Heydar Moslehi: opposition leaders want to be arrested

ISNA reports that in a speech in Shahr-e Rey, Moslehi referred to the refrain from arresting the leaders of the opposition a very wise and calculated move that according to the intelligence minister, "is making these leaders mad."

Iranian establishment refers to the post-election protests to the alleged vote rigging in the 2009 presidential elections as a "seditious movement", and claims that the opposition leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are "leaders of sedition."

Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are prominent figures in the history of the Islamic Republic who were both involved in the 1979 Revolution to overthrow the monarchy as well as the establishment of the Islamic Republic regime and its proceeding governments.

Iranian intelligence minister told his audience today: "In the sedition of 2009, some people issued announcements challenging the building of the religious system and the Revolution. These people were involved the Revolution before, during and after its success but are now revealing their true nature."

He added that foreign services of Western countries have made every effort to affect the influential people and children of prominent Islamic Republic figures "to give them a certain direction and make them slip' and contended that Western countries have "invested 7.7 billion dollars to topple the Islamic Republic regime."

The Islamic Republic government appears to be in a cat and mouse game with the leaders of the opposition by consistently threatening them with arrest on one hand but also contending that their prosecution will be done only when they see it fit.

Head of Iran's Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani announced recently that the arrest and prosecution of the "leaders of sedition" will only be done on the orders of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.