Hardliner Kayhan daily's main editorial on February 12, 2009, clearly shows how far supporters of the ninth administration are willing to go to hold on to the presidency. The editorial is a response to Khatami's announcement of candidacy, and contains unprecedented threats against him. Here are portions of the editorial.
"Certain political currents [reformers] do not participate in elections essentially to take charge of the executive or legislative branches; as some of them have concluded, their intention is to change the regime and remake its essence. Accordingly, it seems that their intention in introducing a certain candidate who has issues with the regime [Khatami] is not to take over the executive branch - maybe they think this to be unachievable or currently ineffective. In reality, these political groups aim at using the national and international reputation of this candidate - even if he strongly disagrees initially - to cast doubt on the entire method of elections… The aim of radicals [reformers] in participating in the political events of the regime is to increase the cost to the regime, not to benefit the presidency or the elections. Will they not adopt a different strategy once they fail to realize their aims? In Pakistan, the Americans initially tried very hard to bring Benazir Bhutto to power through propaganda and diplomacy, and to control Pakistan through her, but they adopted a different method when they realized that her party was completely incapable of winning majority seats. This is an enlightening experience."
The message of above remarks is obvious: Khatami's candidacy would have hefty costs for him. This time, they are clearly warning him of the fate of "Benazir Bhutto." Without being coy about it, they are threatening Khatami to death; a murder whose scenario is already fully described by the Kayhan editorial: according to Kayhan, such a murder would be ordered by America, conducted by reformists, in order to "increase costs to the regime."
We have not forgotten how, in previous instances of assassinations, newspapers like Kayhan have always tried to give the wrong address for the assassinators. The main editorial of Kayhan accused opposition groups of operating under US support for an assassination attempt in 2000 on the life of Saeed Hajjarian, Khatami's political advisor, which later turned out to be done by forces affiliated with the conservative camp in Iran. We also have not forgotten how this newspaper printed editorial after editorial to prove that the chain murders of intellectuals in 1998, which were carried out by the Islamic Republic intelligence service, were conducted by America.
And look at the example they have used in recalling Benazir Bhutto! The suggested scenario is this: Benazir Bhutto was brought over by Americans to control Pakistan, and when it turned out that she would not win, they killed her. But who does not know that Al Qaeda took responsibility for Benazir Bhutto's assassination - the same group that was armed in the 1980s by "militarists interested in politics," not "reformists."
It is clear that the upcoming presidential elections, for a thousand and one reasons, would be more difficult than the earlier ones. Some are announcing right from the start that they would shed blood if someone attempted to take the government away from them. And this is only the beginning.
