Why Is Khamenei So Angry?

The question is very simple: Why on the day of potentially historic nuclear negotiations, when the countries of the P5+1 are meeting Iranian negotiators in Geneva, on the day that the both participants and the world media are trumpeting understanding and agreement, does Iranian Supreme Ruler Ali Khamenei deliver a passionate speech taking the most hardline position against the West, especially the United States, and Israel? Also why, when many figures close to the new government are sounding notes of empathy and speaking of opening up the domestic political atmosphere does Khamenei invoke the disputed elections of 2009 to reinforce the country's current polarization?

The supreme leader gave his speech to a gathering of the Basij, the state-controlled militia accountable only to him, as each year around this time he meets with a large number of Basijis and Revolutionary Guards. And as usual in such gatherings, he takes more hardline positions against the West or domestic opponents, pandering to the ideological bent of his audience. This speech, however, had a few significant thrusts.

The Hardline Seal of Approval

First he sought to find political support in the events of Ashoura, one of the holiest days for the Shi’a, when Imam Hossein was martyred. He characterized resistance as a Koranic command which guarantees victory against the enemies. He also complained that certain figures and some media have interpreted “vigorous” moderation, or his now famous heroic flexibility, as a retreat. Before the speech Revolutionary Guard officials, the Basij and fundamentalist figures, especially the hardliners, had emphasized repeatedly that this vigorous moderation differs from abandoning the revolution's core principles. Khamenei gave this view his seal of approval.

He also described the struggle against world “arrogance”, a term that refers to Western powers, as a historic and Koranic mission which, again, appealed to hardliners. Repeated “Death to America” chants accompanied this part of the speech. He expressed strong doubts about the trustworthiness of Western countries, especially the U.S. His language and emphasis will clearly affect how the Rouhani administration goes about seeking to establish relations with the United States and gives hardliners more room to sabotage those moves. His visceral hatred of the U.S. government, like Ayatollah Khomeini’s characterization of the situation as the relationship between a lamb and a wolf, shows his extreme desire to keep his antagonistic position against vis-a-vis Washington.

No Retreat, No Surrender

Khamenei also mentioned that moderation might be tempered with some retreat to achieve the goal. He went on to say that although he supported the unclear negotiations and would not interfere in the details, those managing the negotiations have no right to retreat even one step from the red lines. It seems that Khamenei is trying hard to keep his image distant from the negotiation process so that any setbacks would not damage his reputation as a heroic resistor against enemies, especially the Western countries.

Anger Against International Setbacks

A prominent aspect of his speech, along with calling Israel “the rabid dog of the region”—accompanied by chants of “Death to Israel” by his listeners—was his heated oratory against the opponents of the Islamic Republic. This is not new, but this time it was stronger and more protracted. Is he angry because Israel successfully defeated the previous round of the nuclear negotiations? His references to France, which came up with objections in the recent round, reinforces this impression.

He also stressed that Israeli leaders should not be called human and left no doubt about his disapproval of those European leaders who support or follow Israel. To be precise, Khamenei is angry because the Israeli prime minister, despite all his domestic and foreign policy problems, can influence the negotiation process and international atmosphere more than he can. In his speech, he did his best to show his anger.

Vexing Worries

There is no doubt that protracted nuclear negotiations in the current political environment is not in Iran’s interest. Political fragmentation in domestic affairs, suspension of major and minor trade relations, the aggravation of long-standing economic problems, the consolidation and the reinforcement of sanctions as the key element of negotiations, and the unequal gains by the participants in those negotiations—these are the worries that clearly torment the supreme leader. We should remember that a year ago, negotiators under Khamenei’s leadership participated in conferences to resolve regional or international issues, but now his team’s priority is to remove sanctions and to break loose from domestic economic problems. His anger became clearer by his repeated references to domestic economic problems and his jabs at U.S. economic problems and the two-week government shutdown.

Hostility On The Domestic Scene

Khamenei's references to the 2009 elections was somehow unexpected, perhaps the most difficult to fathom aspect of the speech. In recent days former President Hashemi Rafsanjani has spoken about his talks with Khamenei over releasing the leaders of the Green Movement from house arrest. Pro-government media were also promoting the idea that the problems created by that election must be solved and misunderstandings should be cleared. Khamenei, however, identified those post-election events with Western countries’ demands and guidance. By repeatedly using the term “seditionists” he once again rubber stamped the hardliner narrative around those elections and the polarized politics that followed, calling into doubt the process of domestic reconciliation many felt was already underway.

“I am not weak!”

Altogether Khamenei’s speech shows that the growing effects of international pressures and sanctions have made him wrathful and irritated, but he wants to continue to present his own image as strong, unbending and uncompromising. His desire to stand tall as a revolutionary, his eschewing diplomatic engagements, is an effort to rehabilitate his domestic image that has lost some luster in recent months. Domestically he does not want Rafsanjani to re-emerge as a main player. Internationally he wants to be, or at least to be seen as, the center of gravity for the direction which the negotiations are taking, not what Obama or Hollande or Netanyahu say. Over the years, whenever his image has come to be seen as weak, confused or infirm, the supreme leader has become angry and revealed more of his innate inflexibility.