What is Hamed Esmaeilion pursuing?
What is Hamed Esmaeilion pursuing? Is Hamed Esmaeilion right or his opponents? Is his insistence on sanctions beneficial or harmful to the people of Iran? These days, he has become a prominent figure among protesters abroad and sometimes inside the country.
After that nationwide march of Iranians in various countries initiated by him, many envision him as a leader of the Iranian people’s protest movement and believe that what he accomplished single-handedly, none of the opposition figures or television networks have been able to do over the years.
Now, he has launched a campaign addressing the G7 member countries, which nearly 300,000 people have signed so far. He has demanded that these countries immediately declare the ambassadors of the Islamic Republic or their representatives in international organizations based in one of these countries as undesirable persons and expel them.
Why Zarif, why Tajzadeh?
However, Esmaeilion’s current image and actions have garnered as many critics as they have supporters. The issue began when Hamed Esmaeilion successfully urged the Canadian government to sanction figures from within Iran, including Mohammad Javad Zarif. Part of the criticism against him stems from this.
Critics argue that Zarif, who has worked for years to lift sanctions against Iran, should not be on a list of those who have benefited from or encouraged sanctions against Iran. Critics of Hamed Esmaeilion believe that any action worsening the situation for people inside Iran is a mistake, and therefore, they believe Hamed Esmaeilion is not exempt from error and deserves criticism.
Meanwhile, for unclear reasons, a tweet he posted during the 2020 presidential election against Mostafa Tajzadeh resurfaced on Twitter, seemingly to intentionally create a new polarization. After that, attacks on Esmaeilion began, especially as Tajzadeh, a serious critic who has paid the price inside the country, has been imprisoned for months and was recently sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Hossein Derakhshan tweeted that Hamed Esmaeilion’s attack on Tajzadeh, who has harmed the foundations of tyranny in Iran more than any other reformist and has paid the price, and who is now imprisoned and isolated in Khamenei’s bloodthirsty prison, is highly unethical, unjustifiable, and even shameful.
Hadi Mousavi, a Twitter activist, also criticized Esmaeilion, writing that he has no difference in viewpoint with Hamed Esmaeilion regarding the Ukrainian plane tragedy; this crime leaves no room for tolerance. However, mocking those who are paying the price inside and sanctioning someone who has tried to lift sanctions is certainly something I will criticize, even if it costs me.
Some also believe that the end of diplomacy is the beginning of war and tell Esmaeilion that the Iranian people do not want war. No to the Islamic Republic, yes to Iran, no to war and sanctions against the Iranian people, no to turning Iran into another Libya, no to hidden Mujahideen, or they believe that the result of Hamed Esmaeilion’s letter is the sanctioning of 80 million people inside Iran.
Monarchists and the fear of Esmaeilion
Part of the disputes over Hamed Esmaeilion is, of course, a power struggle. Any figure who becomes more popular these days has a better chance for the future. Naturally, groups and figures who have been thinking about that future for years and now see it closer than ever are starting to attack and discredit him. Some accuse him of being connected to the Mujahideen, while others accuse him of being aligned with NIAC.
For this reason, someone on Twitter wrote that some believe he did exactly what the exported opposition hasn’t done in 43 years. Now, he’s stirred things up, and all the exports have spilled onto Iran’s streets. What you want isn’t what they call it. These young people are much more aware and alert than the previous generation.
Another wrote that it’s not unlikely that one source of the attacks on Hamed Esmaeilion leads to Masih Alinejad. A monarchist also wrote that they sat down to make Hamed Esmaeilion a trend and with a few bots say the people of Iran want this, while we can’t trend the hashtag ‘My Vote Pahlavi,’ meaning we’ve accepted we’re a minority. Monarchists, retweet. I’m nothing, just a monarchist. For the shed blood, let’s trend this hashtag.
Another supporter of Reza Pahlavi also wrote that if events unfold in such a way that European countries recall their ambassadors, expect London-based networks to credit this achievement to Hamed Esmaeilion’s efforts, while the Crown Prince, about 25 days ago, requested the recall of their ambassadors in a meeting with the European delegation. Another supporter wrote that Hamed Esmaeilion used to travel to Iran before the Ukrainian plane was shot down and supported the Islamic Republic, but we revolutionaries have one leader, and that is Prince Reza Pahlavi.
From the supporters’ perspective
Supporters of Hamed Esmaeilion, however, in response to the criticisms, say he is not a saint and no one is expected to see his face in the moon. He is not the leader of any movement or revolution, but he is among the opportunities that today’s Iranian society needs for convergence. The widespread attacks on Hamed Esmaeilion before the Berlin gathering are not just targeting him but the idea of convergence itself. Instead of elite-killing, let’s think about multiplying these opportunities.
Faraj Sarkouhi also tweeted that the attack by some reformists and some overt or masked government agents on Hamed Esmaeilion, a creative writer who plays a historical role in supporting the people’s uprising, especially on the eve of the Berlin demonstrations, is nothing but a manifestation of the shamelessness of those who lick the blood-stained hands of the people’s executioners.
Of course, Esmaeilion’s critics are also upset with the reaction of his supporters to the criticisms. One wrote that no one has the right to tell Imam Hamed Esmaeilion that his eyebrows are raised because Imam Hamed Esmaeilion’s family were victims of the IRGC’s crime, so he can do whatever he wants. Let me be clear, a sanction seeker is shameless.
Whether it’s Imam Hamed Esmaeilion or the filth of the Stability Front, we make no concessions over Iran. This sarcasm about Imam Esmaeilion is used because it’s believed some have elevated him to the level of a saint, just as an Imam emerged from Paris in 1979, now some are looking for an Imam from Canada.
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