Ahmad Khatami: They Want to Disrupt the Current Composition of the Assembly of Experts

Ahmad Khatami, a member of the presiding board of the Assembly of Experts, warned about the efforts of some individuals to 'disrupt' the current composition and form a 'strong minority' in this assembly. In an interview with the Mehr News Agency on Saturday, November 7, he emphasized that concerns regarding the composition of the Assembly of Experts in the upcoming elections have 'increased.' Khatami stated, 'In some circles, it has been said that we cannot gain a majority in the Assembly, but if we can form a strong minority, that is a success.' He added, 'Some have explicitly stated in their meetings that even if our candidates do not succeed in gaining votes, it does not matter; we must ensure that some, including Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, do not win votes in the Assembly elections.' Khatami stressed that the 'oven' of the Assembly elections must be 'heated,' but from the hot oven, 'bread must come out well-baked, not burnt.' Several appointees of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, have warned about the efforts of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and reformists to gain seats in the Assembly a year before the elections. Meanwhile, Khatami had previously stated that reformists will not succeed in forming a powerful minority in the next term of this assembly, which he claimed would remain 'velai' (loyal to the Supreme Leader). Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, also mentioned on Thursday, July 16, that 'reports' reaching the Guardian Council regarding the elections of the Assembly of Experts have 'raised concerns.' Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has stated that he has 'no specific plan' for participating in the future presiding board of the Assembly of Experts, but he has not ruled out the possibility of his candidacy for these elections. In another part of his remarks, Khatami considered the differences between the Islamic Republic and the United States to be 'very deep' and stated that there is 'no ground for negotiation' with this country. He added, 'In the nuclear story, we have dispelled an accusation against ourselves because we have never sought to build nuclear weapons and will not do so, but our 180-degree difference with the U.S. remains unchanged.' This member of the Assembly of Experts referred to the Supreme Leader's warnings about 'America's efforts to infiltrate Iran,' stating that 'infiltration in the cultural arena makes the Islamic Revolution fundamentally vulnerable.' He added, 'For example, McDonald's is a sandwich, but it is a brand, and no one should compare McDonald's with other things. In every country where America has sought to enter, its entry has begun with these companies.' Recently, the activity and closure of the 'Halal KFC' restaurant in Tehran and the registration of the 'McDonald's' trademark in Iran have made headlines. Meanwhile, Gholamreza Jalali, the head of the Passive Defense Organization, requested on Wednesday that the police take 'serious action' against the potential establishment of a 'McDonald's' franchise in Tehran. Following the Supreme Leader's warnings, the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the arrest of several press activists, labeling them as members of a 'network collaborating with hostile Western governments.' However, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has warned regarding these arrests that 'the term infiltration should not be played with.' Recently, news of the arrest of Eisa Saharkhiz, the former director of press at the Ministry of Culture during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of the Farhikhtegan newspaper, Afrin Chitsaz, a columnist for the Iran newspaper, and Saman Safarzadeh, a journalist for the Andisheh Pouya monthly, has been published.