In an interview with a state-run media outlet, Ahmad Khatami said, these individuals “seek to insinuate the notion that the Hozeh [religious seminary] has broken ties with the establishment and the Leader.”
On Sunday, the commander of the regime’s State Security Forces (SSF) in Qom revealed that preparations started for Ali Khamenei’s visit to Qom a month and a half ago, with the SSF, the intelligence ministry, an entire corps of the Revolutionary Guards and a special Guards protection unit involved in the plans.
In his comments on Sunday, Khatami said, “The independence of the Hozeh is not tantamount to confrontation with the establishment.” He warned clerics in Qom that Khamenei pays their tuitions.
Some news sources tied to the faction supporting the mullahs’ Supreme Leader have revealed in recent months that Khamenei has had two more visits to Qom which have not been publicized. Apparently, Khamenei tried in these visits to re-establish ties with some clerics who have turned their backs to the regime, but to no avail.