Leading opposition figure Mehdi Karoubi said two days ago in an interview, “The current government is the ruling government in the country and it is responsible to serve the people and be accountable.” His remarks however were published by Fars News Agency, a group affiliated with the security and military establishment in Iran in this fashion: “I continue to press on my issues but I also recognize the president.”

Fars claimed that this was the sentence that Karoubi had used in response to a question raised by a Fars reporter. But this was enough to create a storm in the news and political circles of Iran. In the Internet, the response was negative. An hour later, seyed Mojtaba Vahedi, Karoubi’s aide presented an explanation quoting Karoubi and said, “As I was leaving the congress a number of reporters asked me some questions and in response I told them that after the official transfer, the current government is the ruling government and it is responsible to pursue the work of the people and is accountable.”

According to Mr. Vahedi, the Karoubi who is the secretary general of the Etemad Melli party explained his remarks in these words, “In that very interview, I stressed the point that wide fraud had taken place in the elections and I continue to stand by all my assertions regarding the elections and the protests, which I shall continue and am not afraid of the threats, insults and attacks, and will not retreat. At the same time, people have specific issues that the ruling government must resolve and the current government is the ruling government after the official transfer, and is thus accountable.”

Karoubi stressed that his position was the same as that of the people which was: “Where is my vote,” and added, “Today I said in an interview with a British newspaper that you can be certain that Ahmadinejad’s government will not last four years.”

Vote Rigging
Hossein Karoubi, the son of the prominent cleric quoted his father’s words to Saham News and said that he continues to believe that the elections were rigged and that the final tallies were completely manipulated.

According to Hossein Karoubi, his father also said, “Since ayatollah Khamenei had confirmed the presidency of Ahmadinejad, he recognized him as the head of the government.”

In an interview to the BBC, and in response to the question as to why was Mr. Karoubi’s position being announced months after the confirmation of the presidency, he said, “Perhaps it was because he waited to see whether the regime would respect the protests of the people in the last 7 to 8 months and heed to their demands. But now that the regime insists on not respecting the calls of the people, he wants to create an exit.”

Karoubi’s son responded to another question on whether this was a retreat or not, said, “Mr. Karoubi’s remarks are similar to what Mr. Mir-Hossein Mousavi has mentioned in his 7th statement. This is not a retreat but a search for a breakthrough from the situation that has been created by the government and taken the country to the edge of a precipice.”

Hossein Karoubi also expressed his hope that his father’s new position would “results in Majlis’ serious oversight on the work of the administration and hold it accountable for the measures it has taken which are against the national interest of the country.”

at the Democracy Party Congress (Kongereye Hezbe Mardomsalari), hours before his interview, in response to the remarks made by Abu-Torabi, the Majlis deputy Speaker, Mehdi Karoubi had said, “Today the issue is not elections, but the death of the youth under torture.”

Abu-Torabi had criticized Mehdi Karoubi for not accepting the mediation of the Guardian Council’s special committee. This resulted in Karoubi taking the stage without any prior schedule and addressed him, “I did not accept the mediation because they wanted to cover up the issues.”

He then mentioned the rigging in the elections and said, “There are many instances where people have testified that they were present at the ballot boxes when some 90 or 100 votes had been cast, but the boxes were later emptied.” He then talked about meeting the family members of Dr Beheshti (his senior advisor who is behind bars) and said, “They even approached ayatollah Mazaheri who said that he was afraid they would arrest him as well.”

Addressing Abu-Torabi, Karoubi further said, “Brother. The issue is not about elections. The issue is that four young people were killed at Kahrizak. When we were in prison during the Shah’s time because of our struggle, even if they brought in an armed guerrilla and tortured him, they would take him to the prison clinic after that and treat him. But today there is so much torture that the person dies under it. These are the real issues.”

“You are good people. Open your eyes and see what is going on and what are they doing to people. We did not ask people to come to the streets and protest. This was their own decision and we must understand this reality that this decision was made by people not me, Mehdi Karoubi,” Karoubi said.

A day before the newsy interview, the Etemad Melli party’s public relations office had issued a statement as a response to Kayhan newspaper and said, “Mr. Karoubi is staunchly standing (in his position) and has proof for all his statements.”

Kayhan newspaper, whose editor is directly appointed by the leader of the Islamic republic, had written that Karoubi had apparently been sleeping during the past 7 to 8 months and had just woken up to realize what a big mistake he had made.  In response, Etemad Melli wrote, “It is those who for years have been denying the rights of people  and who do not understand the meaning of detaining the children of this revolution, such as Ali-Reza Beheshti, putting prison clothes on them, and standing them under the picture of ayatollah Beheshti in court who are asleep. It is those who do not understand what is going on who are asleep which forces them to bring anti-riot police to the mourning ceremony of ayatollah Beheshti out of fear. Those people who have not seen the three million people who marched on Khordad 25 and did not hear their silence that are asleep.”