The Baghdadpost, July 05 2017 – Qassim Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force, affiliated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has heavily criticized the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a new war of words between the government and IRGC, ASharq Al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.   

This comes as a response to Rouhani’s criticism of the IRGC’s role in Iran’s economic, political and media affairs.

In statements issued on Tuesday, Suleimani warned against weakening IRGC forces by “exposing them to various attacks”.

Meanwhile, well-informed sources suggested that the real reason behind the ongoing bickering was competition over three key ministries.

These ministries are the oil, intelligence and defense, ahead of the announcement of a new Iranian government next month.

Suleimani implicitly warned Iranian officials of standing against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
 He added that the IRGC should be kept away from political disputes and should not be politicized.

Last month, the Iranian president strongly criticized the IRGC, which he described as a “government with a rifle”.

Rouhani also criticized the IRGC intervention in the Iranian economy.

Speaking during a conference for IRGC leaders and fighters who participated in the first Gulf war, the Quds Force Commander said: “Had it not been for the IRGC, the country would not have existed.”