Iranian Journalist: The Green Movement Had No Real Leadership

22 Feb 2011 (Ynet) Renewed protests in Iran have the world asking whether the
ayatollah regime will meet with the same fate as those of Tunisia and Egypt, but an Iranian journalist who spoke to Ynet Monday says the answer is no.

“Iran is not Egypt; the regime has various councils to determine policies and plans for such a contingency,” the 28-year old journalist from Tehran, who asked to remain anonymous, explained.

He claimed that, unlike Egypt, the opposition would not just have to topple the president but rather the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In addition, he said, the ayatollah regime is well-guarded by the loyal Revolutionary Guard.

“Egypt had a president, we have a regime,” he explained. “If Khamenei falls, he will be replaced by someone exactly like him.”

The journalist conversed with Ynet’s reporter via Google chat, which was blocked on Monday by the Iranian government in efforts to prevent information from leaving the country. But many Iranians have found ways to bypass the attempt at censorship.

At least two people were killed during renewed anti-government protests Monday in Tehran, though the turnout seemed lower than last week’s revolt.

Last week a British newspaper published a letter suggesting that Revolutionary Guard officers have pledged not to fire at protestors.

The Iranian journalist addressed the possibility that the officers will join the anti-regime protest. “Is that a joke? Nothing could not be further from the truth. It’s like saying that people in Israel want to tear down the Western Wall like the Berlin Wall. It will never happen.”

The difference between the Revolutionary Guard and the average Iranian is quite substantial, he explained.

The only way to topple the Iranian regime is by a military coup which is unlikely, he added. “Should Iran be attacked the Revolutionary Guard will start a third world war,” he noted.

Israel’s President Shimon Peres was previously quoted as saying “Iran will be stopped by the people.”

The journalist also leveled criticism at opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi. “They lost their credibility. They became a symbol and nothing more, people don’t listen to them anymore,” he said. “The Green Movement has failed, it is run by Iranian expats.”

The journalist claimed that Mousavi and Karoubi were subject to outside influence and noted the Green Movement had no real leadership.

The two opposition leaders have been under house arrest since last week. Meanwhile, government supporters continue to call for their execution.

“Granted, many Iranians loath the regime and hate Khamenei but the other half that supports him is ignored by the media,” the journalist said. The average Iranian is tired of protests and seeks calm, he added.

By Dudi Cohen for Ynetnews.com