IRAN: Government on brink of collapse, says man claiming to be former intelligence officer

A man purporting to be a former high-ranking member of the Iranian intelligence services says the Islamic Republic is cracking at the seams and predicts that Iran will undergo "big changes" in the near future.

"The government has already collapsed," Mohammad Reza Madhi, 46, who claims to be a former officer in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard and an aide to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a recent interview with the English-language Thai newspaper Bangkok Post. "There's going to be big changes very soon. Believe me, it will happen soon.” 

He says the government is facing widespread opposition to the point that it cannot even trust cornerstone institutions such as the army.

“The government cannot rely 100% on the Iranian army and even on the Revolutionary Guards," he said. "There are now only a few hard-line religious people inside the Revolutionary Guards who are against the people."

Iran dismissed the report. A written response to the article undersigned "Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran" lashed out at the Bangkok Post, saying the newspaper had made an “unacceptable miscalculation” by printing the “suspicious interview."

“The so-called 'revelations’ by the unknown figure reflect everything but the ground truth in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The said article seems to have fallen into the trap of some sort of profiteering and the interviewer and its organizers have gambled their credibility,” read the letter. 

Madhi was not late to fire back at the note, saying that the claims made about him in the letter were false and that he was embarrassed by the tone of Iran's diplomatic representatives.

According to the Bangkok Post report, Madhi first served in the Iranian army in the early 1980s and then moved on to work in the intelligence branch of the Revolutionary Guard.

At some point in his career, the former intelligence officer said he had a change of heart and claimed he began passing on “secret information” to Iran’s most senior dissident cleric, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who died in late December.

Madhi said he was handed a 73-year jail sentence for what he calls a “trivial charge," which made him flee the country. 

Since what he described as his escape from Iran in 2008, he has has been devoting much of his time to mobilize Iranian opposition against the government.

On some days, he says, he spends more than 10 hours on the Internet and on the phone talking to people in Iran.

In his interview with the Thai newspaper, Madhi, who is apparently also known as Seyed Reza Hosseini, airs his thoughts on the current political and economic situation in his home country, his claimed previous close relationship with the supreme leader for nearly 20 years, and Iran’s controversial nuclear program, among other controversial topics. 

As for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration, Madhi finds the current government similar to that of Iran's Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was ousted in 1979.

“They [the Iranian government] took all the power in the country into their hands and have tried to run the country like it is their kingdom, similar to that of the shah," he said. "The shah wore the crown, but now the ayatollahs wear turbans. It is the same thing. They run the country like a kingdom."

Just as the shah's strategy backfired back in the 1970s, so too will the current government's, he said.

On the topic of the nuclear program, Madhi says he doesn’t think the Islamic Republic is developing nuclear weapons.

But, he adds, it might do so if other countries keep pressuring it.

Spilling the beans as an alleged former intelligence figure does come with a price tag. Madhi says the Iranian government has tried to kill him and discredit him publicly for his outspokenness. 

Despite that, he maintains a positive attitude and says he is “looking forward” to at one point going back to Iran to live with his family. 

Once there is a change of government, that is. 

“I will go back to build my country," he said. "Every Iranian should work to reconstruct Iran. ... I can promise you that I will meet you for the next interview in Tehran very soon."

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Photo: Mohammad Reza Madhi. Credit: Bangkok Post website

Comments

[reza]

thanks for your report and helping the iranian to get the freedom back and i belive this mand madhi is right and corect man and some poeple like who are doble agent like abrahimi having mation to kill madhis infomation and is beter for the whom that speck farsi go to follow link to see madhi is corect and they are not ,

http://www.irajmesdaghi.com/page1.php?id=334

[saba]

the Madhi is right on what he said and some poeple who are working for Iranian Intlagent and caring the name of oposation are trying to make his words noting which is proved by they words and the man whos is using thename of amir farshad abrahimy and lives in Berlin Germany is noting expte a liyear and photoshaper who did try to rabe Madhi and he did toak more than 25.000 Euro from madhi last year in Bankok and all the ducoment is poblished in follow link .
http://www.irajmesdaghi.com/page1.php?id=334

please dont try to kill Madhis word and dont let this man be silent he is real and is helping Mr. MOSAVI the leader of Green line Oposation .

