Continued Criticism of Rouhani: 'The IRGC Entered the Economic Arena Out of Necessity'

Continuing the wave of criticism against Hassan Rouhani due to his remarks about the economic activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the cultural deputy of this force and a member of the Assembly of Experts also reacted sharply to these comments. The President of Iran recently criticized the role of state and military institutions in the country's economy, emphasizing the necessity of handing over the economy to a 'real' private sector. In a direct allusion to the IRGC, he stated, 'We handed over part of the economy from a government without guns to a government with guns; this is not economy and privatization.' Following this stance by the President, criticisms and responses began, and IRGC commanders and other high-ranking officials in the Islamic Republic took a stand against him. In this context, the Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday, July 15, that Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the cultural and social deputy of the IRGC, criticized the accusation that this military force is pursuing 'political ambitions and fame' in the political arena in response to these remarks. Mr. Naqdi accused Rouhani and his government of 'wealth accumulation' and added, 'You falsely accuse us of seeking wealth in the economy, which you have taken, and wealth is with the people around you.' He further stated that 'in the southeastern part of the country, Basij forces are fighting in temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius... to ensure Tehran's security.' This military commander did not consider the entry of IRGC commanders into culture and economy for 'gaining fame and wealth' and added that the IRGC and its generals entered the economic arena out of 'necessity': 'It has been for construction, not for personal profit and their own pockets.' He then made a pointed remark that 'those whose homes are worth between 10 billion to 50 billion tomans, which we have not seen except in the palaces of kings, cannot understand that a sincere person with leadership and management and economic work has in his house all the belongings worth one-fiftieth of a minister, and they cannot understand and think that they must necessarily line their pockets.' Mr. Naqdi labeled those who envy the 'bravery and sacrifices' of the military forces in Iran as 'backward.' Previously, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, accused Hassan Rouhani of 'injustice' and stated: 'The unfair attack on the IRGC brings other goals to mind, which we only remain silent about to maintain unity.' He described the President's remarks as 'false dichotomies, projection, and evasion of commitments regarding people's livelihood.' Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas branch, warned that 'no one should weaken the IRGC and subject it to various attacks.' Following these statements, Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, the commander of the Basij, considered Rouhani's comments about the IRGC being 'gunmen' as an imitation of the term 'club-wielders' used by some opponents of the Islamic Republic in the early years of this regime. He also accused the President of deliberately trying to 'weaken' this military force. Abdullah Abdollahi, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters of the IRGC, also stated in a television program that he has a 'strong complaint' against Hassan Rouhani and that officials should not create 'doubt' about the economic activities of the IRGC. Following the increase in verbal tensions between Hassan Rouhani and the IRGC commanders regarding this institution's involvement in economic affairs, Abbas Kabi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, criticized that 'some in the country have taken the path of weakening the IRGC.' He added in a gathering of Basij commanders and leaders of 'Salehin circles' in response to Rouhani's remarks about the gunman government: 'Some in the country talk about a gunman government, while we cannot survive even a week without guns.' Mr. Kabi, without mentioning Hassan Rouhani's name, added that 'those who speak in favor of the leaders of the sedition do not want the rule of the jurist; they accuse the system of 38 years of executions.' His reference was to the President's remarks during the twelfth presidential election campaign, where he stated without mentioning Ebrahim Raisi's name and his role in the executions of the 1980s that 'in May 2017, the people of Iran will once again declare that they do not accept those who have only known executions and imprisonment for 38 years.'