Hashemi Criticizes the 'Commotion of IRIB' Over Influence

The head of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council criticized the 'commotion and political divisions' of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) and other government-affiliated media regarding the issue of 'influence' and their indifference to the 'rights of the people’s vote.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani emphasized on Sunday, December 6, that 'the Islamic government allows its people freedom and does not restrict society.' Referring to the Supreme Leader's statements about 'the rights of the people's vote,' he added: 'Media that claim to be national and are funded by public money easily overlooked this historic guidance from the leadership, but they created so much commotion and political divisions over a single word, “influence,” while the leader's perspective on this issue is very broad, deep, and comprehensive.' Following the Supreme Leader's warnings about America's attempts at 'influence' in Iran, the IRIB, Kayhan newspaper, and the Tasnim and Fars news agencies, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have published reports and made accusations against officials in Hassan Rouhani's government and reformists. For instance, Kayhan newspaper referred to Nizar Zaka, a Lebanese citizen arrested in Iran, as a 'senior operational officer of the U.S. National Development Agency,' who allegedly reached Tehran through connections with Iran's Deputy Minister of Communications. The Iranian Ministry of Communications has denied this report. In recent weeks, several journalists have been arrested by the IRGC intelligence, which announced that it had detained 'members of a Western government influence network.' In response to these arrests, President Hassan Rouhani warned that 'the word influence should not be played with,' and Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, confirmed that the purpose of these arrests was 'political settling of scores.' Nevertheless, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on Wednesday, December 25, that 'one should not diminish the essence of the issue of influence and its importance by citing potential misuse and factionalism.' The head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran expressed regret over 'the opposition and obstacles from a radical minority in the path of the people’s movement' and the programs of Hassan Rouhani's government, especially during the ratification of the Vienna nuclear agreement in the parliament. According to Hashemi Rafsanjani, these media, despite the International Atomic Energy Agency's report on 'the transparency and peacefulness of Iran's nuclear activities,' are trying to discourage society with headlines that create doubt due to 'factional and gang interests.' Kayhan newspaper and the media affiliated with the IRGC were among the main opponents of the Vienna agreement. Members of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, including Abbas Araghchi, expressed satisfaction with the IAEA's report regarding the potential military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program or 'PMD,' stating that this report is closer to white. However, Hossein Shariatmadari wrote in an editorial for Kayhan on Saturday that contrary to Abbas Araghchi's statements, the nature of this report is 'completely black.' In another part of his speech, Hashemi Rafsanjani said: 'Those who talk about the isolation of Muslim women under the pretext of house management and based on some narratives—sometimes undocumented—are mistaken, because women, with the clarifications of the Quran and narratives from the Prophet and Imams, complement men's work for the development and progress of society.' He noted the increase in educated women and stated that in the future, women's presence in 'all roles and important responsibilities of the country will be prominent.' While some women's rights activists are seeking to increase the number of women in the tenth parliament through campaigns like 'changing the male face of parliament,' some representatives of the ninth parliament have prepared a plan called 'protection of the privacy of chastity and hijab,' which, if approved, would require women working in commercial units to do so 'while avoiding mixing with men' and only during the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Last year, the issue of banning women from working in cafes and gender segregation in Tehran's municipality was a topic of discussion between the government and agencies such as the police and Tehran municipality.