When Khamenei Falls, So Will the Regime

Among the protestors in Egypt, there was a woman sitting on the street holding a placard that read: Thank you Egyptian military for remaining with the nation. And so the scenario that took place in Tunisia repeated itself in Egypt: the military did not side either with the dictator nor the people, but stayed with the country. But have the gentlemen who have usurped the seats of power in Iran and dream of permanently staying there come to the realization that the approach that they have chosen ties everything, the country, to Mr. Khamenei regime and his surrogates? As things stand, when he goes, so does everything else. Does Mr. Khamenei himself realize that when the falling domino arrives in Iran, it will not leave anything standing?

According to article 150 of Iran’s Islamic constitution, the duty of the Revolutionary Guards is to protect the Islamic revolution and its achievements. According to article 108, the Assembly of Experts on Leadership is the only body that has the right to make its own rules and determine the leader of the country. According to article 156, the judiciary is an independent branch that must uphold individual rights and is responsible for the implementation of justice, in addition to being responsible for other tasks such as administering justice and issuing sentences to redress grievances and harm, the restoration of the rights of the public right, etc. According to article 161 the duty of the Supreme Court is to monitor and supervise the correct implementation of laws in the courts of law. According to article 62 Majlis representatives must be elected by direct popular vote and be the voice of the people, etc.

The current Islamic constitution of Iran has many such provisions and principles. But are they practiced? Have the Iranian armed forces which right from the first day of the popular demonstrations of 2009 chose to drive over the bodies of protestors with their vehicles, the judiciary that issued execution orders, prison terms and torture practices for dissidents, the legislature that could not even demonstrate respect for the legal protests over the rigged elections, the Assembly of Experts that approved of the leader’s posture, etc not tied their destiny to Iran’s Hosni Mubarak? Or even beyond that, has Mr. Khamenei not tied his destiny to that of the institution of V ali Faghih (supreme religious leader) and ultimately to the Islamic Republic as a whole?

The protestors in Egypt and Tunisia are calling for Mubarak and Ben Ali to leave while at the same time congratulating the army commanders for staying on the side of the people. Contrast this with the approach of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the peaceful demonstrators of their countrymen who began by simply asking “where is my vote” but seeing how they were treated soon began to chant “death to Khamenei” and then to “death to the Islamic Republic.”

By taking control of all the institutions in the country has Mr. Khamenei not tied their fate and ultimately that of the Islamic Republic regime onto his own? Future events will provide the answer to these questions but till then – which will not be far away – is it not reasonable that voices should rise from amongst the institutions and personalities in the Islamic Republic in support of the country, voices similar to those of the army in Egypt and Tunisia? If this does not happen, then what is certain is that this regime will fall when Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their structure fall.