NCRI – The Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s brother has warned his ‘friend’ and former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani not to stand in the June election.
Mullah Mohammad Khamenei said Rafsanjani was ‘too old’ for politics and risked being charged over his role in the sedition during the 2009 election.
He told the state-run Fars news agency: “His purpose seems to be instilling a belief that the forthcoming election is going to be engineered in favor of some particular candidates.
“In the trial of those accused in the 2009 riots, it was found that these kinds of comments are tantamount to rebellion and the implementation of subversion operations.
“Now the plan seems to be to put forward a candidate.., and Mr Rafsanjani is probably the most likely person for this, whether he is aware of the conspiracy or not.
“Another step in this project is also to attract other revolutionary individuals to stand who are opposed to Mr Rafsanjani, on the basis that people will choose a ‘bad instead of worse’ candidate.”
Khamenei added: “I, as someone who has known him for over 55 years and have been his friend for over 20 years, want what is good for him and kindly recommend to him to stick to addressing only cultural and religious issues at the eve of his 80s.
“There is a charge of conspiracy for the 2009 riots which was a clear crime. This is sufficient for the Guardian Council to declare him incompetent to stand.”
Rafsanjani’s son Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani reacted to the attack, according to a report in the state-run Asre-Iran newspaper.
It wrote: “Mohsen Hashemi, former CEO of Tehran’s metro, has spoken to a weekly magazine about the doubts that his father is facing over the election.”
Asre-Iran quotes Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying: “Mr Rafsanjani has shown that he is not afraid of the election and being the subject of people’s vote.
“As far as I know, he is not waiting for a response from someone but is considering the good of the country and how effective his presence would be.”
In last few days, one state-run newspaper accused Rafsanjani of ‘sedition’, while another suggested he would not be capable of running the country at the age of 80.
Hossein Shariatmadari, a close ally of Ali Khamenei, wrote in the Kayhan daily paper that Rafsanjani and former president Mohammad Khatami would both be blocked from standing as candidates because they were Mofsed-e-filarz – meaning ‘Corrupt on Earth’ – and should be tried and punished.
The threat came after Khamenei’s advisor Ali Akbar Velayati said Rafanjani was involved in the mass civil unrest of 2009, and Khamenei’s Intelligence Minister added: “We have accurate information that this very gentleman was involved in the sedition.”
The Resalat state-run newspaper wrote: “One can not ignore that the damage he (Rafsanjani) has done in the past can not be undone.
“Since Hashemi has still not declared if he is standing, his rivals can not start attacking him. Also, he will only win around ten to 12 per cent of the votes.
“There isn’t much time left for the candidates to register and this 80 year-old politician must decide whether he has the motivation and readiness to accept the risk of standing as a candidate at this age.”
