Unprecedented Army Warning to IRGC in Support of People and Issuance of Arrest Warrant for Khamenei and Heads of Power

A serious warning from the Iranian Army to the Revolutionary Guards and declaration of support for the people, coinciding with the issuance of an arrest warrant for Khamenei and heads of power, has brought power equations into a new phase.

Amid escalating nationwide protests in Iran, a set of unprecedented messages and positions have been released by forces of the Islamic Republic’s Army, demonstrating open support from sections of the military for the people and direct warnings to the Revolutionary Guards and suppressive forces; developments that, coinciding with the issuance of an arrest warrant for Ali Khamenei and heads of power, have brought the country’s political and security environment into a sensitive phase.

On the night of Sunday, January 4 (December 14 in the Persian calendar), many army forces, by publishing video messages on social networks, warned the Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guards that if suppression of the people continues, the army will take action. These messages, widely distributed by ground and air forces of the military, emphasize the army’s standing with the Iranian people and reflect a deep rift between the military body and the government’s suppressive structure.

In one of the most explicit of these positions, Captain “Sajad Asgarı,” a member of the Air Force, by publishing a video message addressed to “Commander Ashtari,” commander of the Islamic Republic’s law enforcement, clearly declared his and his comrades’ position. In this message, he said: “I have a fair proposal, Commander! You and all your comrades from all over the world on one side, and us military personnel standing with the people on the other. You are heavily armed, we are determined by our faith. May it be the day of my death as a military person and my comrades’ that you shamelessly appear before your subordinates and encourage them to shed the blood of innocent people. Is your path the path of martyrs? Had the martyrs known that you and those like you would become accustomed to shedding the blood of innocent people, before going to war with the Ba’athist regime, hypocrites, and ISIS, you and those like you would have been sealed.

Commander! Remember my image, we too remember your image and face. People of Iran! My comrades and I in the military stand by you until our last breath in the path of asserting our rights. The first and last issue of justice is freedom of the homeland. We are alive for it, we will not rest, we are a wave whose tranquility is our non-existence.”

Simultaneously with the publication of Captain Asgarı’s message, reconnaissance forces of the ground army also directly addressed the Revolutionary Guards in a warning tone, declaring that all shootings against the people are being monitored and recorded.

In the message released by them, it states: “All bullets fired toward the people have been identified and recorded by us, indicating which area they were fired from and by which group. Do not fire at the people, because we have statistics of the bullets you have fired in each area and we will come after you.”

They further emphasized, addressing the Revolutionary Guards: “Do not expect system support, stand with the Iranian nation. The army warns three times, then fires. We have now warned twice, only one more warning remains, and after that we will come after you.”

These positions are being released while “Mohammad Mahdi Qorbaniyyan,” a cleric and former representative of Ali Khamenei’s office in Brazil and one of the teachers of the religious seminary, by publishing a video message, has announced a legal and political development. Qorbaniyyan, who in recent years had been known as one of the faces affiliated with the formal structure of the Islamic Republic, has adopted critical positions in recent months and now in his video message speaks of the issuance of arrest warrants for the highest officials of the system.

He announced in a video message on his personal Instagram page: “The arrest warrant for Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian, Shamkhani, Qalibaf, Larijanı, and Azehi has been issued by Iran’s National Prosecutor’s Office. All military, law enforcement, and security forces of Iran who are working today and have joined the people are requested to implement this warrant.

Each of Iran’s armed forces that has the capability to arrest one of these troublemakers is asked to detain these individuals based on the legal warrant issued by Iran’s National Prosecutor’s Office so that their crimes can be addressed in time.”

He further addressed the Iranian people: “People of Iran! Today Khamenei issued an order for war against the nation, and Iran’s National Prosecutor’s Office, based on preventing unrest and bloodshed in the country, has formally and legally issued the arrest warrant for these individuals. As Khamenei himself said that a troublemaker must be put in his place, all the Iranian nation knows that the main troublemakers are Khamenei and his agents who must be punished.

Just as Maduro was arrested at the orders of America, this support is also there for the Iranian people. But before American and Israeli forces intervene, the Iranian people must, with the help of the army, arrest the regime’s agents. The historical and wealthy Iran must be freed and victorious by your hands.”

This collection of developments, from the army’s explicit warnings to the Revolutionary Guards to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Khamenei and heads of power, indicates a serious change in the balance of narratives and alignments within the power structure; a situation that could have far-reaching consequences for the future of protests, the role of the military, and the course of political developments in Iran.