Brown, Dale - Patrick McLanahan 05 (44 page)

 
          
“A
‘routine courtesy call,’ put through directly to the tool of Satan, the Emir of
Dubai himself? It sounds like more than a simple ‘courtesy call,’ Mr.
President. Yet you did not think it necessary to notify me or your field
commanders of information of an impending attack on the aircraft carrier batde
group or on Chah Bahar Naval Base—an attack that was conducted by an attack
aircraft
owned
by the Emir of Dubai
himself,
flown by UAE commandos in the
employ of the Emir of Dubai? It sounds as if you cleared this attack plane to
attack yourself, Mr. President! The conspiracy is clear, Your Holiness!”

 
          
“The
attack was already in progress by the time we were in contact with Dr. Sahin, a
loyal and trustworthy servant of Allah and of this government—there was nothing
we could do except prepare for the possibility of hostilities breaking out all
across the region, if this was part of a larger attack against us.” Nateq-Nouri
turned angrily at Buzhazi. “None of this would have happened, Buzhazi, if you
had not sunk that American vessel in the first place! ”

 
          
“I
was trying to protect our military forces from another sneak attack by the Gulf
Cooperative Council states and their overlord, the
United States
,” Buzhazi shot back. “Because of your
order, I was prevented from employing my ground forces adequately to stop any
further attacks, and the result is what you have seen.” He turned to Kalantari.
“Your Holiness, we have suffered great damage, and it is because of this man. I
demand that he resign his office and turn control of the government over to the
Leadership Council until the crisis has subsided and new parliamentary
elections can be held. If he will not step down voluntarily, I ask that the
Leadership Council strip him of his office and conduct an investigation of his
criminal activities. To allow him to continue his evil activities for even one
more day may harm the Islamic Republic for decades yet to come! I demand—”

 
          
“Silence,
General,” the Ayatollah Kalantari interjected. The President and the general
glared at each other, Buzhazi with a satisfied grin, Nateq-Nouri with a
confused and overwhelmed expression. “General Buzhazi, you have not yet proven
your case before us, but the charges are serious and the evidence against the
President, although circumstantial, is compelling.” He turned to Nateq-Nouri
and said in a low voice, “Speak Mr. President. What will you do?”

 
          
Nateq-Nouri
was thunderstruck. Buzhazi was going to win either way, and there seemed
nothing he could do to prevent it. It was time to save his own skin, so there
would be a skin to save later on when Buzhazis plans failed and
Iran
’s military forces were crushed. “Your
Holiness, the Leadership Council and the Council of Guardians has the power at
any time to assume administrative leadership of the Islamic Republic,”
Nateq-Nouri said. “I serve at the pleasure of Allah, His Holiness the Faqih,
and the chosen of the Leadership Council. I swear to you that I am no traitor,
and that I have not conspired with anyone against the Islamic Republic. But if you
wish me to step down, I will agree.” The Cabinet officers surrounding
Nateq-Nouri couldn’t believe their ears. It was obvious that General Buzhazi,
disgraced in the eyes of everyone in government, had been shooting in the dark
with his accusations and wild stories—but no one had expected Nateq-Nouri to
bend to his threats and accusations! Was there really something to all of
Buzhazi’s charges?

 
          
“I
promise that if you have need of my services in the future, when General
Buzhazi’s lies are uncovered and all is in turmoil, you may call upon me, and I
will serve the Republic once again,” Nateq-Nouri went on. “I ask that I be
provided with a security detail of my own choosing, because I fear I am not
safe from the Pasdaran troops and Capital Guards commanded by General Buzhazi.”

 
          
“Your
request is granted,” the Ayatollah Kalantari said. “Until a tribunal is
convened to hear the general’s charges against you, you shall enjoy all the
rank and privileges of the President of the Republic, and you may form whatever
personal guard you desire.”

 
          
The
Ayatollah Kalantari turned to the members of the Supreme Defense Council and
said in a loud voice, “It is hereby ordered that His Holiness the Faqih, the
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Hoseini Khamenei, assumes
leadership of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran this day and
assumes the role of commander in chief of the armed forces of the Republic.
President Nateq-Nouri, his family, and his associates are not to be harmed in
any way by any man, upon pain of punishment of the Leadership Council.”

 
          
Well,
Nateq-Nouri thought, it was not a total victory for Buzhazi. Under Khamenei,
the government would lean further to the right, but it would not move any
faster and would probably crawl to all but a complete stop. Buzhazi still
didn’t have his total. . .

 
          
“It
is also hereby ordered,” the Ayatollah Kalantari continued, “that because of
the nature of the military emergency that exists with the wanton attack upon
the military forces of the Republic, that a state of national emergency exists
in
Iran
, and that it is necessary to establish martial law within the Republic.
It is hereby ordered that General Hesarak al-Kan Buzhazi shall retain his full
rank and privileges and should now have full authority over all government
offices and services to do so as he shall see fit to protect the government of
the Islamic Republic of Iran and the lives of all the true believers. It is the
will of Allah and the command of His Holiness the Faqih, so let it be done.
General Buzhazi, the Council is at your command.”

 
          
“No!”
Nateq-Nouri shouted, jumping to his feet. “This cannot be!
Iran
is not under a state of emergency—it is an
emergency created by Buzhazi for his own aims!” But the Imams representing the
Leadership Council were heading for the door, eyes averted, refusing to speak.
It was Khamenei, Nateq-Nouri decided. The Faqih had decided that now was a good
time to flex some Iranian military muscle. The only way to bypass the
constitution and advance those plans was to put Buzhazi in charge, and that
meant martial law.

