Posted on 10/09/2007 10:45:34 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
ranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) appointed Mohammad Ali Jafari as the new head of the IRGC in early September (AFP)
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October 5, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on September 29 that the "main responsibility" of the corps now is to counter "internal threats." He added that the IRGC will confront any threat that might undermine the achievements of the Islamic republic.
Jafari's comments are regarded by some analysts as a warning to domestic critics of the Iranian regime.
Jafari, who was appointed commander of the IRGC in early September, also said that the all-volunteer Basij militia will fall under the IRGC's command. The Basij has reportedly been involved in a number of attacks on students and intellectuals. Jafari said those forces will adapt to meet current threats. Jafari said the threats against Iran have become increasingly complex, adding that, "We don't have the right to remain silent."
Afshari said he also believes the IRGC will play an important role in the March 2008 parliamentary elections in Iran.
'Intervene More In Everything'
Mohsen Sazgara is a cofounder of the Revolutionary Guard. He is now a prominent critic of the Iranian leadership and a research fellow at Harvard University. Sazgara tells Radio Farda that he thinks Jafari's comments signal that the IRGC will play a more active political role in confronting government critics.
"It means that the mission of the Revolutionary Guard is to interfere more than before in the country's internal affairs and get involved in the repression against political, social, and cultural activists, and to intervene more in everything," he says.
(Excerpt) Read more at rferl.org ...
Hmmm. A reaction to the protests in Iran when Imindamood4jihad showed up at a campus there, perhaps?
The best hope regarding Iran is that the population, the vast majority of whom are under 30 years of age, finally take control from the religious maniacs currently running the country.
But the Nazi Amen I did the job, told us they were such great people.
Next?
Forget trade sanctions, what about a blockade of gasoline imports combined with taking out all the petroleum refineries in Iran. This would shut off all gasoline supplies in Iran, military and civilian. If that doesn’t work, attack the electrical grid. If that doesn’t work, well, you get the idea.
Most don’t realize Iran imports around 80% or more of its petroleum.
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