Men in plain clothes have disrupted or canceled a number of events in Iran recently. A former official from Mohammad Khatami’s administration believes that "rogue" forces, sensing a danger to their interests, have become active again in Iran.
“The phenomenon of rogue elements has two aspects,” Morteza Mobalegh, former Deputy Interior Minister under Khatami’s Reformist administration, told Etemaad. “One aspect is the individuals in the country who only take into consideration their interests and do not submit to rules and regulations.” He said that while the existence of rogue elements is not a new phenomenon, over the years their activity level has ebbed and flowed.