Intelligence Minister: Green Movement 'alive'

‏Iran‪'‬s Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has once again expressed his deep concern about the continuation of what he called ‪the "sedition," a term used by the establishment to refer to the Green Movement which began following massive vote rigging in the 2009 presidential election. ‬

‏According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Moslehi made the comments during an event on Tuesday ‬1 February in the northern city of Amol‪.‬ ‪"We must be aware of the fact that last year's sedition against the Islamic Republic of Iran is still ongoing," said the Minister. ‬

‏‪"While the Supreme Leader has warned about the ongoing sedition in all his speeches, it seems that some amongst the elite are still remaining silent when it comes to last year's sedition," he continued. ‬

‏‪"The seditionists both inside and outside the country have invested a great deal and are currently planning to achieve their goals," Moslehi warned, while claiming that much of the secrets behind the so-called "sedition" have not yet been publicised for various reasons. "The fact that many of the elite have remained silent [and not condemned the Green Movement], is cause for regret," he said. ‬

‏‪At the event, Moslehi also acknowledged the presence of religious clerics within the Green Movement and called for greater action against ‬anti‪-‬government clergymen.‬ ‪"‬Those who joined the sedition in the outfit of the clergy‪,‬ must be dealt with in good time and in the same way that others were dealt with‪."‬

The Minister went on to add that "the yardstick in Islamic governance in Iran is the Velayate Faghih [Guardianship of the Jurist]. The Valiye Faghih is the pillar of this system." Moslehi also asserted that the post-election turmoil in the country was not solely about an election dispute, but "following Ashura [anti-government protests on 27 December 2009], documents were obtained in the house of one of the detained, which showed that the sedition was seeking much greater goals."

"Thankfully, with the wisdom of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, all of these conspiracies are being neutralised," he said, while maintaining that "those who run the sedition inside and outside the country are still resisting and in recent days, one of the leaders of the sedition [Green Movement] has insisted upon advancing the movement and remained persistenthis stance."

"The Supreme Leader has adopted effective measures for dealing with the seditionists," he said. "There's no need to worry," he concluded reassuringly.

Similar statements have also been made by other members of the ruling elite in Iran, with Ahmad Jannati, the head of the conservative Guardian Council saying that the opposition movement was like "fire under the ash" and preparing for further actions in the future.

Yet at the same time in contradiction to such sentiments, other voices from within the establishment continue to insist that the Green Movement is "dead" and has "no influence whatsoever" among the Iranian masses. Such claims will be put to the test on 14 February when the opposition plans to hold massive rallies in support of the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia.

GVF