Close Associates of Rouhani Demand Action Against Protesters Targeting the President

In response to slogans directed against President Hassan Rouhani, his deputy Eshaq Jahangiri, and Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament during the "Quds Day" rally, government officials, pro-government political figures, and aligned media have taken a stance on these incidents. During the rally on Friday, some chanted slogans such as "Death to the Hypocrite" and "Rouhani, congratulations on your connection with Banisadr" around Hassan Rouhani. Posters and placards against President Rouhani were also seen in the hands of the demonstrators at the event. Ayatollah Khamenei, in a speech on June 2, which Rouhani also attended, stated: "The country should not be polarized. People should not be divided into two categories; like the situation in 1979 when unfortunately the then-President divided the people into opposing and supporting groups." Following these remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei's Instagram shared content from 1979 regarding the opposition to then-President Abolhassan Banisadr. Ayatollah Khamenei also called on his supporters to act "fire at will" if executive bodies were underperforming. Recently, close associates and appointees of the Supreme Leader have launched extensive attacks against Rouhani's view that the legitimacy of the government comes from "the people's vote." In response to the slogans and incidents from Friday, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, sent a letter to Hossein Zolfaqari, the Deputy for Security and Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Interior, requesting that the matter be pursued "in coordination and assistance with the Ministry of Intelligence and Law Enforcement" and that "offenders" be referred to the judiciary. According to ILNA, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Labor, also reacted to these incidents, stating that this action was not spontaneous. Rabiei said: "It should be noted that these individuals and their actions are by no means spontaneous and do not arise from the natural fabric of the demonstrators." Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, also called the actions of the protesters "unity-breaking" on her Twitter account. Masoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Environmental Protection Organization, Zahra Ahmadpour, Deputy President and head of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, Azar Mansouri, a member of the Central Council of the Union of the Nation Party, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a parliamentary representative, Mostafa Tajzadeh, the political deputy of Khatami's government, Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, spokesperson for Khatami's government, and Faezollah Arab-Sorkhi, a member of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, have all shown similar reactions to the incidents of the Friday rally. Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who was also targeted by the slogan "Death to the Hypocrite," described the events of that day as a test for the Tehran prosecutor. The Deputy Speaker wrote: "The slogans that some chanted against the President at the Quds Day rally were certainly a criminal act, and evidence of this is available. We must see how the judiciary, which cancels a speech program in Mashhad simply on the suspicion of a crime, will act now that it is faced with a visible crime." Motahari added: "The Tehran prosecutor is now facing a significant test: will he demonstrate the independence and justice of himself and the judiciary by pursuing the criminals, or will he prioritize political inclination over the execution of rights and justice?" In this context, the Assembly of Experts called on Hassan Rouhani to avoid "divisive discussions." Rouhani defended the IRGC's missile attack: it was completely correct, appropriate, and necessary. The IRGC responded to Rouhani's remarks: the missile operation was carried out at the leader's command. The government-organized "Quds Day" rally was held with slogans against Saudi Arabia and Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani stated: part of the economy that was under a non-armed government was handed over to an armed government.