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IRAN'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARD COMMANDER SLAMS GOVT. OVER WEST INFLUENCE
December 11, 2013 - 19:11 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard
force has criticized the government of President Hassan Rouhani as
being under the influence of Western ideas, a sign of the growing
tensions between the competing power centers, Reuters reported.
Major General Mohammad Jafari's comments are some of the sharpest to
be made by a senior official in public since the moderate Rouhani took
office in August pledging to improve Iran's relations with regional
countries and the West.
The government's diplomatic initiative led to an agreement with six
world powers last month under which Iran is to curb its disputed
nuclear program in return for limited relief from sanctions that have
squeezed its economy.
The interim accord has been widely welcomed by Iranians but hardliners
are irked by the foreign policy shift and apprehensive that they
are losing influence over Iran's most powerful man, Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The military, systems and procedures governing the administrative
system of the country are the same as before, (but it) has been
slightly modified and unfortunately infected by Western doctrine,
and a fundamental change must occur," Fars news agency quoted Jafari
as saying on Tuesday, Dec 10.
The comments by Jafari - the commander-in-chief of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - underline the changing circumstances
since hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left office after
two terms.
During those eight years, the IRGC was able to strengthen its
involvement in economic and political affairs of the country, a role
Rouhani is intent on reversing.
Jafari also appeared to dismiss calls by Rouhani and Khamenei for
the force to stay out of politics, saying its duty was to protect
the Islamic Revolution.
"The main threat to the revolution is in the political arena and the
Guards cannot remain silent in the face of that," he said.
December 11, 2013 - 19:11 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard
force has criticized the government of President Hassan Rouhani as
being under the influence of Western ideas, a sign of the growing
tensions between the competing power centers, Reuters reported.
Major General Mohammad Jafari's comments are some of the sharpest to
be made by a senior official in public since the moderate Rouhani took
office in August pledging to improve Iran's relations with regional
countries and the West.
The government's diplomatic initiative led to an agreement with six
world powers last month under which Iran is to curb its disputed
nuclear program in return for limited relief from sanctions that have
squeezed its economy.
The interim accord has been widely welcomed by Iranians but hardliners
are irked by the foreign policy shift and apprehensive that they
are losing influence over Iran's most powerful man, Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The military, systems and procedures governing the administrative
system of the country are the same as before, (but it) has been
slightly modified and unfortunately infected by Western doctrine,
and a fundamental change must occur," Fars news agency quoted Jafari
as saying on Tuesday, Dec 10.
The comments by Jafari - the commander-in-chief of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - underline the changing circumstances
since hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left office after
two terms.
During those eight years, the IRGC was able to strengthen its
involvement in economic and political affairs of the country, a role
Rouhani is intent on reversing.
Jafari also appeared to dismiss calls by Rouhani and Khamenei for
the force to stay out of politics, saying its duty was to protect
the Islamic Revolution.
"The main threat to the revolution is in the political arena and the
Guards cannot remain silent in the face of that," he said.