Khamenei: We are aware of the people's livelihood problems and other issues

The leader of the Islamic Republic, during a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts, stated that he is aware of the people's livelihood problems but believes these issues are not "unsolvable." Members of the Assembly of Experts met with Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday, March 15, at the end of the fourth session of the fifth term of this assembly. The leader said: "Of course, we are aware of the livelihood problems and other issues of the people, but we believe there is no unsolvable problem in the country, and God willing, I will talk to the people about these issues in the coming days." Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks regarding "livelihood problems and other issues" come at a time when many sociologists, economists, and political activists have warned of the possibility of further unrest following the protests of December 2017. In one of the latest warnings, Masoud Nili, the economic advisor to the President of Iran, called for serious attention to the causes of the December 2017 protests and said: "If we witnessed the people's demonstrations in December, the warning is that they may become larger and take on broader dimensions... The next time, the opportunity may not be available to you, and if we continue like this, we will be at risk." The December 2017 protests, which reportedly occurred in over 100 cities in Iran and were at times violent, saw protesters chanting against both the reformist and conservative factions and the leader himself. Over 20 people were killed and thousands were arrested during these protests. According to government officials, the protests were initiated by conservatives in Mashhad under the banner of "No to Inflation," but they spiraled out of control and turned into anti-government slogans. The conservative faction and those close to and appointed by Ayatollah Khamenei have blamed President Hassan Rouhani's government for mishandling economic and livelihood issues. The reformist faction has also criticized Rouhani's government from various angles. However, Hassan Rouhani, the President, has explicitly and indirectly spoken about the "destructive" role of foundations, religious endowments, and military and security forces in Iran's economy. For example, in July 2017, without naming the Revolutionary Guards, Rouhani said: "They feared the government that had no guns, let alone giving the economy to a government that has both guns and media and has everything, and no one dares to compete with them." Rouhani and his administration have repeatedly criticized institutions and organizations that do not pay taxes to the government. Furthermore, according to Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor who has recently been imprisoned for his criticisms and banned from political activities, nearly 8 trillion tomans of the national budget is allocated to propaganda organizations and institutions, 90% of which are not accountable to the government or parliament. Meanwhile, the budget for the Environmental Organization is only 300 billion tomans. These organizations and institutions, such as the Revolutionary Guards, state media, and Astan Quds, are all under the supervision of the Supreme Leader and do not consider themselves accountable to the government or parliament. At the same time, the Assembly of Experts has, in the opinion of critics like Mehdi Karroubi, failed to fulfill its supervisory role over the leader and has only confirmed the Supreme Leader's authority. Ahmad Jannati, the head of the Assembly, who is also the Secretary of the Guardian Council, has stated that "the leadership and guardianship of the Islamic community" is the "source of legitimacy of the Islamic system," not the people's vote. Additionally, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, who is appointed by the leader, has stated that "there is nothing in the constitution regarding oversight of the leader." According to Article 11 of the Constitution, "Whenever the leader is unable to perform his legal duties or lacks any of the conditions mentioned in Articles 5 and 109, or it becomes clear that he was lacking some conditions from the beginning, he will be dismissed from his position. The determination of this matter is the responsibility of the Assembly mentioned in Article 108."