Continued Controversy Over Government Officials' Letter to the Guardian Council and 'Concealing Religious Testimony' from the Public

Following the revelation of a controversial letter from several members of the thirteenth government to the Guardian Council, Davood Manzoor, the head of the Planning and Budget Organization and a candidate for the fourteenth presidential election, withdrew his candidacy. Manzoor stated in a social media post that he reached this conclusion due to the 'wide presence of candidates from the Revolutionary Front in the presidential election and the existence of better options among them.' This comes after widespread criticism of the 'bulk registration' of several members of Ebrahim Raisi's government in the elections, which has been interpreted as a sign of a lack of 'trust and consensus' within his cabinet. Manzoor's withdrawal was announced shortly after the uproar over the publication of a letter signed by 16 members of Ebrahim Raisi's government to the Guardian Council in support of Mehdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, for candidacy in the presidential election. The signatories of the letter expressed confidence in Esmaeili's 'intellectual, political, and managerial abilities' and deemed him 'sufficiently prudent to manage the future government in line with' Ebrahim Raisi's administration. The letter became controversial despite Manzoor not being one of the signatories, alongside other presidential candidates like Mehrdad Bazrpash, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, and Solat Mortazavi, Minister of Labor. Media speculation suggests that this early withdrawal could be a consequence of the letter's publication. The letter was revealed on social media shortly after Mohammad Mokhber, the acting president, issued a directive prohibiting 'any promotional activities for or against electoral candidates using any official or governmental resources,' declaring such actions a crime. Despite this directive, the letter to the Guardian Council was signed by several high-ranking officials, including Mohsen Mansouri, the executive deputy to the president, and various ministers. Prior to the letter's disclosure, political analyst Abbas Abdi noted that Ebrahim Raisi's family had not yet introduced a candidate close to the former president of Iran, but a religious ceremony held by Raisi's household implied that the Minister of Culture was the family's preferred candidate. Following this tweet, the letter was leaked, prompting some of Raisi's supporters and media outlets to label it a 'faithful and confidential consultation,' although this claim did not diminish the political uproar it caused. The controversy escalated to the point where the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, also reacted, but only mentioned pursuing legal action regarding the 'illegal publication' of the letter. In IRNA's report, which cited an 'informed source' whose name was not disclosed, the original correspondence between government officials was overlooked, and the letter was reduced to a 'religious testimony,' emphasizing the Islamic Republic's long-standing approach of legal action against those who disclose such documents. This 'informed source' justified the need to confront the leakers by stating that 'responsible authorities must investigate how this letter came into the hands of certain media figures with backgrounds in security agencies and also with judicial records.' They also requested that judicial and security agencies monitor the activities of individuals with past security and judicial records who are currently active in undermining candidates. Meanwhile, the election headquarters of state television advised candidates not to 'paint a bleak picture' of the country's situation. Legal expert Ali Mojtahedzadeh commented that 'someone who gives a religious testimony is accountable to God, so why did they want to conceal it from the public?' Some social media users, including those considered supporters of the conservative movement, noted that the letter was missing only the signatures of the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Intelligence, who are referenced as sources for the Guardian Council's inquiries. Other users have called for the dismissal of the letter's signatories until the elections are over and their removal from the next government. The situation became even more controversial when on the same day the letter was leaked, Kazem Sedighi, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, who has recently been linked to several corruption cases but still leads Friday prayers in Tehran, stated in his sermon: 'Any president who wants to change all the paths that Raisi has established and the officials he has appointed will cause harm to the people.' The website 'Entekhab' published an image of the Minister of Culture kissing Sedighi, which also became a topic of discussion on social media. The release of an image of a 2018 ruling sentencing Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili to 'five years in prison, 74 lashes, and removal from public service' for 'accepting bribes,' along with allegations against Kazem Sedighi, sparked widespread reactions on social media, suggesting that a 'dangerous corruption ring' is trying to cling to power at any cost. Although the status of candidate approvals and disqualifications is still unclear and the Guardian Council's opinion on candidates is awaited in the coming days, news of the movements of individuals and groups supporting them in the elections has been reported in the media. For instance, the newspaper 'Etemad' reported in its June 9 issue that 'according to some hearsay,' there is a possibility of an alliance between Ali Larijani and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf in the elections. The newspaper added: 'As much as the atmosphere in the 2021 elections favored Larijani, the conditions in the 2024 elections have become complicated for him. The vacuum created in the 2021 elections allowed Larijani to exploit it to his advantage if approved. However, this time, reformists have declared that they are unwilling to accept a proxy candidate, and within the conservative front, there are enough claimants that forming a consensus for Larijani on the right is difficult (if not impossible).' The newspaper published this news while noting in the last line of its report about the possible alliance that 'an alliance seems unlikely given the disputes between the two parties.' Amid the early election controversies, the newspaper 'Jomhouri Eslami' also acknowledged the low participation of Iranian citizens in recent elections and advised the Guardian Council not to behave as before and to ensure that 'the outcome of the elections is not predetermined.' Although this newspaper did not provide an explanation for the significant phrase 'the outcome of the elections is not predetermined,' many political experts have stated that for many people in Iran, it no longer 'matters' who becomes president. Regarding the reasons for the public's disengagement from participation in elections, in addition to the government's performance in recent years, particularly the severe crackdown on protests, one of the main factors cited is the necessity of 'reforming ongoing processes' in the country beyond the presidential office.