MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

Is Iran’s new President elect Hassan Rouhani really a moderate and a reformer? Fat chance. The fact that the 12-member Guardians Council of clerics permitted his candidacy — not to mention the “Annihilate-Israel-And-Kill-All-Jews-Worldwide” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself — should speak volumes. Islam is the law of the land in Iran and the Qur’an is the quintessential source of influence for the Islamic Republic’s own constitution as well as its foreign policy, one that openly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. And when the “infallible god” of Islam is called “the best of deceivers” by such a quintessential book, we can be certain that The Office of the Supreme Leader will do everything in its power to mimic Allah’s “divine” example …

By Nazila Fathi, CNN – “Millions of Iranians poured into the streets Saturday to celebrate the victory of presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani. Huge crowds snarled traffic in the capital, Tehran, demanding the release of hundreds of political prisoners arrested during protests over sham elections four years ago. ‘My dead brother and sister, I got your vote back,’ people chanted, a reference to more than 100 demonstrators killed by the regime.

The surprise was not so much that 18 million votes were cast for Rouhani, slightly more than half the ballots, but the fact that the regime had endorsed his victory, triggering hope that international pressure over Iran’s nuclear program and growing internal rifts at home might have forced the leadership to restore some of its lost legitimacy.

Rouhani is not a reformist, even according to Iranian standards. He had backed the violent crackdown against the pro-democracy student movement in 1999 and never formally aligned himself with the reformist camp. A cleric and a veteran politician since 1979, he was in the circle close to the founder of the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini. He served five terms as a member of Parliament and 16 years as the head of the National Security Council.

… The president sets the tone for domestic and foreign policy and can make room for more moderate voices in politics. But he holds little power compared with the authority that the constitution gives Khamenei. If Khamenei is willing to end international pressure over Iran’s nuclear program, Rouhani provides the perfect opportunity.” Read more.

‘Merciless’ Hassan Rouhani Bragged About Deceiving The West Over Iranian Nuclear Program – “‘For 16 years starting in 1989, Mr. Rohani served as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. During his tenure on the council, Mr. Rouhani led the crackdown on a 1999 student uprising and helped the regime evade Western scrutiny of its nuclear-weapons program… As Mr. Rouhani said at a pro-regime rally in July 1999: ‘At dusk yesterday we received a decisive revolutionary order to crush mercilessly and monumentally any move of these opportunist elements wherever it may occur.” … While Iranians may know him as the man behind a brutal crackdown (one I witnessed as I was in Iran at the time), most Western diplomats know him as a nuclear negotiator during the last years of the Mohammad Khatami administration. Years later, Rouhani bragged about how he deceived the West.” Read more.

Iranian Christian: All Candidates Were Part Of Ayatollah’s Team, ‘I Really Don’t Know What Will Be Next’ – “‘In your Western media, the candidates are divided into conservatives and reformers, as if there is a choice, but let me tell you this: there is no choice. All of the candidates are from Ayatollah Khamenei’s team,’ Open Doors ministry said in a statement, quoting an Iranian Christian believer… Ethnic Persians are by definition Muslim, and therefore, ethnic Persian Christians are seen as apostates …” Read more.

Israeli Defense Minister Warns Iran May Exploit Rohani Win To Advance Nuclear Program – “Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon cautioned on Tuesday that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may exploit the moderate image of President elect Hassan Rohani to advance Tehran’s nuclear project… Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu shares his concerns, Ya’alon added. ‘The very fact that he [Khamenei] allowed Rohani to be elected is interesting. But we must not delude ourselves, as Rohani is a part of the conservative regime and the Islamic Revolution …” Read more.