Iran: Khamenei Elevates State Security Force (SSF) Command and Call for Formation of SSF’s Intelligence Organization in Fear of an Uprising

 

Written by
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

NCRI logoMotion To Establish an Organization for Judiciary’s Security and Intelligence in Regime’s Parliament
On Khamenei’s orders, and to counter public anger and disgust to prevent protests and uprisings that threaten the regime’s survival, the clerical regime elevated the repressive SSF (State Security Force or NAJA in Farsi) to General Command of SSF (or FARAJA in Farsi). This puts SSF on par with IRGC and the conventional military. IRGC Brig. Gen. Mehdi Hajian, the spokesperson for the SSF, told Tasnim news agency, on May 15, 2022, “Due to the grace and care of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Ali Khamenei), the SSF’s General Command structure was changed from a force to a General Command, similar to the Revolutionary Guards or the General Command of the Army.” He added, “Special Police was also elevated; the SSF’s intelligence service was established which would be responsible for homeland security.”

IRGC Major Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the regime’s Armed Forces, had previously announced the approval of the plan to form FARAJA on December 6, 2021, and told the State TV: “Approval of the comprehensive plan of establishing FARAJA is a turning point to further secure the country.” According to the state media, “The commander of the SSF will be the same level as the commanders of the Army and the IRGC and equivalent to the first vice president.”

A spokesman for the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI) said on December 8, 2021: “Changing the structure and elevating the repressive SSF under the command of Khamenei is another major step in the direction of repression to counter the nationwide uprisings.”

In another development, 74 deputies of the regime’s parliament presented a motion to establish an organization for Judiciary’s Security and Intelligence, which according to the IRGC’s news agency, Fars, on May 17, 2022, “will elevate the Center for Security and Intelligence in Judiciary to an organization for Security and Intelligence gathering for the Judiciary,” tasked to “prevent, detect, identify and counter conspiracies and espionage activities, sabotage, rebellion, and discontent among the people and actions against national security that fall under its jurisdiction.”

The establishment of new repressive organs and devoting astronomical budgets to them, which further impoverish the Iranian people, shows, more than anything else, the regime’s stalemate and its fear of uprising and overthrow. But these measures will only intensify the people’s rage even further. The explosive potential of the people chanting, “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is illegitimate,” can no longer be contained.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

May 19, 2022

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