Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07IRANRPODUBAI25
2007-04-22 05:21:00
SECRET
Iran RPO Dubai
Cable title:  

IRANIAN MP COMMENTS ON POLITICAL STATE OF PLAY

Tags:  IR PREL PGOV 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2915
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDIR #0025/01 1120521
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 220521Z APR 07
FM IRAN RPO DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0099
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHDIR/IRAN RPO DUBAI 0092
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDHP/DIA DHP-1 WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0094
RUEHAD/USDAO ABU DHABI TC
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000025 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR GAYLE, BERLIN FOR PAETZOLD, BAKU FOR HAUGEN
BAGHDAD FOR GALBRAITH, PARIS FOR WALLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/17/2017
TAGS: IR PREL PGOV
SUBJECT: IRANIAN MP COMMENTS ON POLITICAL STATE OF PLAY

RPO DUBAI 00000025 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian Burns, Director, Iran Regional Presence
Office, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000025

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR GAYLE, BERLIN FOR PAETZOLD, BAKU FOR HAUGEN
BAGHDAD FOR GALBRAITH, PARIS FOR WALLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/17/2017
TAGS: IR PREL PGOV
SUBJECT: IRANIAN MP COMMENTS ON POLITICAL STATE OF PLAY

RPO DUBAI 00000025 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian Burns, Director, Iran Regional Presence
Office, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1.(S) Summary: A reformist member of the Majles said the Supreme
Leader favors Islamic regional interests over national interests
and called the president a puppet of the leader. He claimed
some radicals wanted war as an excuse to crack down on dissent
and cover up their shortcomings. He acknowledged reformists'
limited ability to impact policy but called the threats of
impeachment a powerful tool. The long-term goal of the
reformist coalition Mosharekat is to reform the constitution to
eliminate or change the position of Supreme Leader to an
elected, accountable position. He advised reducing what he
called the negative tone of VOA's Farsi broadcasts and focusing
on supplying objective information to produce an informed
electorate. End summary.


2.(S) On April 11, IRPOffs met with a member of the Majles who
is aligned with the reformist coalition Mosharekat (also called
the Islamic Iran Participation Front). The MP shared his
opinions about the state of internal politics in Iran and
commented on international crises related to Iran. He has met
with IRPOffs previously, on the fringe of his US visa
applications. He claims ongoing communication with other reform
leaders, including former President Khatami.

Supreme Leader: Islamic interests over national
-------------- --

3.(S) The MP believes that Supreme Leader Khamenei aspires to
become the "emperor" of the Islamic world and is willing to
sacrifice Iranian national interests for this goal. He sees
President Ahmadi-Nejad as merely a puppet of the Supreme Leader,
under the leader's complete control. Ahmadi-Nejad, in turn,
sees more pragmatic conservatives such as Larijani and Qalibaf
as his main rivals. The MP claimed the president is not worried
about reformists.

4.(S) Speaking about Iran-US tensions, the MP opined that some
conservatives in Iran want to go to war for the following
reasons (Note: These views are shared by some other contacts.

Endnote):

-- to crack down on reformists and further resist change;
-- to appear strong and capable to the Iranian public, as
defenders of the nation;
-- to hide government failures.

Threats of impeachment: the reformist weapon of choice
-------------- --------------

5.(S) The MP claimed that after the December 15 elections,
hardliners attempted to take away the seat won in the Tehran
Majles by-election by female reformist Soheila Jelodarzadeh.
(Note: This is the first time IRPO has heard this claim.
Endnote) The MP said that reformists united and threatened to
impeach the interior minister, and Ms. Jelodarzadeh kept her
seat.

6.(S) The MP mentioned other past efforts to impeach
administration officials, including the president, noting they
had failed to gather enough support. He said, however, if there
is another UNSC resolution against Iran following UNSCR 1747,
reform groups are determined to impeach Foreign Minister
Mottaki, and ultimately President Ahmadi-Nejad. The MP
indicated they were more likely to be able to gather the votes
needed to impeach Mottaki than Ahmadi-Nejad, but he said they
were determined to make an effort. The MP praised the passage
of UNSC resolutions 1737 and 1747 as effective diplomacy and
specifically praised the efforts and rhetoric of Under Secretary
Burns.

