Former pilot homes in on dissent in military ranks

Paris: A one-time Iranian Air Force pilot seeking political asylum in France, and armed with what he claims is a valuable list of contacts, said on Wednesday that he intends to serve as a bridge between military officers and resistance forces.

Behzad Masoumi Legwan claims that dissidence in Iran's military is widespread.

Masoumi's arrival in France was announced last Wednesday by the Europe-based Green Wave Iran opposition movement which has in the past announced the defection of several Iranian diplomats in Europe.

Masoumi said at a news conference that he established links with dissident personnel and officers in the air force, serving as a middleman for them, before being arrested, tortured and expelled from the air force in 2001.

Network among officers

The 33-year-old Masoumi claimed that he established a network among officers that remains active.

"Today, the time and opportunity [have] arrived for me to announce that I and a significant segment of personnel and senior officers in the armed forces are in opposition to the Islamic Republic," Masoumi said at a news conference, reading a statement in Persian. It was translated into English.

There is no way to measure dissent in the armed forces or in the elite Revolutionary Guards which has become a pillar of the regime with a presence spanning key sectors.

Green Wave founder Amir Hussain Jahanchahi says that Masoumi's credentials were verified along with the "authenticity of the messages and information he had brought from a number of key serving senior officers" in the armed forces.

The ex-pilot was brought to France from Iraqi Kurdistan, where he fled after the June 2009 unrest that followed presidential elections in which incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a second term — amid widespread charges of fraud.

"My presence amongst you is symbolic of the level of hatred and opposition which the majority of personnel in the military — be they ground forces, air force or navy — and the Revolutionary Guards feel against Ahmadinejad," Masoumi added.