Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi – a former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and a member of Iranian regime’s Expediency Council – made the declaration at a speech at Azad University.
He said: “The various parts within the Iraqi Government do not do anything without coordinating with the Supreme Leader in Iran. Even the formation of the cabinet was done in coordination with the Supreme Leader.”
Saffar-harandi – also an advisor to Khamenei and to the commander of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – also tried to justify the Iran’s interference in the affairs of other countries in his speech on Sunday.
He said: “If Iran did not stand in support of Syria, the Syrian dictator would have fallen. Iran has taught them how to maintain themselves and it has taught them the Basij style of war.”
His comments support the belief of officials in the US and the Middle East that Iranian regime and Hezbollah are ‘exporting terrorism’ by building paramilitary networks in Syria to protect their interests if Assad falls.
A US Treasury statement also said that these militias, who are fighting alongside Syrian government forces, are modelled on Iran’s own Basij paramilitary force that have been heavily involved in the violent crackdowns and serious human rights abuses occurring in Iran since the June 2009 contested presidential election.