Reactions to the former Minister of Intelligence's statements about Hashemi Rafsanjani and the attempt to disqualify him; Mohsen Hashemi's "grievance" to Khamenei

The statements of Iran's former intelligence minister about how Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was disqualified in the 2013 presidential election have been met with strong reactions from Rafsanjani's relatives and political allies, including Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Former Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi made it clear in a television interview on Sunday, June 13, that Hashemi Rafsanjani was disqualified in 2013 based on his recommendation to the Guardian Council. Moslehi said that at the time, the Intelligence Ministry had predicted that Rafsanjani would win the election, and that is why he had asked the Guardian Council members to disqualify him, considering the “costs and benefits” of confirming or disqualifying Rafsanjani.

Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, spokesman for the Guardian Council, rejected the former intelligence minister's claim on Monday, June 14, and wrote in a tweet: "I don't want to talk about the gentlemen's interactions with him in the meeting."

In response to this news, Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, who was the head of Rafsanjani's election campaign in 2013, called on the Guardian Council in a series of tweets to release the video and audio of the meeting that Heydar Moslehi referred to.

Also, Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, then Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, wrote a letter to the leader of the Islamic Republic on Monday, "appealing" to him. According to ISNA news agency, Mohsen Hashemi also referred to the presidential elections scheduled to be held this Friday and asked Ayatollah Khamenei to "not allow the Islamic Republic to change its course to a so-called Islamic government and save Iran from a dangerous turn."

Heidar Moslehi was the Minister of Intelligence in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government and repeatedly accused Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani of aligning himself with the "leaders of sedition." Ayatollah Khamenei and his supporters described Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as leaders of sedition after nationwide protests over the 2009 election results.

Earlier, Ali Larijani had asked the Guardian Council to announce the reasons for his disqualification. Not long ago, Ayatollah Khamenei had said that "incorrect" reports had been given to the Guardian Council regarding some of the disqualified candidates, but the Guardian Council announced that those reports had no impact on the outcome of the disqualifications.

Source: Voice of America