The commander of Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has praised the role of Sarallah (Sar-Allah) Headquarters in Tehran in Iran’s security, saying it plays a major role in defeating plots by “the enemy”.
Hossein Salami made the remarks on Monday in a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the order to establish Sarallah HQ, which is officially under the direct command of the IRGC's commander in chief, but he delegates his authority to a deputy commander.
The enemies have realized that the decline in their power originates from this place, and therefore Tehran is where all the enmities and conspiracies against the country converge and thwarted, he said.
Tehran is a city with global influences, whose insightful residents have overcome hardships with the power of faith and tolerance, Salami added.
Considered the most important IRGC ground force, Sarallah is tasked with keeping the capital secure and protecting key institutions and the offices of the government. Its undeclared mission is suppressing dissent and protests as they did heavy-handedly during the popular protests in the past few years.
Salami’s remarks come while the former de facto commander of the Sarallah HQ, Mohammad Esmail Kosari, who now represents Tehran at the parliament, is pushing to ease the use of firearms by different security forces against civilians amid recurring protests.
"In every country and human society, the security of the security forces and the police is a priority, followed by the security of the society. They have a duty to establish security in society, therefore they need to use firearms to maintain that security," Kosari said on Monday.
Most columnists and commentators welcomed the recent resignation of Raisi's Labor Minister Hojjat Abdolmaleki but said that many more ministers will have to leave the cabinet.
Nonetheless, some commentators including Reformist lawmaker Naser Ghavami said replacing current ministers with new ones cannot solve Iran's economic problems. He added that even the best economists cannot tackle the ongoing economic crisis because the underlying reason for problems is the political system itself.
Ghavami charged that the government has made Iran dependant on Russia and China, adding that the two countries simply follow their own interests.
Former lawmaker Mohammad Reza Khabbaz asked: "Do not these minister feel any shame even before their own conscience for accepting to be in charge of key ministries? On what basis has Raisi appointed them as ministers? And what do those who suggested these individuals think about the situation now?"
Khabbaz said that many more ministers from Raisi's cabinet need to go. Meanwhile, he called those ministers who promised to create one million jobs or build one million houses every year, "liars." He further asked: "Isn't what they have been doing a waste of the country's resources and the nation's dignity?"
Columnist Mohammad Shadi wrote in a commentary in Jahan Sanat newspaper that his publication has been in the market for nearly two decades and it was evident for its journalists that Raisi's ministers were not fit for their jobs. Shadi opined that at least two more economic ministers should leave the government.
Shadi wrote that Iran needs to prove that its economic policies are consistent with international norms if it wishes to attract foreign investment.
The new reformist daily Arman Emrooz, not to be mistaken with the very similar looking Arman Melli, wrote that "during the past ten months since Raisi took office, he has issued a major directive every 9 days. However, 3 out of every 4 orders have been ignored by those who had to carry them out."
The daily added: "Out of 37 official orders issued by Raisi, 27 of them have not been carried out at all, 6 have been carried out and another 4 have been abandoned halfway through their implementation."
Meanwhile, Tahmoures Hoseini wrote in an article in Toseh Irani newspaper: "Because of the government's performance, the divide between the people and officials has increasingly widened in recent years. The current government blames its predecessors and the members of the previous government blame the way elections are held in Iran.
The daily wrote that the rise in the number of protests is another indication of the government's failure while it keeps blaming the United States. The daily quoted Former lawmaker Gholamreza Jafarzadeh Imanabadi: "I should say clearly that I doubt the honesty of Raisi's economic team. Raisi needs to reshuffle his government and try to meet the promises he made to the people for their votes."
Economist Albert Boghossian wrote in Setareh Sobh that most of the complaints about the government have something to do with Raisi's broken promises. Boghossian also added that neither Raisi nor his economic team can make any difference while the system does not allow for reforms.
Despite all this, the administration-owned daily, Iran, says all is well, and quotes Raisi as saying, "There is no problem in Iran that cannot be solved."
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who came to Iran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, was welcomed by Raisi at Saad Abad palace on Sunday, which follows several other foreign visits to Tehran in recent weeks in a what could be a determined effort to show that the Islamic |Republic is not isolated internationally.
Iran’s state media said that officials from the two countries signed nine Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on transit and transportation, scientific and cultural exchanges, agriculture and other fields in a session overseen by the presidents.
Speaking in a joint press conference with his Kazakh counterpart after the signing ceremony, Raisi claimed bilateral trade ties have increased in recent months, adding that the volume of transactions should reach $3 billion, which sounds far-fetched given the current figure of about $265 million according to the country’s customs administration.
Just recently, Raisi welcomed Turkmenistan’s new President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and signed documents for bilateral economic cooperation, and a day earlier, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was in Iran to bolster ties.
The Raisi administration has promulgated once and again that its foreign policy is focused on expanding relations with neighbors, a policy hailed by the Supreme Leader.
