GVF — In a meeting with Tehran University students, former president Mohammad Khatami told students today that “the situation of the country following the elections is bad and the nation is paying a heavy price these days; the consequences of the current management is not desirable for the society.”

According to the Iranian website belonging to the reformists in the Iranian Parliament, Mr Khatami warned that if a solution was not found, the year ahead would be a year of “social crises.”

The popular reformer accused official state-run media and its representatives of adopting a “strategy of lies” and said that some are trying to present reformists in the country as “over throwers” and to further increase the polarisation in society.

“We are not seeking to topple but to preserve the [Islamic] system,” he said.

Khatami called for the lifting of the current security atmosphere and the militarisation as well as the freedom of all political prisoners, a free atmosphere and free elections to be held in the country.

During the meeting, Mohammad Khatami also warned about the consequences of the government’s proposed subsidy cuts which have been the source of great rift between the illegitimate government and parliament.

Many fear that the cuts would lead to even more inflation, unemployment and the occurrence of social crises. Also at Radio Zamaneh –