IRGC Commander says unrests may arise in Iran cities

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 15 /Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/ The commander of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Nasser Shabani has said that unrests can occur in Iran cities in the near future, Iranian "Qanun" newspaper reported. "Our assumption is that the unrests may arise in smaller cities of Iran, away from Tehran," the commander said. "Livelihood issues and the vulnerability of the working class are the factors that can spark the unrest, however we have certain experience of dealing with it." Shabani added, that IRGC is currently analyzing the unrests possibility, which could be caused by such economic issues as mismanagement, effect of sanctions, and how it can affect the possible unrests. "It is possible, that certain individuals will try to use these factors as political tools close to the upcoming presidential elections," he said. Iran is set to host the next presidential elections on June 14, 2013. The voters will elect the seventh President, successor of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Regarding the elections, Shabani said IRGC is taking the necessary measures to ensure stability at the upcoming event. "We've issued the election candidates with red-line lists, so they would get familiar with it," Shabani said. "We've already experienced the events of post-2009 elections, and we've also gained experience on how to prevent such issues." At Iran's 10th presidential election, held on June 12, 2009, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad run against three other candidates. The IRNA news agency reported the next morning that Ahmadinejad won the election, thus becoming Iran's president for the second term. The reformists of the opposition during the presidential elections, said that there was vote fraud during Ahmadinejad's win, who won the elections with the help from IRGC and Basij Civil Forces. Massive protests against the outcome of the election were met with fierce repressions, during which security forces shot and killed dozens of people and thousands were arrested. Nasser Shabani, who teaches security lessons in Imam Hossein University, said that Ahmadinejad has gone off the path of the Islamic Revolution. "He had a chance to follow the path, however instead he put it under threat ," IRGC commander noted. On October 2012, Ayatollah Khamenei's representative to the IRGC, Ali Saidi-Shahroudi told Etimad Newspaper that IRGC regrets it has supported Ahmadinejad in the past. "I admit that I have supported Ahmadinejad in the past, but we did not have the precise knowledge of what is going on in his mind, or what he wants to do in the future," Saidi-Shahroudi noted. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could have been a hero, yet he behave the way so that people who were on his side, switched to the side of opposition, turning against him, Ayatollah Khamenei's representative to the IRGC, Ali Saidi-Shahroudi said. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az