deviant current
{{Short description|Iranian derogatory political term for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's entourage}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Current of Deviation
| native_name = جریان انحرافی
| native_name_lang = Persian
| logo =
| logo_alt =
| colorcode = #073C98
| leader = Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
| president =
| chairperson =
| secretary =
| general_secretary =
| first_secretary =
| secretary_general =
| presidium =
| governing_body =
| standing_committee =
| spokesperson =
| founder =
| predecessor = Coalition of the Pleasant Scent of Servitude
| founded = 2011
| headquarters =
| wing1_title = Public relations wing
| wing1 = Havadarn-e Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
| wing2_title = Electoral list
| wing2 = Monotheism and Justice Front (2012)
Supporters of Justice Discourse of Islamic Revolution (2012)
| wing3_title = Political party
| wing3 = YEKTA Front
| wing4_title =
| wing4 =
| ideology = National conservatism
Iranian nationalism
Populism
Shia Islamism
| religion = Shia Islam
| affiliation1_title = National affiliation
| affiliation1 = Iranian principlists
| international =
| seats1_title = Islamic Consultative Assembly
| seats1 = {{Infobox political party/seats|14|290|hex=#073C98}}
| website = {{url|http://dolatebahar.com/|Dolat-e Bahar}} ({{literal translation|Government of Spring}})
{{url|ourpresident.ir|Rais Jomhur-e ma}} ({{literal translation|Our President}})
| country = Iran
}}
{{Conservatism in Iran|Ideologies}}
The "deviant current" or "current of deviation" ({{langx|fa|جریان انحرافی|Jarīān-e Enherāfī}}) is a term used by Iranian officials (e.g. high-ranking clerics, Revolutionary Guards commanders){{cite book|author1=Elling, Ramus Christian|editor=Nabavi, Negin|title=Iran: From Theocracy to the Green Movement|chapter=Matters of Authenticity|date=2012|publisher=Springer|page=94|isbn=9780230114692}} and conservative rivals of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to describe Ahmadinejad's entourage,{{citation|title=Decoding Iran's Official Political Glossary|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/a_quick_guide_to_the_coded_jargon_of_irans_conservative_establishment/24179510.html|author=Golnaz Esfandiari|work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=19 May 2011|access-date=15 August 2017}} which functions like a faction{{citation|title=Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: the deviant president|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/20/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-deviant-president-editorial|type=Editorial|work=The Guardian|date=20 September 2011|access-date=15 August 2017|quote=This year, if Ahmadinejad represents any faction in Iran it is one that has been branded "a deviant current".}} or party.{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad's Plans for the Presidential Election|url=http://www.iransview.com/ahmadinejads-plans-for-the-presidential-election/458/|author=Abdollah Almasi|work=Iran's View|date=29 April 2013|access-date=15 August 2017|quote=The Government’s critics believe that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaee who is the head of a party, which they label as “Deviant Current”.}} Ahmadinejad had some tendency toward Iranian nationalism that deviated from the clerics' theocratic rule, hence top clerics labeled the faction associated with him as "deviant current".{{cite book |last1=Torbat |first1=Akbar E. |title=Politics of Oil and Nuclear Technology in Iran |date=2020 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Cham, Switzerland |isbn=978-3-030-33765-0 |pages=258–259}}
The term was coined in 2011, after an open conflict between Ahmadinejad and the Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.{{cite book|author1=Alem, Yasmin|editor1=Brumberg, Daniel |editor2=Farhi, Farideh |title=Power and Change in Iran: Politics of Contention and Conciliation|chapter=Electoral Politics, Power, and Prospects for Reform|date=2016|publisher=Indiana University Press|series=Indiana Series in Middle East Studies|page=177|isbn=9780253020796}}{{cite book|author1=Ehteshami, Anoushiravan|title=Iran: Stuck in Transition|chapter=Politics of the Islamic Republic|date=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|series=The Contemporary Middle East|page=90|isbn=9781351985451}}
People
People who have been described as associated with the "deviant current" include:
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad{{Citation|author=Oliver Borszik|url=https://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/system/files/publications/wp260_borszik.pdf|title=Papers International Sanctions against Iran under President Ahmadinejad: Explaining Regime Persistence|publisher=German Institute of Global and Area Studies|journal=GIGA Working Papers|place=Hamburg|date=November 2014|number=260|access-date=2017-08-22|archive-date=2015-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512221806/http://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/system/files/publications/wp260_borszik.pdf|url-status=dead}}
- Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, described as the leader of the movement
- Hamid Baghaei{{Citation|author=Bernd Kaussler|url=https://hudson.org/research/9809-is-the-end-nigh-for-the-islamic-republic-|title=Is the End Nigh for the Islamic Republic?|journal=Current Trends in Islamist Ideology|place=Washington, D.C.|date=January 2012|number=13|pages=69–90}}
