Harliner takes over Revolutionary Guard

[autorank]

Source: London Times

IRAN’S most powerful military commander, who masterminded the capture and subsequent release of 15 British servicemen earlier this year, was ousted yesterday as head of the Revolutionary Guards in an upheaval engineered by hardliners.

Major-General Yahya Rahim Safavi, 49, was removed from his post by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader. Mohammad Ali Jaafari, who was in charge of antiAmerican activity in Iraq, was named as his replacement.

“Regarding your valuable experience and shining background at different times, and varied responsibilities in the guards, I appoint you as the com-mander-in-chief of this revolutionary service organisation,” Khamenei told Jaafari. Safavi, who commanded the guards for 10 years, will become Khamenei’s senior adviser on armed forces affairs.

SNIP

The main reservations of the ultra-fundamentalists about Safavi were based on his opposition to the expansion of the Revolutionary Guards in economic sector of the country, his ties with reformist circles, and his efforts to coordinate the guards’ activities more closely with the generals of the regular army.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2369002.ece

---

Isn't this interesting. The London Times (a Murdoch publication) is touting war with Iran.

The headline of this article sounds truly menacing to the U.S. but when you read to the end you find that
this guy is in place to get the independent, "loose cannon" Guard more under control. That's a way to
reign them in and preemptively meet the objections this month when they're deemed a "terrorist group."

Iran is run by some real screw balls but so are we. Now we've got the same old crew flacking for war -
Cheney - Bush, the Murdoch monsters at Fox and every entity he owns, the insane war cult here ("end of
the world types"), etc.

We're being played. Get out and do something. Join the 911 General strike, http://www.strike911.org .

Do something. This is an outrage.

[yurbud]

1. hairliner? hardliner?

[autorank]

2. Oops. Damn, it's an important article too!

Thanks for trying to alert me. It's too late. Mods, feel free to change it if you want. :blush:

[yurbud]

7. that's so cruel they didn't change it. Now people will think it's about someone with a harelip

[Jesse Hemingway]

3. They should put the guy in that kicked Israel ass last summer

[cali]

4. Except that neither Israel nor Hezbollah won n/t

[bemildred]

5. Yeah. I'm sure Tehran sent Murdoch a press release explaining all this.

Don't want the right-wing western press to become confused, eh?

[armodem08]

6. WTF? This is clear propaganda

"Mohammad Ali Jaafari, who was in charge of anti-American activity in Iraq, was named as his replacement."

Is that as about tailor-made propaganda as you've ever seen? Never mind that this activity has only been reported by the * administration, and never confirmed by Iran.


EDIT: Grammar

[ohio2007]

8. ? maybe it is normal to have troop rotation and change of command

while we in the west want to read deeper meaning into why the previous leader was "fired" !!
for maybe....
?
not following orders,
he refused to lead an assult into northern Iraq ect.

it's all tin foil conspirecy. It could be like a normal change of command of an admiral at sea, for example.

http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-24/0709014817220403.htm

those mullahs !!!
they gotta be up to no good with all this

/sarc

[ohio2007]

9. Ahmadinejad had his guy booted by the head mullah

the supreme leader is feeling some sort of heat;

http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0709037788112425.htm

[happyslug]

10. Under the Iranian Constitution, the Supreme Leader is Commander in Chief NOT the President.

Thus this may just be a promotion, and a replacement of the man promoted, more than anything else. Unlike the US the President of Iran does NOT command the Military, that is the job of the "Supreme Leader". All this may mean is the Supreme Leader wants this man in his close circle of advisers.

Remember Clausewitz comment on Commanders. The Commander of the Army MUST either be the head of the GOvernment OR sit in the Cabinet and have a strong say in HOW the country is ruled while the Army is engaged. Thus the Supreme Leader may want this man near him so to better interact the Iranian Military with the Government. It is more a sign Iran thinks something is up more than anything else.

[ohio2007]

11. The president also serves under the mullahs, at the whim of the ruling class

A'job was a distant 3rd in the presidential campaign and...turned out to win ? gmafb.Ralph Nader would like those politics.


Watch out if you don't please the mullahs, they tend to 'kill the messenger' if they don't like what they hear

Sacked Iran minister warns of energy 'catastrophe'
08.19.07, 3:23 PM ET

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2959975 The minister was a hand picked member A'jobs cabnet

Iran executed 30 for alleged U.S. plots
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x302564

yes,
they invented 'the great satan' as a diversion...how long can they keep up the boogy man pony show before having the military clamp down on the masses ?



Iran's power struggle deepens

Any national election in today's Iran provides a crucial test of the balance of power between the country's two broad political camps, the reformists and the conservatives.

snip

It was a high bid indeed. At this stage in the 2000 general election, 758 would-be candidates were disqualified out of 6,860 who registered nationwide. While the registrations this time are somewhat higher, the number of disqualifications is nearly five times as many.

snip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3448755.stm

Disqualified for not being 'pure' enough.
Sit down and get ready,the show is about to start again

[ohio2007]

12. interesting swipe taken by the mullah at the dinner jacket

Irans surprising TV smash hit -
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=100_1189664576


who controls the ultimate ratings game in Iran ?