A
SIGNIFICANT LETTER AND RIVALRIES BEFORE THE ELECTIONS…
The release
of a letter written by Ayatollah Khomeini in the last days
of Iran-Iraq war, nearly eighteen years ago, by Khomeini’s
close friend Hashemi Rafsanjani, brought Iranian society
face to face with a big question.
Why Hashemi
Rafsanjani released this letter, which was written in 1988
but known only by a few individuals since it accepted the
end of the war and explained the economic and moral collapse
of people, to Mehr News Agency? Why then the Head of the
Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezayi, today’s Secretary of the
Expediency Council, denied his letter in which he supported
war for years and also denied his failure in the war? Why he
insistently emphasized that he was not the person who
persuaded Khomeini for a ceasefire? With the release of this
letter so many realities were revealed… Besides, the
discussion that was still being maintained by various
circles in the country regarding the ceasefire decision
flared up again despite many years passed since then.
Everything
started with Mohsen Rezayi’s statements about war released
on the Baztab web site. Rezayi accused “some sold circles of
preventing the necessary assistance and help to be given to
the troops during war…” Indeed, Rezayi meant Rafsanjani… The
office of Hashami Rafsanjani in Tehran did not delay its’
response to these statements and released Ayatollah
Khomeini’s letter that had been written years ago, in the
last days of the war. Now, with the release of this letter,
this question comes to minds; “Is it possible that Hashami
Rafsanjani who was the “commander of war” and the highest
ranking official after Khomeini in that period, now wishes
to respond to many accusations about him saying that he
prolonged the war unnecessarily/against national interests?”
Is the aim to be acquitted before the history? Or, is
Rafsanjani replying to the propaganda distributed in
thousands of CDs and communiqués in the latest presidential
elections against Hojjatiye network and its famous head
Mesbah Yazdi, the Guardians Council and its secretary
Ayatollah Jannati and the spiritual leader Khamenei. If so,
we will have to wait for the disclosure of other documents
which tell about how Ayatollah Montazery was put aside, the
murders of political prisoners, dossiers on the terrorism in
1980s and treacherous murders of the commanders of
Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Akbar
Hashami Rafsanjani, who was one of the influential
individuals of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 is told to be
the closest person to Ayatollah Khomeini. We learn from
Khomeini’s political records and Rafsanjani’s memories that
the former leader of Iran had been listening to Hashemi
Rafsanjani more than anyone else in making his decisions…
Therefore, Hashemi Rafsanjani’s influence in the new state
structure had been gradually intensifying and becoming
evident. This intensifying influence and power reached such
a point that Rafsanjani was appointed as the deputy chief of
the armies command during the Iran-Iraq war, in addition to
his duty of being the Chairman of the Islamic Majles.
Despite
these developments, Ayatollah Khomeini had brought changes
in the last years of his life and in his domestic and
foreign policy conduct after the issuing of a fatwa
sentencing Salman Rushdie to death, and these changes were
not in agreement with the opinions followed by Rafsanjani
after the war. Indeed, in the first few months following the
end of the war, Khomeini’s views were still compatible with
Rafsanjani’s point of view. However, a little while later
certain developments of unknown reasons occurred and what
appeared consequently was the death sentence of Salman
Rushdie and the subsequent tension between Europe and Iran,
the sudden sidelining of Ayatollah Montazeri and the
intensification of social pressures in the country. All
these events were in the reverse direction with what would
be done by Hashemi Rafsanjani. The death of Khomeini
concealed the rivalry that was gradually growing violent
among the then moderate segments of society who backed the
leader and Hashemi Rafsanjani and thus, the political arena
fell into the hands of Hashemi Rafsanjani and his close
circle…
Hashemi
Rafsanjani was changing all means into a form which would be
convenient for materializing his own programs after Khomeini…Hashemi
Rafsanjani’s effect on the administration also continued
during the presidency of Khatemi. Meanwhile, lots of rumors
and news about Hashemi Rafsanjani and his circle started to
spread. In the last presidential elections, thousands of
cassettes, CDs and communiqués accusing Rafsanjani and his
circle were secretly distributed… This time Rafsanjani
became a target of a terror aiming at his personality… As a
result of these propaganda works and with the backing of
certain circles, Rafsanjani first lost his position as a
deputy and then he was beaten in the presidential elections.
Hashemi Rafsanjani had lost his former influence…
The
election or more precisely the appointment of Ahmedinejad to
the presidency had changed everything. Ahmedinejad started
to intensely criticize the manner of state administration of
Rafsanjani and his supporter Khatemi without losing any time
and he accused these two statesmen of receding from
‘religious circles and religious politics’. One of the
objectives of Ahmedinejad Administration was to remove the
supporters of Rafsanjani and Khatemi from their positions.
However, it appears that this letter written by Ayatollah
Khomeini and released by Rafsanjani will completely change
the current political balance. Khomeini had explained in his
letter addressing the public that “there were issues that
needed to be taken into consideration later. The aim of
Rafsanjani in releasing the second letter that had been
hidden from everyone except certain circles was to show the
importance given by Khomeini to facing the realities.
According to Rafsanjani, Khomeini had deemed surrender as a
kind of boldness and bravery. Within the framework of this
view, he meant that “keeping away from war is indeed to the
benefit of country and people”.
Western
observers interpret the release of this letter as a warning
to state. The addressees of Rafsanjani’s warning are the
ones who ignore his power and influence. Those who know and
follow Iranian politics are aware that Rafsanjani possesses
many secret documents. Rafsanjani does not only target
Mohsen Rezayi with the release of this letter. He also
targets Khamenei and indicates that “he has much more secret
documents and can make them public”. For example, documents
regarding how Khamenei was appointed to replace Khomeini
over one single night…!!?
Last week
Rafsanjani became the target of indirect criticisms for the
first time. Being aware of Rafsanjani’s (principal!)
position in internal politics, President Ahmedinejad
described him in his speeches as someone “who is not honest”
and demanded that “he should return to the state the secret
documents that belonged to the state”.
Well
friends, the dates of two elections are getting closer and
the reason of this uproar is evident… Elections for the City
Councils … Elections to Majles-e Khobregan (Assembly of
Experts)...
Given that
Rafsanjani is announced a candidate for Majles-e Khobregan
elections to be held in December 15th both by conservatives
and by reformists, it seems probable that the release of the
mentioned letter after Rafsanjani’s indirect argument before
the public with the Secretary of the Council which is headed
by Rafsanjani, may be a maneuver to expand his base before
the elections.
