Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called for unity among the nation’s security apparatus, amid internal disagreements and increasing social unrest, according to state media.
On June 15th, key officials from the government’s security infrastructure convened in Mashhad for a crucial meeting that only became public knowledge a week later, on June 22nd.
The attendees included top-ranking officials such as Ismail Khatib, the Minister of Intelligence and Security; Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC); Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior; Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of Supreme National Security Council, and Ahmad Golapaygani, head of Khamenei’s office.
The Fars news agency, linked to the IRGC, reported that Khamenei had called for the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence to reconcile their differences and work together. He stressed the importance of intelligence to Iran and identified ongoing disagreements between security organizations as a significant weakness.
This call for unity underscores the escalating desperation and division within the regime’s security apparatus. It reflects the critical situation Iran is facing concerning social unrest and the increasing influence of organized opposition.
The need for increased cooperation was driven home by Khamenei earlier this year when he removed Hossein Taeb, the long-serving head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization. Taeb had noted the “generational rifts” and “rivalry” within Tehran’s security apparatus and its struggle against organized opposition.
Last week, Salami acknowledged the rivalry between different security systems and the regime’s precarious situation. He emphasized the need for the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization to present a unified front to avoid political distortions.
Ahmadian, who recently replaced Ali Shamkhani in the regime’s Supreme Security Council, echoed these sentiments, warning against “zooming on each other’s faults” in these trying times.
He stressed the importance of a “unified strategy” to combat increasing internal conflicts and disputes.
The long-standing rivalry between the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence has caused considerable friction over the years. Being led by rival factions within the regime, the two bodies have at times pursued conflicting domestic and international operations, leading to internal purges.
However, the recent escalation in rivalries prompting personal intervention indicates the urgent threat posed by the country’s volatile social climate. This meeting serves as a stark reminder of the regime’s desperation to consolidate its security apparatus in the face of mounting internal challenges.
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