Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s so-called Supreme Leader, attended a military expo in Iran recently, according to his own tweets on Twitter. He can be seen in this video, reviewing various weapons and systems while people explain them.
The video starts with someone demonstrating some kind of a simulation. After a somewhat useless display, Khamenei says, “It happened? Okay.” He then pushes a military officer (one of several surrounding him) out of the way and walks on.
The video moves on to another exhibit, where another person explains how now on the battlefield they have the capability to know…something I can’t discern. Khamenei says, “That’s a big deal. Success to you.”
The last exhibit that he visits appears to be that of some kind of a rocket launcher.
From Khamenei’s own Twitter feed:
Iran’s leader visited an exhibition on Armed forces strength and scientific achievements
Several points with respect to this.
First, the video itself, notwithstanding the fact that Khamenei is a genocidal dictator, shows a somewhat ridiculous situation. He looks like he is somewhat annoyed and unimpressed, while those around him appear nervous (and rightfully so). The weapons themselves look somewhat goofy but that may be just my impression.
Second, the fact that someone tweeted about the event on his behalf and on his thoughts following it, is bizarre. Khamenei being active on Twitter is also quite ironic, and hypocritical. This is because it shows that, even if not Khamenei himself, someone representing him thought it was important enough to go on Twitter and send those tweets on his behalf while simultaneously his regime is blocking people within Iran from accessing Twitter. It seems to me that the audience Khamenei is addressing must be outside of Iran–which means he actually cares how he is perceived by the outside world.
Then there is the last two tweets, which reveals several points of interest. He mentions sanctions and “bullying enemies” and the West. Khamenei is obsessed with enemies. He uses the word “enemy” quite often, especially when he talks about Western powers. His linking of sanctions with “efforts that we are witnessing in Iran’s armed forces” is somewhat difficult to understand, but he appears to be making the case that Iran is making progress and advancements scientifically with respect to weapons and military progress, and that this somehow will render the sanctions imposed on Iran by Western powers ineffective. I’m not sure I understand the logic of that. But the fact that he even mentions sanctions, and that he does so on–of all places–Twitter, suggests that he is worried about them.
It’s almost like he’s saying, “sticks and stones may brake my bones but sanctions will never hurt me.”
Another point of interest. Take a look at this screenshot of his Twitter page:
Take a look at the number of people he is following.
Zero.
The man has stayed true to his form, even in cyberspace.