Basij chief says Iran threatened by sedition

Commander Mohammadreza Naqdi

Head of Iran’s Basij militia warned that he believes “more complex seditious activities” are on the way against the Islamic Republic.

According to ILNA Commander Mohammadreza Naqdi said: “It is 32 years that the world powers are using all their might and preparing all these coups, wars, assassinations and the soft war to infiltrate the regime.”

He added: “To reach their aims, they even organized the sedition of 2009 and fed 80 satellites with Persian language programs and used the collaboration of well-known figures to deceive the nation, but they failed.”

The Islamic Republic authorities refer to the protest movement that followed the disputes over the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential elections as a seditious movement to topple the government.

Commander Naqdi contended that social and economic problems such as “unrest regarding the cutting of government subsidies and spread of drug use amongst young people” are all part of a plan to throw the system into crisis.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration is cutting Iran’s government subsidies which analysts say will translate into a sudden increase in the price of energy and food staples.

Anticipating social unrest due to these economic changes, Islamic Republic authorities have repeatedly announced that any complaints regarding the restructuring of subsidies would be part of an enemy conspiracy.