei said, adding, “It would be good if you be at the forefront of demands. If you stop leading in this arena, then others may take the lead whose aim is not to resolve the people’s difficulties but are aiming to fight against Islam and the Islamic Republic. Don’t allow that. In other words, this must not happen.”
Khamenei acknowledged the students’ hatred toward the regime’s functionaries at the universities and said, “Sometimes, officials come to the universities or go to students’ gatherings to engage in a dialogue, but are jeered… I have repeatedly advised officials to go and speak with students at the universities. To brief them… They say we go; the students who gather are not interested in understanding and clarifying the issues. Their aim is to undercut us.
For this reason, officials do not come… I request that you do not block the atmosphere of dialogue. When insults and slanders occur, the dialogue is blocked. Do not let this happen.”
Terrified of the enthusiasm exhibited by young people towards the MEK, Khamenei said, “Places of gathering for young people, including universities, have been the target of two major evils: passivity and deviation. In the early days of the revolution, we had some young people who believed in Islam…. They were attracted to the MEK… And joined their path.” In a clear edict to suppress the MEK and dissidents, Khamenei added, “Expand the revolutionary front. Recruit … Of course, I don’t mean the MEK, the non-believers … I do not recommend that we appease those who do not accept the foundations of the revolution, cast doubt on its foundations, promote the enemy, and put us on the wrong path. Not at all. You must deal with them explicitly and strongly… They (enemy) also work on our youth and try to exploit them and are planning for this.”
Khamenei added, “I believe in a young government who are committed to Hezbollah values [reactionary Islam] that can guide the country through difficult straits …By young, I don’t just mean to have someone who is 32-years-old as head of government. No, some who are young in the same sense even in their old age; Like Qassem Soleimani whom I think of day and night – he was sixty years old, not very young; and if he would have survived for another ten years and I was still alive, I would have kept him in his position (Commander of Quds force).”
At the same time, Khamenei admitted the internal collapse within the regime’s ranks, saying, “Some who were weak in their beliefs and unfortunately deserted or became remorseful after some time. One of the issues of our revolution is these very remorseful fellows who were revolutionary at some point and now regret it.”
In order to dampen public outrage over the plunder and looting of the country’s wealth by trusts and holdings under his supervision, Khamenei said, “They mention the service organizations affiliated with the leadership. I have to point out that I believe you are unaware of many of their services.” The “organizations” referred to are the conglomerates and cartels that have plundered hundreds of billions of dollars in Iranian people’s wealth. On March 7, 2020, the leader of the Iranian Resistance, Mr. Massoud Rajavi stated that the assets of these foundations and cartels must be used to help people against the Coronavirus. This call met with the overwhelming support of the Iranian people.
At the same time, Erja news website, affiliated with Khamenei, wrote: “For two years, we have seen that the MEK has reactivated their sleeper cells one after another, calling them Resistance Units. They assign sabotage operations to them through a centralized command. Even after the suppression of the November uprising, the Mojahedin leader (Massoud Rajavi) issues a message that ‘The triumphant strategy of the Liberation Army was proven in Resistance units, districts, and cities… It is not without reason that His Eminence (Khamenei) has repeatedly warned about the danger of an insidious enemy in the past two years, and called on Basijis to be ready in every city and district and has ordered the system in its entirety to prepare itself to face down the enemy which seeks its overthrow.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
May 18, 2020