Khamenei’s mouthpiece described two previous presidents (Khatami and Rafsanjani) as ‘fifth column’ and ‘Mofsed-e-filarz’ (one who spreads corruption on Earth)
NCRI – With the mullahs’ sham elections nearing, fierce internal disputes and controversy have erupted in an unprecedented manner.
Aliakbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, former president of the Iranian regime, while hinting at his desire to take part in the elections, is revealing the regime’s deteriorating economic conditions and increasing state debts.
In response, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s faction has described the two previous presidents (Mohamad Khatami and Aliakbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani) as ‘the enemy’s fifth column’ and ‘corrupt on the earth’ elements, and has demand they be put on trial and be punished.
According to a report by Mehr news agency – affiliated to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security – the 79-year-old Rafsanjani hinted at his possible candidacy to members of his faction, saying, “I am not saying I won’t stand”.
Rafsanjani said: “Currently, the government owes people 5,000 trillion rials. It also owes banks 2,000 trillion rials, owes 500 trillion rials for corporate bonds and 2 trillion rials for unpaid salaries of various institutions and contractors.”
These debts, equal to $775 billion according to official Central Bank exchange rates, do not even include the regime’s foreign debts.
Rafsanjani, referring to the fact that ‘currently the country is in a dangerous phase’ said: “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of my provincial governors. He was my governor in city Khoy and my governor of Maku district and I knew him.
“However, it was his policy to eliminate and disgrace the revolutionary forces. And today we see that our nation’s policies are without any agenda and change on a daily basis. There would have been more progress even without this government.”
Following these remarks, Hossein Shariatmadari – one of Khamenei’s inner circle and the editor in chief of the Kayhan daily – wrote in an editorial on April 29: “There is not even the slightest doubt that ‘their competence (Rafsanjani and Khatami) will be rejected for the forthcoming elections.”
The Kayhan editorial, reflecting Khamenei’s views, wrote: “Rafsanjani and Khatami, the two previous presidents of the system, in a flagrant manner, and proven by hundreds of undeniable documents, played the role of the fifth column for the America-Israeli-British triangle in the 2009 sedition, and the term ‘corrupt on the earth’ most vividly describes their treason and treachery.
“Apparently – with the emphasis on apparently – they have taken steps to participate in the forthcoming presidential elections, they are playing a musical instrument that is clearly tuned from abroad, they are humming the song of returning to the key posts in the system.”
The editorial of Khamenei’s mouthpiece adds: “It is obvious that these elements and the leaders of the sedition not only lack even the minimum competence to take part in the least important posts, in fact they must await court trials and punishments… they are traitors that can only be described as the ‘enemy’s fifth column’.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
April 30, 2013