Former Iranian Minister Predicts Regime Collapse

A former Iranian minister said the Iran’s Islamic regime is teetering on the brink of collapse within the next two years.

Former Iranian Justice Minister Mehdi Haeri Khorshidi said the regime has been growing increasingly unpopular, threatening the regime’s stability. Mr. Khorshidi, a Shiite cleric and former adviser to Iran’s prime minister who spent five years in prison for criticizing his government, made his remarks during a conference at Haifa University last week.

“Iran has powers that can stun and even defeat the government,” Mr Khorshidi said. “There are other elements that wish to separate state and religion. They see that as long as Islamic rule forcibly clings to the government, religion is connected with all that is bad, which harms [the religion].”

These elements in Iranian society include religious people, university professors, judges and Parliament members who have grown restless amid Iran’s economic decline. Iran’s government faces problems from its overwhelming youth population, and so far, its military and security forces have been successful putting down unrest amid the country’s reported 50-percent annual inflation rate.

“We need no foreign element to replace the regime for us,” Mr. Khorshidi said. “We can and must do it alone.

“Due to the impossible financial state of affairs in Iran, along with the youths’ desires, the only thing that preserves the regime is the military. But how long can this situation continue?”

He said these Iranians want to end the corruption in the current government and establish a secular regime friendly to others in the Middle East, including Israel.

“Fifty percent of the university openings are reserved for people associated with the government, and in order to be accepted in the remaining places, the candidates must undergo tests that are of political character and not at all related to the study material,” he said.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com