Alam al-Huda's Reaction to Zarif and Salehi's Remarks: 'Providing Evidence to the Enemy'

The Friday prayer leader of Mashhad expressed 'regret' over the continuation of negotiations between Iran and Europe to preserve the JCPOA, considering the remarks of Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Salehi about money laundering in Iran and the impact of US sanctions as 'providing evidence' and 'giving codes' to the 'enemy'. According to ISNA news agency, Ahmad Alam al-Huda in his sermon on December 9 interpreted the statements of the head of the Atomic Energy Organization in an interview with Euronews as 'giving codes' regarding the success of US sanctions. He added, 'We must ask whether there is a lack of coordination in our government or is there something else going on?' Ali Akbar Salehi, on December 6, had stated in an interview with Euronews that 'economic pressures are overwhelming' and that his salary value has dropped from about three thousand dollars a month to 700 dollars. However, several Friday prayer leaders in Iran, including Mohammad Ali Al Hashim, the Friday prayer leader of Tabriz, spoke on December 9 about the ineffectiveness of US sanctions. This is a topic that has also been expressed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, although previously government officials have acknowledged the impact of US sanctions. For instance, Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, stated on November 6 that he cannot falsely claim that sanctions have no effect, as they do have an impact but must be minimized. The Friday prayer leader of Mashhad also referred to Mohammad Javad Zarif's comments about widespread money laundering in Iran as 'providing evidence to the enemy to exert pressure on the country'. These remarks have led to protests from judicial officials, and some conservative representatives in the parliament have proposed a motion to impeach him. In another part of his speech, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad said, 'It is not right for our officials and parliament to run after the Europeans, be satisfied with their smiles, and pin their hopes on sitting around their table. These actions are regrettable.' Meanwhile, Ahmad Sheikh Bahai, the Friday prayer leader of Kerman, stated that he has lost hope in the US and Europe, arguing that if we had not relied on their false promises, we would have advanced our nuclear energy like other successes in this country. Negotiations between Iran and Europe to preserve the JCPOA continue, and the EU has announced its plan to establish a special mechanism for non-dollar transactions between companies in this continent and Iran; however, this plan, which was supposed to be implemented from November 4, is still entangled in finding a host country for this mechanism. Previously, several members of parliament, including Alireza Biglari, quoted Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, stating that although the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force regulations is not directly related to the JCPOA, the 'assistance' of the Europeans in new negotiations with Iran depends on the implementation of these regulations. Meanwhile, Behrouz Farahani, the spokesman for the Diplomacy and National Interests faction of the parliament, stated that even banks from 'friendly countries' condition their cooperation with Iran on the acceptance of the Financial Action Task Force regulations. According to Mr. Farahani, under international conventions, 'no country has the right' to impose sanctions on medicine and food. However, 'the issue that most pharmaceutical companies face is the problem of money transfers.' He emphasized that with the approval of bills related to the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force regulations, including the bill for Iran's accession to the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, 'the excuses of banks that do not cooperate with Iran will be eliminated.' Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and media affiliated with this institution, Friday prayer leaders, and other appointees of the Supreme Leader are the most serious opponents of the approval of bills related to the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force regulations. The bill for Iran's accession to the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism has recently been rejected by the Guardian Council.