In Tehran, there lives a politician whose very name sends shivers down the collective spine.  You’ve heard the story before.  Among his controversies lie anti-Semitic ramblings and an alleged role in the rigging of an election.  He is purported to be a member of the Hojjatieh, a Shia cult hell-bent on bringing forth the necessitated apocalyptic conditions for the return of the Hidden Imam.  His continual blatant disregard for human rights is abominable.  Time and time again he has spoken in favor of the Jihadist brand employed by terrorists.

No, I’m not speaking of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Ahmadinejad, in fact, is child’s play in comparison to the potential destructive reach of our mystery politician.  Take a look at the thumbnail one more time.  The true face of evil, our subject, lies in the forefront.

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His name?  Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi.  Mesbah-Yazdi for short.  His occupation?  Well, there are many.  For starters, he serves as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s spiritual mentor.  In addition, Ayatollah Yazdi is the influential head of the most conservative wing of the Assembly of Experts.  Generally, he is recognized by moderates as the face of the radical’s radical.  The supposed threat?  He may rise to become the Supreme Leader of a nuclear-armed Iran.  Gulp.

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EVIL HAS YET TO EMERGE

Regarding the aforementioned apocalyptic cult which may have caught your attention.  The Hojjatieh Society are a Shia cult deemed so radical by regime conservatives that the founder of the Islamic Revolution, the late Ayatollah Khomeini himself, outlawed them from practicing in Iran. Yet they allegedly persist, and continue to preach the prophecy of the Hidden Imam, the Mahdi.  Their purpose?  To bring forth the conditions in which the hidden Imam, the Mahdi, returns to Earth and alongside Jesus (yes, the Jesus) wards off evil from the planet.  Their alleged ranking member?  You guessed it.

As told by prophecy, the conditions for the return of the Mahdi are met when the prospects of world peace are in great peril.  To some members of the Hojjatieh, this is construed as a green light to create these conditions by fighting against the forces of “evil” in Israel and the West.  All this in a bid to hasten the return of the Hidden Imam.

Aside from Messianic obsessions, Mesbah-Yazdi is noted for his role in the disputed 2009 presidential elections.  In the lead up to the election, he issued a statement declaring it a sin to vote for Ahmadinejad’s challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi.  In the aftermath of the election, he was even rumored to have issued a fatwa calling for the murder of Mousavi. When it comes to Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, radical does not begin to describe him. If one were to imagine a worst-case trajectory for Iran’s political future, it would be no stretch to label Mesbah-Yazdi “the most dangerous man on the planet” if the scenario were to play out.

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THE NEXT SUPREME LEADER?

When Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei eventually passes, two very different men are considered the favorites to replace him.   Vying for the vacant throne will be Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate conservative who often clashes with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.   Rafsanjani is publicly viewed as a moderate conservative whose political beliefs are not so much centered on theocratic rule as it is on corruption.  In the West, he may be better known for his part in the Iran Contra scandal under Ronald Reagan.

Many credit Ahmadinejad’s 2005 election victory on the public perception of Rafsanjani as a corrupt insider.  Even still, Rafsanjani is considered today the second most powerful politician on Iranian soil.  He carries with him strong alliances with influential clerics and bodies.  If one were a betting man, Rafsanjani would be the odds on favorite at this moment in time to defeat Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi and succeed Khamenei.

With that said, it is always wise to expect the unexpected in Iranian internal affairs.   A particularly interesting shift has been the heavy criticism hard-liners flung at Rafsanjani for initially backing the Green movement and its leadership in Mir-Hossein Mousavi and former president Mohammad Khatami.  Internally, among the oligarchy, Rafsanjani can certainly be a polarizing figure.  While an uphill battle, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi has a punchers chance of ascending to the supreme throne of the Islamic Republic.

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NO NEED TO WORRY… YET

The intention of this piece is neither to fear-monger nor scare a Western audience into supporting the military option.  While Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi is certainly someone the Pentagon is and should be watching closely, his rise to the top is highly unlikely.  For starters, Mesbah-Yazdi failed to defeat Rafsanjani in a self-nominated bid to become the head of the Assembly of Experts.  This is the body which will choose the next supreme leader.  Then, the loyal factions representing each man went head to head in 2007 regional elections for the 86 cleric body of the Assembly of Experts.  Rafsanjani’s camp surprisingly trounced politicians loyal to Mesbah-Yazdi.  This makes Rafsanjani the odds-on favorite to become the next supreme leader.  And finally, the position of Supreme Leader itself may be at stake.  Rumors indicate some influential clerics support the removal of the position after Khamenei ceases.

Even still, if the recent presidential election is any indication, the far-right factions may attempt to succeed by any means necessary.  And with that in mind, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi is a name to discover and keep a watchful eye on.

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