- Mohammad Reza Rahimi{{Citation|url=http://www.irdiplomacy.ir/en/page/1906034/Mohammad+Reza+Rahimi.html|title=Mohammad Reza Rahimi: The story behind the current Iranian President's First Deputy|date=27 August 2012|access-date=17 August 2017|work=Iranian Diplomacy}}
- Ali Nikzad{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad minister announces run for presidency|url=https://en.radiozamaneh.com/articles/ahmadinejad-minister-announces-run-for-presidency/|work=Radio Zamaneh|date=31 March 2013|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi{{citation|title=The Great Debate: Is it Ahmadinejad's last hurrah?|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/10/04/is-it-ahmadinejads-last-hurrah/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005025950/http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/10/04/is-it-ahmadinejads-last-hurrah/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 October 2012|author=Hooman Majd|work=Reuters|date=5 October 2012|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh{{citation|title=Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ally arrested in Iran on corruption charges|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/23/iran-ahmadinejad-ally-corruption-arrest|author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan|work=The Guardian|date=23 June 2011|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Mohammad Aliabadi{{citation|title=The Latest from Iran (24 June): The Net Closes on Ahmadinejad's Men....Continued|url=http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/6/24/the-latest-from-iran-24-june-the-net-closes-on-ahmadinejads.html|author=Scott Lucas|work=Enduring America|date=24 June 2011|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Ali Akbar Javanfekr{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad's aide in prison as Iran president addresses U.N.|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-arrest-idUSBRE88P1IB20120926|author=Marcus George|editor=Stephen Powell|work=Reuters|date=26 September 2012|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Abdolreza Davari, senior media figure in presidential administration
- Habibollah Joz-e-Khorasani, financial affairs director of the presidential administration{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad Returns With Vengeance|url=https://iranwire.com/en/features/4980|author=Marcus George|editor=Stephen Powell|work=Iran Wire|date=17 November 2017|access-date=15 April 2018}}
- Abbas Amirifar, cleric, head of the cultural committee of presidential administration
- Kazem Kiapasha, presidential aide
- Bahman Sharifzadeh, cleric{{citation|title=Is Ahmadinejad plotting a comeback?|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/ahmadinejad-comeback-president-iran-elections.html|author=Marcus George|editor=Stephen Powell|work=Al-Monitor|date=4 June 2014|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Abbas Ghaffari, allegedly Ahmadinejad's personal exorcist{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad faces threat to presidency in clash with Khamenei|url=http://en.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20110507-ahmadinejad-faces-threat-presidency-clash-khamenei|work=Radio France Internationale|date=7 October 2012|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Ali Asghar Parhizkar, executive director of the Arvand Free Zone{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad warns establishment against extending arrests to cabinet|url=https://en.radiozamaneh.com/articles/ahmadinejad-warns-establishment-against-extending-arrests-to-cabinet/|work=Radio Zamaneh|date=29 June 2012|access-date=15 August 2017}}
- Alireza Moghimi, executive director of the Aras Free Zone
- Parivash Satvati, widow of Hossein Fatemi{{Citation|url=http://english.dohainstitute.org/file/get/86a146ac-b2ea-41f3-92e1-b51c2cd7ddfb.pdf|title=Iran: A conflict over authority, or a dispute over responsibilities?|type=Assessment Report|place=Doha|work=Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies|date=May 2011}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Ideology
The faction is described as "nationalist conservative" by Stratfor;{{citation|url=https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/iran-implications-ahmadinejads-parliamentary-defeat|title=Iran: Implications of Ahmadinejad's Parliamentary Defeat|type=Assessment|date=5 May 2012|access-date=2 July 2017|work=Stratfor}} also described as "neo-conservative nationalists" by Pejman Abdolmohammadi, assistant professor in Middle Eastern studies at University of Trento and Giampiero Cama, professor of comparative politics at University of Genova.{{cite book |last1=Abdolmohammadi |first1=Pejman |last2=Cama |first2=Giampiero |title=Contemporary Domestic and Foreign Policies of Iran |date=2020 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Cham, Switzerland |isbn=978-3-030-45335-0 |pages=137–138}} According to Bernd Kaussler, assistant professor of political science at James Madison University, their ideology is a combination of millenarian, nationalist, populist and the principlist rhetoric. The tendency tries to nationalize Shiite Islamism, and advocates an “Iranian School of Islam” that seems antagonistic toward the Velayat Faqih, an idea that formed the basis of the current establishment in Iran. Ahmadinejad and his associates have regularly used the word "spring" and the phrase "Long live the spring" as a slogan, which is believed to have connotations for the Arab Spring, although Ahmadinejad claims it refers to the reappearance of Imam Mahdi.{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad's new pet phrase 'spring' infuriates Iranian establishment|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/13/ahmadinejad-spring-infuriates-iranian-establishment|work=The Guardian|date=13 March 2013|access-date=15 August 2017|author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan}}
