The army's unprecedented warning to the IRGC to support the people and issue an arrest warrant for Khamenei and the heads of the armed forces
The Iranian army's serious warning to the Revolutionary Guards and its declaration of support for the people, along with the issuance of an arrest warrant for Khamenei and the heads of the armed forces, brought the power equations to a new level.
Amid the intensification of nationwide protests in Iran, a series of unprecedented messages and stances have been released by the Islamic Republic's army forces, indicating a clear declaration of support from parts of the army for the people and a direct warning to the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the repressive forces; developments that, along with the issue of the arrest warrant for Ali Khamenei and the heads of the armed forces, have brought the country's political and security atmosphere to a sensitive stage.
On Sunday night, January 4, many army forces released video messages on social media, warning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that the army would take action if the repression of the people continued. These messages, which were widely distributed by the ground and air forces, emphasize the army's standing with the Iranian people and indicate the deep gap between the army and the government's structure of repression.
In one of the most explicit of these stances, Captain Sajjad Askari, a member of the Army Air Force, clearly announced his and his comrades' stance by releasing a video message addressed to Sardar Ashtari, the commander of the Islamic Republic's police force. In this message, he said: "I have a fair proposal, Sardar! You and all your comrades from all over the world are on one side, and we, the army, are with the people on the other. You are armed to the teeth, we are determined, relying on our faith. May it be the day I, the army, and my comrades, die that you brazenly appear among the personnel under your command and encourage them to shed the blood of innocent people. Is your path the path of the martyrs? If the martyrs knew that you and your kind were accustomed to shedding the blood of innocent people like this, they would have sealed your generation and your kind before they went to war with the Baathist and hypocritical regime and ISIS.
"Sardar! You remember my image, we also remember your image and face. People of Iran! I and my comrades in the army will stand by you until our last breath in pursuit of our rights. The first and last issue of justice is the freedom of the homeland. We are alive not to rest, we are waves whose comfort is our absence."
At the same time as Captain Askari's message was released, the Army's ground forces also directly addressed the Revolutionary Guards in a warning tone, announcing that all shootings against people were being monitored and recorded.
The message they released states: "All bullets fired at people have been identified and recorded by us, from which area and by which group. Do not shoot at people, because we have statistics on the bullets you have fired in each area and we will come after you."
They added, emphatically, to the IRGC: "Don't hope for the support of the regime, stand by the Iranian nation. The army warns three times, then fires. We have now warned twice, only one more warning remains, and then we will come to you."
These positions are being published while "Mohammad Mehdi Ghorban", a cleric and former representative of Ali Khamenei's office in Brazil and a seminary instructor, has also announced a legal and political development by releasing a video message. Ghorban, who in previous years was known as one of the figures affiliated with the official structure of the Islamic Republic, had taken critical positions in recent months and now, in his video message, has spoken of issuing arrest warrants for the highest officials of the regime.
In a video message on his personal Instagram page, he announced: "The arrest warrant for Ali Khamenei, Pezzekian, Shamkhani, Ghalibaf, Larijani, and Ejei was issued by the National Prosecutor's Office of Iran. All Iranian military, law enforcement, and security forces who are on duty today and have joined the nation are asked to execute this warrant."
"Any Iranian armed forces that have the ability to arrest one of these rioters are requested to arrest these individuals based on the legal order issued by the Iranian National Prosecutor's Office so that their crimes can be dealt with in a timely manner."
He added to the Iranian people: "People of Iran! Today, Khamenei issued a war decree against the nation, and the Iranian National Prosecutor's Office has officially and legally issued an arrest warrant for these individuals based on preventing unrest and bloodshed in the country. Just as Khamenei himself said that the rioter must be put in his place, the entire Iranian nation knows that the main rioters are Khamenei and his agents, who must be punished."
"Just as Maduro was arrested by order of the US, this support is also for the people of Iran. But before the intervention of American and Israeli forces, the people of Iran must arrest the regime's agents with the help of the army. Historical and wealthy Iran must be liberated and victorious by your hands."
The series of these developments, from the army's explicit warnings to the IRGC to raising the issue of the arrest warrant for Khamenei and the heads of the armed forces, indicates a serious shift in the balance of narratives and alignments within the power structure; a situation that could have far-reaching consequences for the future of the protests, the role of the army, and the path of political developments in Iran.
