Baztab
Emrooz, an Iranian news site close to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, published
parts of Rafsanjani’s memoire covering the last two days of the leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
“Don’t
let intriguerscreate conflicts between you and Khamenei,” Khomeini, lying
in his deathbed, communicates to Rafsanjani.
Rafsanjani
tells the story of his last encounter with Khomeini:
“I
went to Imam’s Beit (the leader’s official residence). The doctors and people around
him were satisfied (with Khomeini’s recovery). Ahmad Agha (Khomeini’s son) was
worried. He wanted the work on amending the constitution be finished as soon as
possible.
“I
stood next to Imam’s (Khomeini’s) bed and put my hand over his. He pressed my
thumb and said in halting voice: ‘Amending the constitution should be hurried.’
He then opened his eyes and said, this time in a weak but measured voice, that ‘if
united, the revolution will move forward.’ He then stopped for a second then
continued: ‘especially between you and Mr. Khamenei. Don’t let the intriguers
create conflicts between you and Khamenei.’” (Baztab Emrooz, 25 January)
To
read Baztab’s article (in Farsi), please click here.
File
photo: Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani (right) with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Kalameh)
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei Accompanied by Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the Grandson of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, at the Commemoration Ceremony
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the occasion of the 21st death anniversary of the Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to lash out at the opposition and its leader Hossein Mousavi, who was Khomeini’s long-time prime minster.
Speaking to a huge crowd gathered at Khomeini Mausoleum in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei said those who led “the fiascos during the Ashura and Quds days, are not Imam (Khomeini)’s true followers,” [Fars News Agency, 4 June]. Mousavi led hundred of thousands of marchers during those days protesting the results of the disputed presidential elections, even though Khamenei had already declared Ahmadinejad the victor. The protests became known as the Green Movement, which marks its first anniversary on 12 June.
President Ahmadinejad speaking in the same forum said his opponents are “thrown away” by the people.
"Whoever deviates from the path of Imam (Khomeini), despite whatever power he holds, he will be thrown away by the strong hand of the people," Ahmadinejad said [Fars News Agency].
Later in the program, the crowd prevented Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder and the host of the commemoration ceremonies, to make his scheduled speech with repeated shouts of “Death to Mousavi.” Hassan Khomeini is believed to be a Green supporter.
The harsh and uncompromising tone of the leaders of the Islamic Republic towards the opposition and its leader at such venue were surprising and unexpected. It was ironic that Khomeini’s prime minister until Khomeini's death and his grandson who was the host of the ceremonies to be attacked so harshly during a gathering commemorating Khomeini’s death and “Imam’s Path.” But that is the nature of politics in today’s Iran.
Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died on 3 June 1989. Marking the occasion of the 21st anniversary of his death, Iran’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, will deliver the Friday’s Prayer sermon at Imam Khomeini Mausoleum in Tehran. Some two million pilgrims are expected to arrive for various commemoration ceremonies taking place on Friday.
There has been certain curious terminology from both the Western world and Iran over the eight year war with Iraq back in the 1980's, the two most common terms relating to this war are the Imposed War (usually used by Iranians) and the Iran Iraq War (usually used by Westerners).
The Imposed War is more of a local name for the war since Iraq started it on September 22nd 1980 when the Iraqi Air Force bombed several targets deep within Iran including Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
Saddam Hussein had many fears that his place in power would be jeopardized if the Ayatollah Khomeini exported his revolution to the oppressed Shi'ites majority of Iraq, so he launched nine divisions of the Iraqi Army into the oil fields of Southern Iran on September 22nd 1980.
He believing Iran was still weak and unorganized following the Islamic Revolution and had openly boasted his army would reach Tehran in three days, however the Iraqi Air Force had failed to wipe out the Iranian Air Force on the ground and the Iranians launched Operation Kaman 99 about a day later striking Baghdad.
Iraq's invasion solidified Iran's revolution and tens of thousands of volunteers rushed to the front lines to fight the Iraqis, RPG armed revolutionary guards halted the onslaught of Iraqi Armour and by 1982 after liberating Khorramshahr from the Iraqis an Iranian offensive against Iraq would soon be launched.
Not long afterwords Saddam decided to withdraw his army completely from Iran, and deployed them on the international border between Iran and Iraq, believing his army being demoralized after the war would still be able to hold a line of defense on the Iraqi side of the border.
Saddam suggested that Iran should stop the fighting and accept a ceasefire and instead send troops to fight with the Palestinians in Lebanon against the Israelis which had invaded the same year, this offer however through emotional purposes was rejected and Ayatollah Khomeini made plans to remove Saddam from power in Iraq seeing him as a threat.
The war which followed from 1982 towards 1988 would see Iran on the offensive, however it was forced to end the war in 1988 to which Ayatollah Khomeini famously compared to drinking a chalice of poison.
Saddam had called the war the Whirlwind War, in the US it is commonly referred to as the First Persian Gulf War.
However looking at it from a more open viewpoint there were clearly two wars that were fought.
1. The Imposed War/Iraq-Iran War (1980-1982) This was the war that started on September 22nd 1980 when Iraq preemptively attacked and proceeded to invade Iran. An attack which the United Nations failed to condemn Iraq for.
2. The Iran Iraq War (1982-1988) The Iranian counter offensive which saw the Iran pitted against the Iraq in violent trench wars and several human wave attacks against cities such as Basra.
Iran was forced to give up this war since it didn't have enough military hardware to keep the war going and to defeat the Iraqis, also a million men had been lost in eight years and Iran was forced to accept a ceasefire.
***
Although from an Iranian viewpoint it has a lot to be bitter for, a million people were killed in the war many of them very young, and along with that was the fact that the United States, France and several other countries armed Iraq before the tide of war turned in 1982, even though the US briefly switched sides in 1985 in the infamous Iran Contra Affair.
The fact remains that for the damage caused on Iran by Iraq one would want to get revenge for the horrors inflicted!
However a broad and neutral view of the whole thing shows as I said two separate wars.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in harshest comments he has made against the Obama administration all but closed the possibility of any serious reproachmont with the US.
“The new U.S. president has said nice things,” Khamenei said. “He has given us many spoken and written messages and said, 'Let's turn the page and create a new situation. Let's cooperate with each other in resolving world problems.'” But "whenever they [US officials] smile at the officials of the Islamic revolution, when we carefully look at the situation we notice that they are hiding a dagger behind their back," Khamenei said. "They have not changed their intentions [toward Iran]."
In reference to the Vienna nuclear talks, Khamenei's comments were as negative.
"Negotiations in which the U.S. predetermines the result are like the relationship between a wolf and a lamb," Khamenei said. "We do not want this."
Ayatollah Khamenei made these remarks in a ceremony held in Tehran today to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the US embassy in Tehran and taking US diplomats and staff hostage for 444 days. The takeover and hostage taking was strongly supported by then-Supreme Leader the late Ayatollah Khomeini. The move also led to the downfall of the moderate Bazargan government in Tehran and the eventual takeover of the state institutions by the Islamic militants.
Now the leader's circle of trust has been so narrowed that does not even include the prime minister of the eight-year imposed war with Iraq (Mousavi), former presidents of the Islamic Republic (Khatami and Rafsanjani) and a former speaker of the house (Karrubi). Today, Ayatollah Khamenei was commemorating the start of that process three decades ago.
First of the three part series Iran & The West which debuted on BBC last February detailing the history of Iran's relation with the west (primarily the United States) which is 30 years old this year!
This episode entitled The Man Who Changed the World is mainly about Ayatollah Khomeini and the revolution in 1979 that toppled the Shah.
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