Bani-Sadr, who took office in February 1980, was pushed from power in June 1981 by hard-liners of the clergy who were aligned with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1981 He called on the regime to stop its interventions in the Middle East and to pay attention to the needs of the Iranian people LONDON: The first Iranian president after the 1979 revolution has accused the current regime of becoming more corrupt and dictatorial than the Shah’s rule. Abolhassan Bani-Sadr said the ruling mullahs are using religion to “justify oppression, corruption, and repression.” The regime has “emptied religion of its content and filled it with lies and irrationality,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Bani-Sadr, who took office in February 1980, was pushed from power in June 1981 by hard-liners of the clergy who were aligned with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1981. He fled to France and continues to live in exile. He said Tehran is currently involved in eight wars, and they include the “the economic war, the direct military war in Syria, war through terrorism, the diplomatic war, and the propaganda war.” He called on the regime to stop its interventions in the Middle East and to pay attention to the needs of the Iranian people. Talking about the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets to protest against the regime during the presidency of Barack Obama, Bani-Sadr said the protest movement has retreated despite growing resentment. He said protesters were demanding reforms within the regime as opposed to the Arab Spring where people demanded regime changes. “When people restrict their demands to within the regime, repressive forces are assured that the regime is stable and do not hesitate to follow its orders. If these forces become aware that the regime cannot offer stability, they are more likely to rebel.”