The top advisor for international affairs of Iran’s Majlis speaker, Hossein Sheikholeslam, says that the Egyptian junta’s recent decisions to dissolve the parliament and issue an interim constitution can be described as a soft coup d’etat meant to increase the power of the military in the new system.

In an interview with the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency conducted in Tehran on Wednesday, Sheikholeslam said, “Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi’s victory in Egypt’s presidential election has clearly infuriated the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and they are doing their utmost to limit his power as president.”

He also noted that the Egyptian military is the agent of the United States and Israel, and since the victory of the Egyptian revolution, SCAF has been trying to halt the democratic process.

“In the early days of the revolution, there was an unwritten agreement between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military to control the situation on the ground, which enabled SCAF to proceed with its plans to undermine the revolution and weaken its popular base,” he added.

On the reports of electoral fraud, he said, “The generals were initially unwilling to hold the presidential election, but when they were faced with the massive determination of the Egyptian people, they resorted to plots and conspiracies to support the pro-Mubarak candidate, Ahmed Shafiq. However, this also failed to prevent the Islamist candidate from winning the election.”

Commenting on the recent controversial decisions of the junta, Sheikholeslam stated, “The Egyptian Supreme Court dissolved the parliament, and on the eve of the election SCAF issued an interim constitution of its own. All this indicates that the military still seems unwilling to accept the verdict of the voters.”

“The military’s actions over the past few days are nothing but a soft coup d’état,” he said in conclusion.

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