Hosseini Karoubi: The Supreme National Security Council Has Approved the Lifting of House Arrest

Hosseini Karoubi, the son of Mehdi Karoubi, announced that the Supreme National Security Council has approved the lifting of house arrest for the leaders of the Green Movement, and if the Supreme Leader does not comment on this decision within 10 days, it will be enforceable. On Saturday, August 6, Karoubi stated in an interview with Ensaf News that 'a reliable source' informed him that the Supreme National Security Council approved the lifting of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karoubi, and Zahra Rahnavard in its latest meeting. He also mentioned in an interview with Jamaran website that the lifting of house arrest and restrictions on Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, was approved in last week's meeting of the Supreme National Security Council. According to Karoubi, this decision has been sent to the Supreme Leader for his comment, and if Ayatollah Khamenei does not respond within the next 10 days, it will become enforceable. Decisions made by the Supreme National Security Council must be approved by the Supreme Leader. In April, some members of parliament announced that the decision regarding the lifting of house arrest had been delegated to the Supreme National Security Council. Meanwhile, Gholamreza Heydari, a member of the House Arrest Committee in parliament, reported on May 1 that there was 'implicit agreement' from the Supreme Leader regarding the lifting of house arrest for the leaders of the 2009 protests. Hosseini Karoubi also stated that the remarks made by Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president, about 'the presence of prominent symbolic figures and the formation of unity in the country' refer to the approval of lifting house arrest by the Supreme National Security Council. Additionally, Elias Hazrati, the deputy of the National Trust Party, mentioned that Jahangiri's comments likely refer to the potential lifting of restrictions on Mohammad Khatami. According to Hazrati, Jahangiri is trying to arrange for Khatami to attend a meeting with 'the elders of the system.' The term 'elders of the system' is often used in the political discourse of Iranian officials to indirectly refer to the Supreme Leader. Since mid-2017, changes have occurred in the conditions of house arrest, and some relatives of Mousavi, Karoubi, and Rahnavard have met with them. Ismail Doosti, a member of the National Trust Party, and Mojtaba Zolnour, a representative from the Front of Steadfastness in parliament, have also visited Mehdi Karoubi at his house arrest location. Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi, reported in May that she had recently been verbally offered 'limited right of movement' with the knowledge of the authorities, which she rejected. Hassan Rouhani had promised to lift house arrest during the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections, and since the beginning of 2018, criticism from reformist figures regarding his failure to pursue the issue of house arrest has increased. Meanwhile, Alireza Rahimi, a representative from Tehran in parliament, tweeted that Rouhani recently told members of the Hope faction in parliament that 'as a result of the work done during the eleventh government, only the shell of house arrest remains.' According to Rahimi, Rouhani also mentioned that 'it took months for a few newspapers to be freed for the detainees.' In the final months of last year, some parliament members expressed hope that the seven-year house arrest of the leaders of the 2009 protests would soon end, following promises from security and judicial officials, but after these promises were not fulfilled, Ali Motahari stated that there seems to be a disagreement between judicial and security officials regarding this matter.