Ahmadinejad's Exorcist Says Ex-President Aims At Comeback

Yahya Rahim Safavi, former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Khamenei's chief military adviser, disclosed that Mohammadreza Zahedi was among four key figures he introduced to Ali Khamenei. The others mentioned by Safavi were prominent figures Qasem Soleimani, Ahmad Kazemi, and Mohammad Hajazi, all of whom have now died, two of them assassinated.

Zahedi, along with several key IRGC officers, was killed in a precision Israeli airstrike targeting Iran's consulate building in Damascus on April 1. Zahedi's involvement in planning and executing a deadly attack against Israel on October 7, which claimed over 1,200 mostly civilian lives, is reported to have contributed to his killing.

Qasem Soleimani, renowned for his role within Iran's military and intelligence apparatus, was also assassinated in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020, during the tenure of former President Donald Trump. Soleimani had been instrumental in orchestrating Iran's military presence in Syria and fostering proxy militant groups in the region.

Ahmad Kazemi, who had held the position of Commander of the Air Forces of the Revolutionary Guards, died in a plane crash near Urmia, located in western Iran in 2006.

Mohammad Hajazi, a lifelong member of the Revolutionary Guard since May 1979, served as an intelligence and security advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He rose through the ranks to become the Deputy Commander of the Quds Force, prior to his death from heart disease in 2021.

Sources close to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) have revealed that the detainees are actually relatives of a slain commander of the NRF, which is at war with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban extremists.

According to sources cited by the Afghan newspaper Hasht-e Subh, those arrested in Iran are relatives of Kheirmohammad Andarabi, a slain NRF commander who sought refuge in Iran due to threats from the Taliban.

The confusion arose when Iranian police spokesperson, Saeed Montazerolmahdi, announced the arrest of Mohammad Zaker (AKA Ramesh), described as a "senior member and operational commander of ISIS," along with two other members in Mahdasht, Karaj. The police claimed that the arrests were made following “extensive intelligence efforts” and thwarted planned suicide attacks during Eid al-Fitr.

However, sources close to the NRF assert that the detainees have no connection to ISIS. Mohammad Ramesh Adel, identified by Iranian police as Mohammad Zaker, is said to be the stepson of senior NRF commander Kheirmohammad Kheirkhah Andarabi, killed in a battle with the Taliban in late December 2022.

The situation has sparked criticism, with journalist Jila Baniyaghoub questioning the rapid investigation process and the accuracy of the arrests.

Baniyaghoub wrote in a message on Saturday: "A taxi driver in Karaj suspected that his passengers were members of ISIS, informs the police; law enforcement arrests them and announces a few hours later that they have arrested the leaders of ISIS."

Iran has yet to respond to the claims.

The incident comes in the wake of previous suicide bombings during the anniversary ceremony of Qasem Soleimani in Kerman city, for which ISIS claimed responsibility. Iran allegedly arrested several suspects but details regarding their trials remain undisclosed.

Criticism of the Iranian security organizations' performance has escalated following the Kerman bombings, raising questions about their effectiveness. The US allegedly warned Iran of the attacks but its advice was ignored.

Even high-ranking officials, including the Chief of the Judiciary, have implicitly questioned the institutions' capabilities in handling security threats effectively.

Ali Beitollahi, Head of the Seismology and Vulnerability Section at the Center for Research of Roads and Urban Development, said that Iran's situation is exacerbated by the extensive nature of subsidence areas across many provinces, with the number of affected regions surpassing other countries with similarly high rates. In Kerman province alone, subsidence rates reach 40 centimeters annually.

Furthermore, the report indicates that in areas south of Alborz province and near Tehran, the subsidence rate exceeds 30 centimeters per year, posing a threat to infrastructure and urban development.

Even in the northern provinces of Iran, land subsidence has become critical, according to Beitollahi. He noted that Golestan province faces subsidence rates exceeding 22 percent, primarily due to “unauthorized groundwater withdrawals,” especially rampant in regions where cotton and corn cultivation prevail.

