Khamenei: I Said Those Who Do Not Accept the Regime Should Vote, Not Send Them to Parliament

In an indirect response to recent disqualification critics, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, said on Wednesday, "I said those who do not accept the regime should vote, not that someone who does not accept the regime should be sent to Parliament." According to the official website of the Supreme Leader's office, Khamenei emphasized during a meeting with election organizers for the upcoming elections in Esfand: "In no place in the world are those who do not accept the essence of the regime allowed into decision-making centers." The 10th Majlis (Parliament) elections and the 5th Assembly of Experts elections are scheduled to be held simultaneously on March 7. The Supreme Leader had previously asked even those who do not accept the regime to participate in the upcoming elections "to preserve the country's credibility." Since then, several individuals associated with reformist and moderate factions in Iran have separately interpreted this statement as a request from Khamenei for an increase in the approval of candidates. Among them is Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, who criticized the widespread disqualification of candidates by the Guardian Council's supervisory boards, stating: "If someone politically and for personal reasons deprives the people of voting for a candidate through disqualification, they have violated the leader's fatwa regarding people's rights." Mohammad Hashemi, the brother and head of Hashemi Rafsanjani's office, also stated that "it was expected that the Guardian Council would welcome a vibrant election considering the hopeful atmosphere created by the leader's statements, but in practice, their approach to candidate qualifications contradicted the leader's directives." Khamenei's explicit remarks can be seen as an indirect response to those who have criticized the extensive disqualifications by the Guardian Council's subordinates, especially in recent days. The Supreme Leader also called for the participation of all eligible voters, including those with issues regarding the regime, as the "most important condition for healthy competition," emphasizing that "there may be individuals with issues regarding the regime, but these individuals generally do not have issues with the security, progress, and dignity of the country, and therefore, if they want to ensure national security, increase national dignity, and guarantee the progress and growth of the country, they must participate in the elections." Another part of Khamenei's speech was dedicated to criticizing those who advocate for an election boycott. He stated that these individuals are "waiting to catch the Islamic Republic off guard by the absence of people in the elections, by boycotting or weakening the elections," but "the nation has shown its effectiveness against these malicious ambushers and will show it again in this election." Khamenei strongly objected to labeling individuals he referred to as "faithful, revolutionary, and Hezbollah youth" as "extremists." He said that "some constantly repeat the term extremists, meaning the faithful and Hezbollah movement," and that "revolutionary and Hezbollah youth should not be accused of extremism, as these youths are fully sincere and present in the field whenever defense of borders and national identity is necessary." Khamenei also described the attack on the Saudi embassy as "very bad and wrong," adding that "one should not drag the Hezbollah youth and faithful revolutionaries into the fray due to a very bad and wrong incident like the attack on the Saudi embassy." He stated that "the intellect and understanding of these revolutionary and Hezbollah youths and their analysis of issues in many cases are better than some elders, and these youths who are devoted to the revolution and Islam should not be weakened and attacked on the pretext of the attack on the Saudi embassy or the earlier attack on the British embassy, both of which are detrimental to the country and Islam, and I was also upset by them." The final part of Khamenei's remarks focused on the nuclear agreement or JCPOA. He stated that "the goals and policies of today's America are the same harsh and anti-Iranian goals of the Reagan and Bush eras" and added: "The nuclear achievements are the result of the efforts and genius of Iranian scientists and the support and steadfastness of the nation, and these realities, along with the efforts of officials, have forced the enemy to make some retreats, so it is extremely unfair for some to promote these results as American generosity." While he emphasized that not all of the Islamic Republic's demands were met in the nuclear agreement, he said that "the officials worked hard in this matter." Khamenei added: "I believe that the work could have been done better, but in any case, the capabilities, opportunities, and resources brought about these results, which are significant and noteworthy." He also expressed "deep gratitude" for the seizure of American military boats in the Persian Gulf and the temporary detention of ten of their sailors by the Revolutionary Guards, stating: "They [the Guards] demonstrated Iran's identity and power against the enemy's aggression, and officials should act similarly in all areas and should confront the enemy with power whenever it crosses the lines of Iran's national interests."