7.(S) The MP said the Mosharekat reformist coalition has the
eventual goal of changing the constitution to eliminate or
change the position of the Supreme Leader to an elected office
with accountability. He noted, however, that some reformists,
such as former Majles speaker Karroubi, are opposed to amending
the constitution. The MP claimed that Karroubi, former
president Khatami, and even Expediency Council chair Rafsanjani
cannot criticize the government as much as they might want to,
because they would be marginalized.

IRGC

RPO DUBAI 00000025 002.2 OF 002


--------------

8.(S) The MP said the Iranian press has reported very few
details about the identities of the five Iranians detained by
the US in Irbil, which he saw as a strong indication the men are
military, not diplomats as the Iranian government claims.
Separately, he claimed that according to fellow Majles deputy
and former IRGC officer, Health Commission rapporteur Dr.
Heydarpur, members of the IRGC do not necessarily support
Ahmadi-Nejad. They must, however, follow the dictates of the
Supreme Leader.
9.(S) The MP claimed the government is very concerned about the
whereabouts of former deputy Defense Minister Ali Reza Asgari,
who reportedly went missing in Turkey in February 2007.
According to the MP, Asgari has the rank of IRGC commander and
is a key IRGC insider with access to a great deal of sensitive
information. As the government is uncertain whether he defected
or was abducted, it does not know whether to attack him as a
traitor and a liar or defend him as a captured hero.

The UK sailor crisis
--------------

10.(S) Regarding the government's detention of 15 British
sailors, the MP opined that the government had planned the
incident as a diversion from UNSCR 1747, which was eliciting
public criticism of the government's handling of the nuclear
issue. Citing a widely repeated rumor that the UK has control
and influence over the clerical government ("everybody knows the
mullahs usually obey England"),the MP doubted that the sailor
crisis would have escalated beyond diplomacy, calling it simply
a political stunt.

VOA broadcasts too anti-Iran?
--------------

11.(S) The MP believed that the underlying theme of Voice of
America (VOA) broadcasts was regime change for Iran in all but
name, which he said undermines USG claims that its policy
towards Iran is changed behavior, not regime change. He argued
that predominantly negative coverage of Iran is
counter-productive, alienating viewers. In order to educate the
people and work toward the goal of democracy promotion in Iran,
he recommended that the VOA report facts and objective
information, with the goal of creating a better-informed Iranian
public.

12.(C) Comment: This Majles deputy is an outspoken member of the
reformist minority faction in the Majles, with views
representative of the Khatami-era reformist school of thought.
He is one of a small number of reformists from the previous
Majles who are still active within the system, and has
demonstrated willingness to publicly criticize the Ahmadi-Nejad
government. He claims his car was recently vandalized after he
gave a critical speech, and he does not think he will be allowed
to run again in 2008. While it is doubtful he has much direct
contact with members of government, his comments about the
political state of play in Iran are valuable coming from inside
the system. He acknowledges that the reformists in the Majles
have little ability to directly effect policy changes but claims
the threat of impeachment has weight.

13.(SBU) Comment continued: Although the MP did not
specifically mention the recently aired VOA interview with
Abdul-Malek Rigi, the leader of the violent Baluchi separatist
group Jundallah with his criticisms of VOA programming, that
interview in particular was widely condemned in Iran. Jundallah
claimed responsibility for February terrorist attacks in Iran's
southeastern Sistan-va-Baluchestan province that killed 11 and
injured 31. The Foreign Ministry spokesman released a statement
about the Rigi interview, saying "the aforementioned terrorist
is under prosecution for drug smuggling, kidnapping, murder, and
injuring some of our compatriots, so what VOA has done is in
direction of double standards of the US government in fighting
against terrorism."
BURNS