Iran's Minister of Information: The Bulletins Related to Us Are 100% Lies

The Minister of Information of the Islamic Republic of Iran criticized what he called the 'violation of sanctity' by some individuals for the 'interests of the revolution, Islam, and the leadership.' Mahmoud Alavi emphasized on Monday night, February 8, during the anniversary celebration of the 1979 revolution in Qom: 'There is no justification for lying, disrespecting, slandering, or spreading false rumors to bring down a political rival while claiming to protect the revolution and Islam.' Without naming the individuals and political groups involved in such actions, he referred to some bulletins that accused him and his son of favoritism in the Ministry of Information. According to ILNA news agency, the Minister of Information stated: 'We are currently receiving bulletins related to us that are 100% lies; for example, they claim that a meeting took place between me (Mahmoud Alavi), Dr. Rouhani, and a certain minister where certain discussions were held, but by the Holy Quran, such a meeting never occurred.' Alavi added: 'Or they say that Haj Hassan Agha has recommended to someone to bring a certain individual to the Ministry of Information, and the son of someone else met with him on a specific date; I swear by this Quran that I do not even know the name of the person they mentioned, and Haj Hassan Agha Khomeini has never recommended anyone to me to take to the Ministry; I do not even know where that religious area is. My son has nothing to do with the Ministry's affairs; only my ministry has caused him trouble.' The issue of bulletin makers and the 'dissemination of negative news and reports' by them, which are sent in the form of bulletins to religious authorities, Islamic Republic figures, and military and governmental institutions, has been one of the main points of protest by the officials of Hassan Rouhani's cabinet in recent months. It seems that the Ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs, and Culture and Islamic Guidance are the main targets of the wave of negative news from the published bulletins. Alavi stated on February 5 that some individuals who consider the revolution as belonging to themselves tell 'blatant lies' in their bulletins. Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, also stated on July 6 this year that these bulletins are prepared by some institutions that use government budgets, 'but they are completely filled with lies.' The Saham News website, close to Mehdi Karroubi, reported last December that centers within the Revolutionary Guards have been established with the intent to obstruct the government of Hassan Rouhani. According to this site, these centers are run by 'political forces associated with the Islamic Revolution's Eslahgaran Society, the Islamic Revolution's Rahpooyan Society, and forces connected to the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence, and these centers are tasked with bulletin-making, preparing destructive reports, feeding the media, creating news subjects, and conducting psychological warfare against the government.' As Mahmoud Alavi stated in his remarks on Monday night, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has 'condemned' the actions of these bulletin makers. He stated: 'Before the condemnation of His Excellency (the Leader), those individuals who thought they were doing revolutionary work through unethical actions believed they had done something artistic or heroic; whereas these actions mean stepping outside the natural framework of the system and the revolution.'