Iran's Leader's Representative in the IRGC: Rouhani's Government Sought Connection with the U.S. Under the JCPOA

The representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused Hassan Rouhani's government of seeking a "connection with the U.S." through the Vienna nuclear agreement and still pursuing the implementation of "JCPOA 2 and 3." Ali Saeedi, in an interview with Fars News Agency published on Friday, October 2, also described the 2017 presidential election as "sensitive and complex," citing attempts by some officials from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government to "return to the past" and the impact of the nuclear agreement on this election as reasons for its "sensitivity." The Supreme Leader's representative in the IRGC stated that the U.S. has been pursuing "non-nuclear issues, namely JCPOA 2, 3, and so on" after the Vienna nuclear agreement. Mr. Saeedi emphasized that the Supreme Leader engineered the Vienna nuclear agreement to minimize the concessions that needed to be made and to prevent the U.S. from moving towards JCPOA 2 and 3. He also mentioned that Iran lost a "significant capital" in this agreement, including the loss of 20% enrichment, Fordow, the Arak heavy water reactor, and the reduction of centrifuges. Mr. Saeedi added, "These were assets that should not have been easily given to them at first, and we should have granted these concessions gradually; unfortunately, these were matters that were not operationalized within the framework of the Leader's conditions." Mr. Saeedi's remarks come after Abbas Araghchi, a member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, stated on July 18 that insisting on certain red lines meant "no agreement," and therefore, with the Supreme Leader's approval, "in several cases" the red lines set by him during the negotiations were shifted. According to Mr. Araghchi, one of the red lines was the lifting of all sanctions against Iran, but U.S. officials stated that the government could not lift congressional sanctions, and if the Iranian negotiation team insisted, it would mean "no agreement." "JCPOA 2 and 3 were supposed to be created" The representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC further accused Hassan Rouhani's government of "seeking a connection with the U.S. and passing over many assets" and intended to "resolve the issue of relations with the U.S. under the cover of the JCPOA." He added, "In the JCPOA issue, it was supposed that JCPOA 2 and 3 would also be created, and it still seems that the gentlemen are pursuing this matter." Mr. Saeedi, referring to Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks about rejecting "JCPOAs 2 and 3," emphasized that negotiations with the U.S. should not go beyond the nuclear issue and that "this is one of the red lines that we do not have the right to cross." Previously, several close associates of the Supreme Leader have spoken about the U.S.'s intention to implement what they call "JCPOA 2 and 3" with the aim of changing Iran. For example, Hossein Nejat, the cultural deputy of the IRGC, on August 14, referred to "JCPOA 2 and 3" and mentioned "pursuing human rights policies" as "JCPOA 4," adding, "It seems that after the JCPOA, they want to pursue the project of same-sex marriage in Iran." Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, in his Nowruz message, referred to the parliamentary elections of February 26, 2016, as the beginning of "JCPOA 2" and stated that "this JCPOA begins with ethics before the economy." Hours after these remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei, in his speech in Mashhad, criticized without naming names the discussion of "JCPOAs 2 and 3" and those who, according to him, have pinned their hopes on negotiating with the U.S. to solve the country's problems. The 2017 presidential election was described as "sensitive and complex" by the Supreme Leader's representative in the IRGC, who cited attempts by some officials from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government to "return to the past" as one of the reasons for the sensitivity of this election. He added, "This issue itself is an important question: Is it appropriate for a revolutionary and purposeful nation to have a backward return or not?" Mr. Saeedi's remarks come after some conservatives, including Mehdi Fazeli, former managing director of Fars News Agency, reported that the Supreme Leader had "prohibited" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from running in the upcoming presidential election in Iran. Mr. Saeedi identified "the second factor of complexity" in the upcoming election as the "behavior of Hassan Rouhani's government officials" and added, "The nuclear issue and negotiations within the nuclear framework is one matter, but entering the realm of U.S. hegemony is a dangerous issue." He also mentioned another reason for the "complexity" of the upcoming presidential election as the "complex role of the U.S. in this election," without providing details. Mr. Saeedi claimed that "the IRGC has not interfered in the elections and does not support any specific candidate, but it articulates principles, foundations, criteria, and indices." In the tenth parliamentary elections, several close associates of the Supreme Leader had expressed concern about the impact of the Vienna nuclear agreement on the elections. In another part of his remarks, the Supreme Leader's representative in the IRGC criticized the contents of the book "Development of Interaction" written by Mahmoud Sari' al-Qalam, a university professor with a preface by Hassan Rouhani, stating that this book discusses issues such as "denial of independence." He also criticized the agreement with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), adding that this agreement aligns with the thinking that says, "This global community has a hegemon, and that hegemon is the U.S., with which we must coexist." The issue of Iran's acceptance of the FATF has made headlines in recent weeks, and Friday prayer leaders and some other close associates of the Supreme Leader, including Gholamali Haddad Adel, advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, and Hossein Shariatmadari, the Supreme Leader's representative in Kayhan newspaper, have strongly opposed this agreement. On Thursday, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, stated that the purpose of the agreement with the FATF was "to monitor financial flows and leverage for influence" over this institution, while also stating that this agreement "has no impact on the internal and regional performance of the IRGC."