Khamenei to Hassan Rouhani: Maximize Work and Efforts in the Remaining Year

On Wednesday, September 3, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Hassan Rouhani's government to avoid distractions from upcoming electoral discussions and urged cabinet members to maximize their work and efforts in the remaining year. In a meeting with the President and members of the Iranian cabinet, the leader of Iran noted the 'rapid passage' of three years of the eleventh government and stated, 'The government must plan and work diligently to make the most of the remaining year.' He added, 'The government should not get distracted by electoral discussions at all; rather, it should plan for work, effort, and problem-solving until the last working day, and the best advertisement for the government in power is its actions and deeds.' Khamenei's emphasis on the remaining 'one year' of Rouhani's government comes as some media close to the Revolutionary Guards and conservatives have suggested that Rouhani's presidency may be 'one-term.' For instance, the newspaper 'Javan' wrote on July 29 that Rouhani's promises during the 2013 presidential campaign, such as 'numerous and visible economic openings if a nuclear agreement is reached with the West' and 'fighting discrimination and economic corruption in society,' have not been realized and have contributed to the possibility of his presidency being one-term. In another part of his speech, Khamenei implicitly criticized the release of an audio file by Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri regarding the 1988 executions, stating that some are trying to create a victimhood narrative to tarnish the image of the late Imam Khomeini. He mentioned Mohammad Ali Rajai and Mohammad Javad Bahonar as 'models of sincerity, hard work, and being people-oriented' and criticized attempts to whitewash 'the perpetrators of this crime.' He stated, 'Unfortunately, some are trying to create a victimhood narrative for these criminals who have martyred thousands of ordinary people, officials, and prominent figures, and tarnish the bright image of the late Imam, but these malicious and biased hands will not succeed and will fail as they have in the past.' The website of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the dismissed deputy of Ayatollah Khomeini, released an audio file on August 30, in which this Shia cleric refers to the 1988 executions in Iran as 'the greatest crime of the Islamic Republic.' Khamenei also outlined seven key priorities for the country and a 'roadmap for the eleventh government' for the upcoming year, criticizing the cultural sector and stating that he does not support 'dogmatism, pressure, and repression' in the cultural sphere, but firmly believes in 'free thought,' emphasizing that free thought does not mean 'anarchy and allowing the enemy to inflict damage.' He considered culture to encompass literature, art, lifestyle, behavior, and social ethics and assessed the performance of cultural institutions as 'weak.' He had previously criticized the government's actions in cultural fields, noting a type of 'anarchy and indifference' in cultural institutions. Khamenei reiterated that 'the economy is the primary issue of the country,' linking the resolution of economic problems to the 'correct and precise implementation' of resistance economy policies. He emphasized the 'decisive prevention' of continuing economic plans or programs 'not aligned' with resistance economy policies. Earlier in mid-April, he had asked the first vice president of Iran to play a special role in leading the resistance economy headquarters. Following this request, Eshaq Jahangiri announced on April 30 that he had issued plans for implementing what is described as 'resistance economy' to government organizations. The 'resistance economy headquarters' is an institution established at the directive of the Supreme Leader to implement his special orders in pursuing what is called 'resistance economy policies.' Khamenei again accused the United States of 'bad faith and betrayal' regarding the JCPOA, stating, 'This experience teaches us that we cannot trust the promises of any of the governments in America, and we should not take any action based on their promises.' Khamenei had previously accused the U.S. of not fully implementing its commitments under the JCPOA.