 
          
Buzhazi
got to his feet, amused eyes on Nateq-Nouri. “Guards, escort Their Holinesses
out of the chamber,” Buzhazi shouted. At that moment, several dozen armed
Pasdaran soldiers rushed into the Cabinet chamber, heavily armed, with assault
rifles at port arms. A dozen Pasdaran guards surrounded the two high priests as
they departed the chamber. As soon as they departed, the chamber erupted into
complete bedlam. “Silence!” Buzhazi shouted. “Come to order immediately, or I
will see to it that you are all removed! ”

 
          
Several
Pasdaran guards rushed over toward Nateq-Nouri, and were immediately blocked by
a small contingent of Nateq-Nouris personal bodyguards, seven ex-Syrian special
forces soldiers. Although outnumbered three to one, it was obvious they would
protect their charge to the last man. “Hold!” Buzhazi ordered. “His Holiness
the Ayatollah Kalantari has ordered that the former President not be harmed or
detained in any way. The former President shall be
escorted
safely out of the chamber and immediately to his residence,
where he shall be placed under
protective
guard. Colonel, see to it immediately.”

           
Nateq-Nouri was surrounded by his
own personal guard, then by Pasdaran troops, and then by his advisors and
Supreme Defense Council ministers sympathetic to him, but he raised his voice
enough to be heard above the throng around him: “General Buzhazi, your days on
earth are numbered, and I shall be there to see your last day, just before the
firing squad’s bullets riddle your worthless body.”

           
“Brave words from a traitor,”
Buzhazi shouted back. “All but Nateq-Nouri must stay. I have a few more matters
to discuss.”

 
          
“I
swear to Allah, I shall see to it that you are hanged by your own words,”
Nateq-Nouri said, as he let himself be led out of the chamber.

 
          
As
the room cleared and grew ever quieter, several shocked and incredulous eyes
turned toward General Buzhazi. “You must be mad, Buzhazi, utterly mad,”
Muhammad Foruzandeh, the Iranian Defense Minister, finally said acidly. “You
know all that the President has said is true—he is not a traitor, and the
back-channel communications he has had are perfectly legal and aboveboard—you
have used them many times yourself in the past.”

 
          
The
Prime Minister, Hasan Ebrihim Habibi, spluttered, “You dare attempt a military
coup against the legitimate government?”

           
“Silence, all of you,” Buzhazi said.
“This is no coup, gentlemen—this is an order from the Leadership Council that
the Islamic Republic is in grave danger and is in need of help right away.
Nateq- Nouri is weak and has chosen the way of cooperation and free exchange
with the very agents of imperialism and oppression that seek to destroy us. I
on the other hand refuse to sit by and watch my country suffer.

 
          
“Effective
immediately, by the power invested in me as military leader of the Islamic
Republic, I hereby suspend and disband the Majlis-i-Shura, the Supreme Court,
and the High Judicial Council, until further notice.”

 
          
“What?”
several of the civilians
shouted. In one sweep, Buzhazi had just dismantled
Iran
’s civil representative government—the 270-member
Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Supreme Court, and the entire federal
judiciary branch of the government. This left only the three major religious
organs—the Leadership Council, led by Leader of the Islamic Revolution,
Khamenei; the Council of Experts, led by the Ayatollah Meshkini; and the
Council of Guardians, led by the Ayatollah Yazdi—along with the military, to
rule the Iranian government. All of these mullahs were very pro-military and
extremely fundamentalist, dedicated to exporting the Islamic revolution—led by
them and the Shi’ite Muslim sect, of course—all over the world. Now, under
martial law, they had the military backing them up. “Buzhazi, you do not have
such authority!”

 
          
“Under
martial law, crimes against the government will be punishable by military
courts, and reviewed by the Council of Guardians and the Council of Experts,”
Buzhazi said. “The Cabinet and the Supreme Defense Council are also hereby
disbanded; the Cabinet ministers retain their positions and authority, but now
report to me through my General Staff officers. The newspapers
Kay ban, Ettela’at,
Tehran
Times
, and all other public
or political organs will immediately suspend publication; only
]um-hurie-lslami
will be allowed to
continue operations, under command of the Office of Public Affairs of the
General Staff. All broadcasting, except for Radio Naft-e-Melli, will
immediately suspend all operations; INTELSAT earth station operations and radio
relay station operations, except for military-only base operations, will be
suspended immediately until military control can be concluded. ...”

 
          
“There
will be panic in the streets of
Tehran
, General,” Prime Minister Habibi said
angrily. “You cannot simply shut off all media sources and expect to control a
population of seventy million.”

 
          
“I
shall deploy the entire Niru-ye Entezami-e Johuriye Eslami-ye
Iran
, reinforced and led by the Pasdaran, to
maintain order in the cities,” Buzhazi said sternly. “The Security Forces of
the Islamic Republic have a duty to maintain order and uphold the law. I will
mobilize the Basij and federalize them under active-duty control of the
Pasdaran to reinforce the internal security forces and border guards.

 
          
“But
most important, I will issue orders to my staff to carefully instruct all
members of the Cabinet on how to conduct your day-today operations in the face
of this emergency. Martial law does not mean the end of the Republic, only that
extraordinary measures must be taken to ensure our safety and security. I
expect all government offices and ministers to properly convey that message.
Further instructions will be issued by my chief of staff. You are all
dismissed. Summon my battle staff and get them in here immediately.”

 
          
Buzhazi
was intently studying a chart of the
Middle East
,
with
Iran
centered on it, when the senior members of the Islamic Republic’s joint
chiefs of staff hurried into the Cabinet room. “I want full territorial
security established immediately,” Buzhazi ordered. “The
Strait of Hormuz
is hereby off limits to all foreign
warships. I want every vessel in our inventory in the strait shadowing every
vessel that passes through.”