Organization
{{see also|Coalition of the Pleasant Scent of Servitude|Monotheism and Justice Front|Supporters of Justice Discourse of Islamic Revolution|YEKTA Front}}
A group is active under the acronym HOMA (standing for Havadarn-e Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Persian, meaning "Supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad") and published an online newspaper with the same name. The public relations team organizes various websites, including {{url|http://dolatebahar.com/|Dolat-e Bahar}} ({{literal translation|Government of Spring}}), {{url|ourpresident.ir|Rais Jomhur-e ma}} ({{literal translation|Our President}}) and Meydan-e Haftadodo ({{literal translation|Square 72}}, named after the neighborhood Ahmadinejad lives in) among others. They maintain online activity elsewhere, running many blogs and social media accounts.{{citation|title=Is Ahmadinejad making a comeback?|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/11/iran-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-mashai-election.html|author=Arash Azizi|work=Al-Monitor|date=5 November 2014|access-date=15 August 2017}}{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad's return may be boost for Rouhani|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/iran-ahmadinejad-return-politics.html|author=Meir Javedanfar|work=Al-Monitor|date=20 April 2014|access-date=15 August 2017}}
Electoral performance
=2012=
Monotheism and Justice Front, a group that endorsed a list of candidates for 2012 parliamentary elections is reportedly linked to Mashaei.{{citation|title=The ninth Majlis elections in Iran: Electoral laws, procedures and institutions|url=http://journals.iium.edu.my/intdiscourse/index.php/islam/article/download/507/453|author=Abdol Moghset Bani Kamal|journal=Intellectual Discourse|publisher=International Islamic University of Malaysia|issn=0128-4878|date=2013|pages=71–86|volume=21|number=1}} The results showed a major defeat for them in the elections, and they only won 9 seats, according to Deutsche Welle.{{citation|title=The Great Disappointments in the Ninth Majlis|url=http://p.dw.com/p/14EaN|language=Persian|work=Deutsche Welle|date=3 March 2012|access-date=15 August 2017}}
= 2013 =
In a Medvedev/Putin-style scenario, Mashaei ran for president in 2013 presidential election backed by Ahmadinejad, who said "Mashaei means Ahmadinejad and Ahmadinejad means Mashaei".{{citation|title=Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to stand in Iran presidential election|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/11/rafsanjani-stand-iran-presidential-election|work=The Guardian|date=11 May 2013|access-date=15 August 2017|author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan}} He was disqualified by the Guardian Council.
2013 local elections were the next defeat. The faction were unable to secure a seat in Tehran City Council and even Parvin, Ahmadinejad's sister was unseated.{{cite web|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2013/06/article55306487|title=Reformists return to power in Iran's local elections|work=Asharq Al Awsat|accessdate=1 April 2017|date=20 June 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103239/http://english.aawsat.com/2013/06/article55306487|archivedate=4 March 2016}}
= 2017 =
In 2017 presidential election, Ahmdinejad who backed Hamid Baghaei, registered as a candidate along with him,{{citation|title=Ahmadinejad formally endorses protege for president|url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/412109/|work=Tehran Times|date=21 March 2017|access-date=15 August 2017}} but both were disqualified.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-disqualified-iran-elections-170420190716061.html|title=Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 'disqualified' from Iran elections|date=20 April 2017|work=Al Jazeera|accessdate=20 April 2017}}
= 2020 =
Candidates associated with the circle ran on a list for 2020 parliamentary elections, although Ahmadinejad himself did not support any specific list.{{cite news|url=https://en.radiozamaneh.com/30240/|title=Iran Parliamentary Election Explained: who is Competing, why Does it Matter?|date=17 February 2020|work=Radio Zamaneh|accessdate=17 February 2020}}
Middle East Research and Information Project stated that they won 14 seats in the first round of elections.{{citation|first1=Vahid|last1=Abedini|first2=Razieh|last2=Armin|url=https://merip.org/2020/03/the-making-of-a-resistance-parliament-in-iran-and-the-challenges-ahead-coronavirus/|title=The Making of a "Resistance Parliament" in Iran and the Challenges Ahead|date=5 March 2020|work=Middle East Report Online|accessdate=5 March 2020}}