Commander of the IRGC: Hassan Rouhani Responded Positively to Our Criticisms

Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), described the meeting between the commanders of this military force and Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, last August as 'critical.' Rouhani met with senior IRGC commanders on August 24. The IRGC commander stated on the evening of October 27 during an Iranian television program that 'concerns' had arisen in the minds of the IRGC commanders, which were a result of the conditions following the presidential elections on May 19, which 'should not have been created.' Jafari added, 'The conditions after the elections necessitated such a movement. We met with the president, expressed our concerns, and he welcomed it.' He described the purpose of this meeting as 'creating unity and cohesion and preventing a rift among the revolutionary forces,' stating that 'of course, it was a critical discussion, but overall, he (Hassan Rouhani) welcomed it, as the goal was sincere and carried out out of sincerity.' Without detailing the specifics of the meeting, he noted that the Iranian president gave a 'positive response' that 'has been going well so far.' According to this report, Mohammad Ali Jafari also mentioned that other meetings were held with the heads of other branches of government, including the legislative and judicial branches, but he did not name these officials. This military official described the meeting between the IRGC commanders and the Iranian president as 'the most fruitful' of these meetings. The meeting occurred after both sides had made criticisms of each other from official platforms, leading to a widespread negative reaction from conservatives to the positions of the Iranian president. In this meeting, five senior IRGC commanders, including Mohammad Ali Jafari, Qassem Soleimani, Gholam Hossein Ghaib Parvar, Ismail Qotbi, and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were present. According to the state news agency IRNA, Hassan Rouhani emphasized the necessity of 'unity and cohesion among all forces and institutions of the system' during the meeting with the IRGC commanders, stating, 'The twelfth government fully supports the IRGC's services in its area of responsibility.' Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency reported that Jafari criticized government officials on October 28, stating that they are incapable of 'engaging the people to address national problems and crises and to implement a resistant economy.' He expressed regret that 'there is no listening ear regarding the necessity of resistance and steadfastness not only in the realm of defense and security but in all areas,' while also stating, 'This important issue is constantly pointed out by Imam Khamenei and the Supreme Leader of the time, but some only speak their own words and continue on their wrong path.'