Cultural Revolution Council Reiterates: 'Our Resolutions' Are Binding for 'Everyone, Including the Three Branches of Government'

Abdul Hossein Khoshro Panh, the Secretary of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, has responded to the declaration of the council's resolutions as illegal, stating that the council's resolutions have 'legitimacy and are binding for all institutions and the three branches of government.' He mentioned that the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council serves as a policymaker and assigns various missions to the ministries of culture and guidance, science, education, and health. Khoshro Panh elaborated on the council's responsibilities, including policymaking in science and technology, cultural engineering, food security strategies, and strategies for the use of artificial intelligence, aerospace, and stem cells, noting that documents for some of these areas are currently being drafted. This comes after a ruling on April 20 of this year from Branch 42 of the Supreme Court, which revived the debate over the legality of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council's resolutions following a complaint from a faculty member of Azad University. The judges of Branch 42 of the Supreme Court overturned the issued incompetence ruling based on the Cultural Revolution Council's resolution in the case and stated that the council's duties have never been converted into law by the parliament, emphasizing that 'the monopoly of legislation' lies with the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Last week, the council issued a 17-page document titled 'Document for the Development of Mahdism and Expectation Culture' to 22 institutions and agencies in the Islamic Republic, including four ministries and six organizations, to promote 'the development of Mahdism and expectation culture' 'under the leadership and management of the Islamic government under the rule of the jurist.' This legal reference is notable as the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council does not have a place in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, even after the 1989 revision, but the Guardian Council considers its resolutions 'binding' based on Article 110, which pertains to the powers of the Supreme Leader, and refers to them as 'laws.' Khoshro Panh's reference to document drafting in various specialized fields has also been previously mentioned, and on May 14 of this year, he announced the formation of four committees: 'Science and Technology,' 'Education and Training,' 'Cultural and Social,' and 'Family and Women' within the council, along with 100 'expert desks' under these committees. Abdul Hossein Khoshro Panh also emphasized that the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council intends to oversee the leadership of institutions and the evaluation and impact assessment of policies. On the other hand, the members of the parliament have also protested the approach of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, and in the latest position, continuing the conflict between the parliament and the council over 'the right to legislate,' the parliament on May 9 approved an urgent proposal to publicly express its efforts to annul the council's 'exam resolution.' In response to this proposal, Khoshro Panh stated that the parliament 'can only give opinions, and the council's resolution will not be annulled.' The billion-dollar budget that needs to be spent; the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council is seeking to establish 'committees.' Disputes over the right to 'legislate'; the Secretary of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council: the exam resolution is not related to the parliament. According to the Supreme Court ruling, the resolutions of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council are 'not laws.' Efforts to expand restrictions; from mandatory hijab for women to determining dress codes for men.