In a speech in Kerman, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad decried the ownership of land and resources were out of most Iranian’s possession. Ruminating on the God-given nature of Iran’s wealth, Ahmadinejad said that Godless tyrants (taghut-ha) have been keeping Iranian people in a low level of development. The term “taghut” has a religious connotation and was used by Ayatollah Khomeini against his enemies. Ahmadinejad’s use was ambiguous, seemingly directed at the United States but also open to interpretation to mean “internal tyrants”. Ahmadinejad has been traversing the country, having appeared at events in Tehran, Lorestan and Kerman this past week, and continues to campaign while many cities are put into in lockdown.
