PHOTO: Supreme Leader “Some in Iran believe in discourse of the arrogance system”
The Supreme Leader has devoted a speech for Iran’s New Year, Nowruz, to blame regime in-fighting on the US and to claim that some officials are following Washington’s “arrogance”.
Ayatollah Khamenei addressed a crowd in Mashhad at the shrine of Shia’s 8th Imam, Reza. In a modified version of his standard warning of foreign-backed “sedition”, he said Washington was trying to coerce Iranians into accepting American dominance:
Currently, policies of the arrogance, particularly US, demands insertion of a dilemmatic mindset among the elites and public opinion. 1/2
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 20, 2016
That dilemma is either getting along with the US or suffering US pressures and the consequent difficulties forever. 2/2
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 20, 2016
See also Iran Daily, March 20: Supreme Leader & Rouhani Turn to Economy in New Year Messages
Without giving names, Khamenei accused some officials of giving way to the US in a follow-up to the July 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He appeared to warn the Rouhani Government over its foreign policy of “engagement”:
There are of course some inside #Iran who believe in and accept this moving discourse of the arrogance system and who try to convince others as well.
They believe Middle East or domestic problems can be solved by JCPOA 2 and 3. This means giving up principles and red lines and yielding to the arrogance. Yielding means Iran would ignore committed principles like supporting Palestine and resistance in region and the oppressed in Bahrain and Yemen.
He asserted that some officials were even prepared to “flagrantly extend the hand of friendship to the Zionist enemy”.
Khamenei defended his elite military forces such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Qods Force, claiming the US was trying to provoke questions as to why they ever existed:
Arrogance believes if Iranian nation wants to get rid of US, it must give up content of Islamic Republic & Islamic notions & its security
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 20, 2016
The Supreme Leader effectively confronted President Rouhani’s statement on Saturday heralding a “JCPOA 2” plan in which Iran would achieve 5% growth after success of the nuclear JCPOA. He said that the US “did not keep to its commitments”, withholding money that should have been returned to Tehran, with the “Secretary of Treasury working all day and night to stop Iran from enjoying JCPOA results”.
