Ali Larijani's Proposal on the Issue of Velayat-e Faqih and the Constitution

Following recent remarks by Hassan Rouhani regarding the basis of governance from the perspective of the first Imam of Shia Islam, and the criticism from the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regarding these statements, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, emphasized the "cornerstone of Velayat-e Faqih" and added that "it may be necessary to make changes to the structure anticipated for constitutional reform to make it more compatible with current conditions." Hassan Rouhani, who recently won a second term as President of Iran, stated on June 14 during an iftar gathering with professors and doctors: "Amir al-Mu'minin considers the basis of Velayat and governance to be the opinion of the people and their choice. He said whoever you choose as your leader, I will obey and implement it as well." On July 9, Ali Saidi, the representative of Ali Khamenei in the IRGC, reacted to these remarks, stating: "Today we hear issues where some say we must return and speak about the principles from the pulpits," asserting that "these people consider the people's vote as the source of Velayat, which was established after the killing of Uthman and the people's allegiance to Imam Ali, a view that is incompatible with Islamic principles." Ali Saidi referred to what he called the "divine legitimacy of leadership law" as one of the principles relied upon by martyr Beheshti and labeled the confrontation between Beheshti's beliefs and his opponents as a conflict between "Hezbollah and Hezbollah's enemies." Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti was the first Secretary-General of the Islamic Republic Party and Vice President of the Assembly of Experts for the Constitution, and is sometimes referred to as a theorist of Velayat-e Faqih. According to ISNA news agency, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, who spoke at a nationwide Judiciary conference on Sunday, July 2, referred to these issues and said: "In the path taken since the Islamic Revolution, reforms must be made based on current needs, and while emphasizing the foundations of the Constitution such as the cornerstone of Velayat-e Faqih, which was emphasized by martyr Beheshti, it may be necessary to make changes to the structure anticipated for constitutional reform to be more compatible with current conditions." Larijani added: "Martyr Beheshti made numerous efforts in establishing the Republic and shaping the Islamic Republic system, and given that at that time there was a vision of the Islamic Republic system, and challenges were posed in society corresponding to that vision, martyr Beheshti eloquently and correctly responded to them." The Speaker continued: "The issue of Velayat-e Faqih, which has been questioned by both liberals and hypocrites, was established with the correct reasoning of Dr. Beheshti, and this path must be preserved with strength, and this legacy of martyr Beheshti must be safeguarded, and while safeguarding this legacy, that is, the Constitution, reforms must be made based on current needs." He did not provide further details about the reforms he envisioned in the Constitution. "Ejei should be careful not to fall into the trap of official conflicts." Larijani, continuing his remarks on Sunday, advised judicial officials: "Be careful not to fall into the trap of official conflicts. Mr. Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the Judiciary, must be cautious about this issue. Although conflicts may be welcomed by some media, the spokesman for the Judiciary must be careful not to fall into the trap of these conflicts, as investors sense conflict and their investment in Iran is overshadowed by disputes and margins." Recently, tensions between the government and the Judiciary have escalated, including Rouhani criticizing the Judiciary's sudden summonses and calling them "based on whim" as detrimental to the economy. The Speaker continued his remarks with the reminder that "conflicts should be resolved in private circles," stating that the security of investment is emphasized by the Judiciary's head, saying: "The head of the Judiciary's welcoming of this issue should be a source of happiness for investors, but this is not enough just to state a sentence; the methods of the Judiciary in ensuring investment security must be reformed." According to IRNA news agency, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of the Judiciary, also spoke at the nationwide Judiciary conference on Sunday and said: "Today I want to criticize the status of some media in the country and some statements in the Parliament; although some matters are presented as criticism, they are in fact undermining the judicial system." Amoli Larijani mentioned that, according to him, the enemy "sometimes enters as an economic actor," defending the summonses by the Judiciary and stating: "We must pay attention to how the enemies want to infiltrate, and today the enemy's infiltration is such that they convey that insiders repeat their words." He also criticized the "attack on the IRGC" and stated: "If the enemy attacks the IRGC, which is the pride of the Islamic Republic, and when Western governments want to place the IRGC on the terrorist list, we must defend ourselves against the enemies with unity and solidarity within the system." These remarks come after Rouhani criticized the entry of the IRGC and military personnel into Iran's economic sphere, stating: "Part of the economy was under a government without guns, which we handed over to a government with guns; this is not economy and privatization. They feared the government that had no guns, let alone that we handed the economy to a government that has both guns and media and has everything, and no one dares to compete with them." The verbal confrontation between Rouhani's government and the Judiciary occurs while there has also been recent verbal tension between the Leader and the President of Iran, to the extent that Ayatollah Khamenei recently spoke of the exorbitant costs of compromise, and Rouhani responded that enduring peace is much more difficult than fighting.