The following is a confidential report from the Iranian regime’s Qods Force (the extraterritorial arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – IRGC) with respect to recent provincial council elections in Iraq. In an overview, it takes stock of the election results in order to better prepare the mullahs’ agents in Iraq when it comes to future elections:
“We have to come up with a solution to prevent the occurrence of the same disaster in future city council elections which are supposed to be held in the summer. …
We must also prevent the election of some people to the local government. All these issues require us to take advantage of the Islamic Republic’s experiences, support, and resources to the fullest extent so that a clear agenda in the face of this situation is formulated. The numbers and statistics are extremely disappointing. Mr. Velayati [Ali Khamenei's adviser in foreign affairs and mullahs' former foreign minister for 16 years] in Najaf is also under the impression that we have lost Diyala province and serious recovery work has to be done there.
Our strategy and recommendations are as follows:
1- Establishing a mechanism in coordination with the [elections] committee for the emigration of about 20,000 families to this province [Diyala]. Their names are not included on the committee’s list and they could not vote. We shall insist that they must be able to vote.
2- Clearly, the next governor of Diyala will be a Sunni who will probably be one of the malevolent elements. However, we will try to obtain the chairmanship post of the provincial council or another important role for Shiites. The important thing is to have at least one key position with which we can work on the people when it comes to city council elections as well as the upcoming parliamentary elections.
3- The next step, to be carried out with the help of some of our brothers in Diyala, Najaf, and Karbala, is to raise awareness among religious figures and clerics about the damages on Shiite interests in Diyala. Even if we are unable to pass favorable resolutions at the provincial council or the parliament, the objective here is to at least block the measures we are opposed to.
4- We must create divisions among Iraqi parties which may enter into a coalition with each other against the Islamic Republic. We must prevent the formation of such coalitions at any cost. Currently, the youth and our brothers are secretly working to cause rifts between the Tavafogh [Iraqi Accord Front] and Havar [the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue] factions. For example, they are engaged in spreading rumors and conducting some arrests while claiming that the arrest of one faction’s members was carried out by the other faction.
5- We must identify the religious background of all candidates in order to open channels with promising individuals and impede the advancement of the opposition’s known agenda and tactics. We must strike backchannel deals in order to at least block plans that would otherwise challenge our interests. Now that we have failed to obtain victory, we must at least prevent further damages. We should also remove some of the malevolent elements with the help of elimination units.
6- One of the obstacles for implementing our agenda is the lack of cooperation on the part of ordinary Shiite citizens who have been very disappointed. They say, ‘Why should we do anything so that the same people whose actions we experienced would come into power once again?’
7- Unfortunately, in contrast to Iran, the people of Iraq are cynical even when it comes to the names of religious factions. Today the people who have the upper hand in Iraq are those who distance themselves from the Islamic Republic. Islamic politicians must adopt new tactics. During the month of Muharram, a survey was conducted among the most religious segments of Shiite residents in Diyala, in which al-Furrat TV [Arabic TV channel affiliated with the Iranian regime] ranked eighteenth in viewership. Moreover, newspapers and magazines perceived to obtain their funding from the Islamic Republic are no longer well received.
8- If the Americans were to leave Iraq earlier, the atmosphere will be more hospitable for establishing relations with the Islamic Republic.
9- If the Monafeqin [the largest Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), some of whose members reside in Ashraf City, Iraq] are taken care of and removed from the scene, their supporters would feel the heat, too. We must recognize this as a high priority item on the agenda.”
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Reza Shafa is an expert on the Iranian regime's Intelligence networks, both in Iran and abroad. He has done extensive research on Iranian Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS) also known as VEVAK, Intelligence Office of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Qods Force among others. Currently he is a contributor to NCRI website.