[Mohammad reza madhiM]

My ANSWER:

http://www.baaykot.com/2010/01/blog-post_06.html

For Amir Farshad Ebrahimi

This guy is very suspicious. For those who know Farsi check out this article by Amir Farshad Ebrahimi about Madhi (http://www.goftaniha.org/2010/01/blog-post_4771.html).

[Mohammad reza madhi]

Hello
plesae Wrut Also My Answer to Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Best regard
madhi
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/30770/reply-to-iranian-embassy

POST BAG Reply to Iranian Embassy

* Published: 10/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

I am writing in response to a letter printed in PostBag on Jan 6 (''Suspicious interview'') signed Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, written in reference to my interview with Maxmilian Wechsler in the Jan 3 issue of the Bangkok Post Spectrum magazine (''Ex-spy chief says Iran government about to collapse''). Instead of addressing the issues I raised in the interview the embassy chose to insult me and the Bangkok Post newspaper.

The embassy called me an ''unknown figure claiming to be with the Iranian intelligence apparatus'' and said the newspaper had made a ''critical and unacceptable miscalculation'' and that the article was written to ''serve third-party intentions'' and was ''spreading lies and disinformation''.

I must say that I am embarrassed for this discourse by diplomatic representatives of my country. The embassy has forgotten that Thailand has freedom of expression and a free media and that attempts to dictate its wishes to the newspaper will fail.

The claims of the embassy about me are false. I showed all my professional and personnel documents to Mr Wechsler before he agreed to move forward with the interview, and I am prepared to publish all related film, photos and documents to prove I am who I say I am.

I was head of the committee, under the Assembly of Experts for Leadership (upper parliament), that is responsible for protecting and strengthening of the state and preventing the weakening of the state. I have a strong history and background in investigation, having presided over 38 national judicial cases, including investigation of violations by heads of the Judiciary and other institutions. I was the investigator in charge of serial political assassinations as well. In order to prevent any damage to my country and government I will refrain from revealing any details now.

My name as given in the interview is Mohammad Reza Madhi, but it is worth mentioning that I am known as Seyed Reza Hosseini, and the government and even the embassy are well familiar with me, but because of their official functions have to deny the truth. It is interesting that I am still familiar enough in important Iranian military, security, financial and banking circles.

The denial by the embassy does nothing to detract from my personal integrity or the integrity and values of the Bangkok Post newspaper. What is important is that the Iranian people know me well and that I have served them honestly.

Mohammad Reza Madhi

[kay ira]

This guy is very suspicious. For those who know Farsi check out this article by Amir Farshad Ebrahimi about Madhi (http://www.goftaniha.org/2010/01/blog-post_4771.html).

[Publicola]

This contribution is not necessarily to be published
TO THE EDITORIAL STAFF

Dear Madam/Dear Sir,

When I asked you to check on the reliability of the source cited by you
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/30425/iranian-insider-predicts-regime-change

I forgot to mention that this report had already been published by NIAC and after a short discussion had been marked there as unreliable (see the following link):
http://niacblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/former-irgc-spy-chief-the-end-is-near/

best wishes

Publicola

[Irane Azad]

Irrespectively, the writing is on the wall. This 5 minute clip tells the story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHqChB3p3q0.

[Publicola]

TO THE EDITORIAL STAFF

Dear Madam/Dear Sir,

please be so kind and check on the reliability of the source cited by you
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/30425/iranian-insider-predicts-regime-change

As far as I can judge, there seem to be reasons not to be too trusting in this case, as the source does not seem to be very reliable – at least according to the following website of Laura Lorenzo:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/0110/Beware_propaganda.html#

Best wishes

Publicola

Postscriptum:
Of course you are invited to feel quite free, for obvious reasons, to delete this my posting !

[Mostofi.blogspot.com]

Wow this is old news.