Karroubi: Reformists Must Show They Truly Care About the People's Pain

On Wednesday, August 8, the Saham News website reported on a meeting between Mohammad Khatami, the former president, and Fatemeh Karroubi, where a message from Mehdi Karroubi regarding the current situation in the country was shared. Mehdi Karroubi, a leader of Iran's Green Movement, expressed concern about the 'conditions of the people' and urged various reformist factions to 'demonstrate that they truly care about the pain of the people and the country.' According to Saham News, Khatami recently met with Fatemeh Karroubi, who emphasized the need for 'the solidarity of all people in Iran to preserve the country.' The date of this meeting was not mentioned. Mrs. Karroubi noted Mr. Karroubi's 'concern regarding the situation of the underprivileged classes in society,' criticizing the 'shortcomings and failures' of the country's officials and calling for 'measured, coherent, and urgent actions' from them. Mehdi Karroubi believes that especially 'various reformist factions' must practically show that they 'truly care about the pain of the people and the country.' In recent months, severe fluctuations in the market and the prices of foreign currencies, especially the dollar, have significantly affected the lives and livelihoods of people in Iran, fueling unrest and protests. These events have particularly increased pressure on Hassan Rouhani's government: on one hand, all eyes are on this government to find solutions to economic problems, while on the other hand, conservatives in opposition have intensified their criticisms of the situation. Meanwhile, reformists, as one of Rouhani's supporters, have faced increasing pressure from critics among the public. The slogan of protesters during last December's demonstrations, 'Reformists, conservatives, the story is over,' was one of the slogans that received widespread media and social media attention, reflecting the pressure on reformists. Hossein Zolfaqari, the Deputy Security Minister, acknowledged at that time that the protests 'crossed all political factions in the country.' On Sunday, Mohammad Khatami reacted to this situation, stating: 'Some are trying to convey to Iranians, especially the younger generation, through social media and psychological warfare that it is all over, and we see that their greatest effort is to undermine reformists.' Khatami also found the 'inactivity of the government and the bewilderment of reformists in the face of this wave' of propaganda 'surprising.' He apologized to the people for the country's conditions, describing discussions about the 'collapse' of the Islamic Republic as 'propaganda' and 'psychological warfare,' asserting that 'the system will not collapse.' This statement sparked numerous negative reactions in cyberspace, which were met with responses from supporters of reformism and Mohammad Khatami. The Saham News website, close to Mehdi Karroubi, reported on Thursday, August 2, that Hassan Rouhani, the president, had called for the lifting of the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement, but the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic opposed this again.