The story: A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander has caused a stir after revealing alleged details of a 2017 meeting of top generals with then president Hassan Rouhani.

• In an interview, Amir Ali Hajizadeh said IRGC commanders—including Qasem Soleimani of the Quds Force—criticized Rouhani over his alleged remarks against the IRGC and the supreme leader. According to Hajizadeh, the commanders warned that they would no longer stay silent.
  
  
• The controversy sparked by the interview and particularly the quoting of Soleimani’s alleged remarks is seen by some observers as an attempt to stop pro-reform forces from claiming the slain Quds Force commander as one of their own.

The coverage: In an interview with the hardline Kayhan daily, Hajizadeh alleged that Rouhani would routinely adopt negative stances after speeches...