Hassan Rouhani and Ebrahim Raisi Clash 10 Days Before Presidential Election

Hassan Rouhani, who has recently adopted a sharper tone against conservative candidates, reiterated his criticisms of the Astan Quds Razavi and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday, May 8. Ebrahim Raisi accused him of being confrontational. The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while speaking at Tehran's Shiroodi Stadium in front of thousands of his supporters, stated without naming Astan Quds Razavi and Ebrahim Raisi that "we want the law to apply to all institutions; we do not want tax-exempt organizations." He added, "I was pleased to hear that some mentioned the word tax. Taxes are good for the people to pay, but why shouldn't you pay?" Astan Quds Razavi, under Ebrahim Raisi's management, has not paid any taxes to the government since the victory of the February 1979 revolution. Recent criticisms from this conservative candidate regarding the performance of the eleventh government prompted the Iranian president to openly challenge this economic and religious organization. Earlier this week, Rouhani had also addressed Raisi, saying, "They say to pay taxes, but who is there to say whether you have paid taxes in the place you manage?" This led to a response from the head of Astan Quds Razavi, emphasizing that the reason for not paying taxes by this organization was a decree from Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and later confirmed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In another part of his speech, Rouhani referred to the Zemestane-Yurt mine incident in Golestan and said, "You came for the economy, but you did not visit the mine that was yours where miners were buried." Reports indicate that the main ownership of this mine belongs to the Basij military organization. Rouhani further referenced the promises made by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi to create four to five million jobs within the next four years, stating, "You have made 860,000 women unemployed. Do you accept women's employment? Do you accept the employment of Sunnis? Do you accept the employment of various ethnic groups?" He added, "Why don’t you speak about the things you said in private meetings regarding the prohibition of social networks and the cessation of women's employment? Remember your gender-based directives and the decrees you issued!" Rouhani continued, "Our record over the past four years is clear. They should state what record they have had over the past 38 years. What record do they have in the positions they held over the past 12 years?" Ebrahim Raisi has held various judicial positions over the past 38 years, including Attorney General, Deputy Chief Justice, Special Prosecutor for the Clergy, and membership in the execution committee of the summer of '67. These remarks come as critics of Rouhani refer to his comments regarding the student protests of July 1999. For instance, the Fars news agency published Rouhani's complete remarks from when he was Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in 2013, where he stated, "Fortunately, all branches of the system, officials of all powers, agree without any disagreement on taking decisive and revolutionary action against these opportunistic elements, and the judiciary will fulfill its legal, religious, national, and revolutionary duties well in the coming days." Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has also been the mayor of Tehran for the past 12 years. Reports from Rouhani's Telegram channel indicate that the crowd at the Shiroodi Stadium chanted slogans such as "Neither judge nor commander, a law-abiding government" and "Freedom of thought cannot be silenced." Raisi responded to Rouhani's remarks, asking, "Why are you angry and agitated?" According to news agencies close to the IRGC, Raisi addressed a group of his supporters in Zahedan, responding to Rouhani's recent statements. He stated, "We will build a wall between plunderers and the rights of the people. Why are you angry about the presence of your rivals? What decision are the people supposed to make? I feel you are angry at the people or at the workers who are protesting against you or at the poor who do not want to tolerate you." This conservative candidate added, "Your rhetoric is an insult to the people; instead of being angry, report your work to the people; there is no reason to insult your rival." It seems that Raisi's reaction was to Rouhani's speech at an election rally in Hamedan, where he stated without naming him, "The people of Iran declare that they do not accept those who have only known executions and prisons for 38 years." The President of Iran added, "They say we want to fight corruption. I ask you, for four years, the government has been in our hands, but during the 38 years that your duty was oversight, did you prevent corruption?" The Iranian presidential election will be held on May 18, alongside city and village council elections and midterm parliamentary elections. The six candidates for the twelfth election will hold their last face-to-face debate next Saturday, which has heightened sensitivity given the escalating positions of the three main candidates, Hassan Rouhani, Ebrahim Raisi, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf in recent days.