Iran stages Khamenei photos to mask cracks in IRGC, opposition groups say

Iran’s authorities released staged images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei successful an effort to amusement spot and boost a subject nether strain, according to absorption groups operating extracurricular the country.

The photographs, published by Iranian authorities media Jan. 31, marked Khamenei’s archetypal nationalist quality successful weeks and showed him praying astatine the tomb of Islamic Republic laminitis Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini arsenic authorities officials issued caller threats against the U.S. and Europe.

Ali Safavi, a elder authoritative with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the images were aimed little astatine reassuring the nationalist than astatine boosting morale among the regime’s weakening information forces.

"The images of Ali Khamenei were axenic propaganda," Safavi told Fox News Digital. "He wanted to amusement that helium is not acrophobic of dying, but astatine the aforesaid clip helium is desperately trying to boost the morale of his demoralized forces."

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Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei makes archetypal nationalist quality successful weeks with caller U.S. threats. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader Credit/Associated Press)

Safavi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remains the backbone of the regime’s powerfulness but is showing signs of strain aft weeks of suppressing nationwide protests.

"These images are intended to task spot and enactment up the repressive forces," helium said. "But underneath, the authorities is reeling from the world that its transgression clique cannot interruption the volition of the radical and Khamenei knows the concern volition ne'er instrumentality to what it was earlier Dec. 28."

The merchandise of the photos coincided with calls from the European Parliament to designate the IRGC arsenic a violent organization.

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The ultimate person attended prayers astatine the founder's tomb arsenic officials issued caller threats against the U.S. and Europe, absorption groups said. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/Associated Press)

"The IRGC is the backbone of this regime," Safavi said. "Its disintegration tin lone hap aft a cardinal displacement successful the equilibrium of forces and with the beingness of organized absorption connected the ground. Only past bash defections astatine little levels of the subject go meaningful."

Tehran reacted angrily to the European determination with Iranian lawmakers appearing successful IRGC uniforms successful a highly choreographed amusement of solidarity, according to reports.

A banner reading, "The Revolutionary Guard is the largest anti-terrorism enactment successful the world," was displayed astatine the speaker’s podium, and the IRGC emblem was prominently featured, according to the Times of Israel.

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Iranian authorities projects spot done staged images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei astatine prayers, absorption groups say. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/Associated Press)

"We saw the aforesaid happening erstwhile the U.S. designated the IRGC a overseas violent enactment successful 2019," Safavi said.

"More than fractional of these lawmakers are erstwhile IRGC commanders," helium added. "The IRGC dominates Iran’s system and permeates the executive, legislative and judicial branches, arsenic good arsenic acquisition institutions."

After the U.S. dispatched a naval onslaught radical led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, Khamenei besides warned Sunday successful comments reported by Iranian authorities media that immoderate subject enactment would trigger a wider determination conflict.

"We are not the ones who commencement a war," Khamenei said . "But if America attacks oregon harms Iran, the Iranian federation volition present a beardown stroke — and immoderate warfare started by America volition dispersed crossed the region," helium said per reports.

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President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Iran does not scope a woody connected its atomic program, "we’ll find out" whether Khamenei’s informing proves correct.

"Doing concern with Iran means doing concern with the IRGC," Safavi said. "The IRGC is the authorities — adjacent the clerics."