Ahmadinejad squawks louder as Tehran cracks down on loyalists
The Islamic Republic and its former president are caught in a feedback loop as his incessant attacks on top officials prompt further action against his remaining friends.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had a busy August. He released a controversial video in which he condemned his successor Hassan Rouhani’s handling of the economy and published an open letter to US President Donald Trump, urging him to release the names of relatives of Iranian officials who hold green cards. He also performed Eid al-Adha prayers among Sunni Iranians in northeastern Golestan province.
All of this occurred against the backdrop of heightened tension between him and the political establishment. Having stayed silent for most of Rouhani’s first term, he has made harsh public criticism over the past year and is waging a war of words with Iran’s powerful judiciary.
The resurgence of his political activism began after the 2017 presidential elections, in which he was disqualified from running by the Guardian Council after ignoring Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s public advice to refrain from doing so. The judiciary has picked off his loyalists one by one: Late last year, Ahmadinejad’s Vice President for Executive Affairs Hamid Baghaei stood trial over corruption charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Lamenting the handling of the case, including the judiciary’s refusal to try Baghaei in public, Ahmadinejad has spared no effort in declaring his opposition to the body, including Chief Justice Sadegh Amoli Larijani.
His efforts have included videos and speeches during trips to remote provinces, where he still commands popular support among impoverished locals. His attacks on the judiciary and the security services later led some to blame him for the nationwide demonstrations over economic grievances in late December and early January that stunned the political establishment.