Beitollahi attributed the increase in subsidence rates partly to “extensive well drilling practices, which have led to a decline in groundwater levels across the country.”

Last year, reports surfaced suggesting that the Iranian government had intentionally concealed information about the worsening subsidence crisis.

Last month, experts in Iran warned the current land subsidence situation in Iran is “critical", claiming it puts the lives of more than 39 million people at risk.

Dam construction, climate change, inefficient water consumption by agriculture and industries, and the use of underground aquifers as sources for illegal agricultural water extraction wells have all contributed to the problem which now puts the lives of millions of Iranians at risk.

Ali Beitollahi, heading the disaster task force on the issue at the Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Center of Iran, said the approximate area of subsidence zones in the country is now 18.5 million hectares, almost 11% of Iran's total area, and says if action is not taken, it endangers the lives of nearly 49% of Iran’s population. He said 380 and 9,200 villages are at risk of land subsidence.

According to Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, Safavi said, “The shadow of fear and terror looms over the occupied lands, and the Zionists see the specter of death in their dreams every night.”

He made the remarks as debate continues in Tehran about how to retaliate Israel’s April 1 air strike that killed seven IRGC officers in the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

The leadership of the Islamic Republic, and particularly Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei face a challenging political dilemma -- launch a forceful retaliatory attack and risk a wider war, possibly involving the United States, or exercise restraint and look for less dramatic alternatives. However, Tehran’s proxies around the region, its domestic supporters, and even ordinary Iranians opposed to the government might see any hesitation as a sign of weakness.

Safavi pointed out that 28 Israeli embassies and consulates have been temporarily closed because of threats on behalf of Iran and its proxies. The closures “happened out of fear, and it means that confronting this brutal regime is a legal and legitimate right.”

While the IRGC and its media outlets clamor for war and a swift response, Tehran's commentators advocate for a measured approach, warning that the strike might be a trap to drag Iran into a direct conflict.

Israeli attacks have killed 18 senior IRGC officers since December, a trend that has become difficult to explain away by the Islamic Republic.

Many regional countries would like to ,see Iran directly involved in a war with Israel because it will inflict great damage on the country, two Iranian commentators said Sunday. “The interests of all actors in the region today lie in dragging Iran into war," said Former chairman of Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim claims that the Israeli government is creating staged scenes near Tel Aviv's Ayalon Highway, a major thoroughfare. These fabricated scenarios aim to portray a failed strike on Israel's military and security facilities, shifting the narrative to a civilian catastrophe. The intent is likely to demonize Iran by claiming their missiles or drones targeted residential areas, causing casualties. “This is being done in order to claim that Iranian missiles or drones have targeted residential areas in the city and caused casualties," Tasnim said.

Earlier in the day, Israel's defense minister said the country was ready to handle any scenario that may develop with its foe Iran as it stayed on alert for the possible retaliatory attack. Yoav Gallant's office made the statement after he held an "operational situation assessment" with senior military officers. "Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasized that the defense establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran," his office said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's office made the statement after he held an "operational situation assessment" with senior military officers.

"Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasized that the defense establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran," his office said.

An Israeli precision strike on the Iranian embassy compound on April 1, killed two top IRGC Quds Force generals and seven other officers, rattling the Iranian government that has vowed to punish Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel launched air strikes on eastern Lebanon early on Sunday, hitting what it said were Hezbollah infrastructure sites after the armed group downed an Israeli drone over the country as both sides continue to trade fire amid escalating regional tensions.

The Israeli army said in a statement that fighter jets struck a military complex and three other infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah in the eastern city of Baalbek.

It said the latest attack was in response to Iran-backed Hezbollah's downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle in Lebanese airspace, which the group identified as the Israeli-made Hermes 900 drone.

Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since October 8, a day after the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that sparked Israel's war in Gaza and led to escalating regional tensions.

(Reporting by Reuters)