Khamenei's New Mission for the Assembly of Experts

On Thursday, September 21, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defined a new mission for the Assembly of Experts, urging this body to form a committee to 'demand' from all institutions, including the three branches of government, the 'progress or regress in the path towards the goals of the revolution.' During a meeting with the members of the Assembly, Khamenei stated that this assembly should have 'a comprehensive and strategic view and assessment of the path and movement of the Islamic Revolution' alongside its duties. He emphasized that the Assembly of Experts must evaluate 'progress or regress in the movement towards the goals of the revolution' and demand accountability from responsible institutions. Khamenei's remarks come at a time when, according to law, the Assembly of Experts is tasked with overseeing the Supreme Leader, and oversight of institutions like the government and parliament is not part of its responsibilities. This new assignment for the Assembly has been defined while it is also responsible for electing and dismissing the Supreme Leader. Khamenei mentioned several issues that the Assembly should demand from various institutions, including 'purifying the country's culture from mixing with Western culture,' 'economic power,' 'justice, fighting poverty, and proper wealth distribution,' and 'preserving and safeguarding revolutionary spirit and motivations.' He also stressed that the Assembly should turn these important titles into public discourse and demands. Morteza Kazemian, a journalist and political analyst based in Paris, told Radio Farda, 'Unfortunately, the Supreme Leader is further distancing the Assembly of Experts from its primary function (which is overseeing the Leader's performance and evaluating his record) by defining this new and illegal mission for it. The Assembly has no duty to judge the performance of the three branches and demand from them; however, by encouraging the Assembly to undertake this task, Khamenei effectively expands his own authority and that of his appointed institutions, beating the drum of authoritarianism.' Kazemian believes that 'Khamenei has described the Assembly of Experts as exceptional and unique in terms of its composition, function, and duties; he is right, but perhaps from the perspective that this Assembly has increasingly taken on a performative and nominal role, increasingly straying from its primary duty of overseeing the head of the system, and due to the initial selection of candidates by six clerics appointed by the Leader, it has effectively become a subordinate and supporter of the apex of the political system.' Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of the Assembly, also stated at the opening of this Assembly that its duty is to 'stabilize the positions' of the Supreme Leader and 'demand accountability' from other officials, including the President. The new duties assigned to the Assembly by the Supreme Leader and its head are not part of the responsibilities defined for this body in the Islamic Republic's Constitution. Although some officials and experts argue that the Assembly has a constitutional duty to oversee the Supreme Leader, it has not provided any reports on this matter so far. At the end of the Assembly's sessions, only statements about political or international issues are published. Additionally, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, announced on March 6 of last year that the Assembly is not fulfilling its duties, including oversight of the Supreme Leader, and that some members have 'a lot to say' but refrain from expressing their opinions due to the fate of previous critics. Last year, remarks by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani regarding the Assembly's oversight of institutions under the Supreme Leader provoked a strong reaction from several of Khamenei's appointees, including Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, the head of the judiciary, and Ali Saidi, the Leader's representative in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The head of the judiciary at that time described the Assembly's oversight of institutions under the Leader as 'baseless,' 'incorrect,' and 'illegal expectations and aspirations' that 'have nothing to do with the Constitution.' Ayatollah Larijani and some close associates of the Supreme Leader also believe that oversight of the Assembly is not present in the Constitution. He had previously stated in 2010 that 'the Assembly has specific duties and powers, including determining the necessary qualities in leadership and its continuity, but the interpretation of oversight over the Leader is not present in the Constitution.' In response to President Rouhani's remarks, Khamenei described the statement that 'we do not want to force people into paradise' as 'incorrect and fallacious.' He added, 'The claim that there is no compulsion in Islam is also not correct, and there are legal limits in some cases.' President Rouhani has repeatedly criticized interventions in people's lives, stating that 'one cannot force people with a whip to paradise' and 'people choose their own path to paradise.' These remarks have faced criticism and protests from a group of conservative clerics. Among them, Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, stated that 'not only with a whip, but with all power, we will stand against those who intend to prevent people from going to paradise.' In response to the remarks of the U.S. President, Khamenei once again criticized the Vienna nuclear agreement, stating that 'negotiation was not a problem, but care and precision should have been exercised in this negotiation so that it would not be the case that any mistake made by the other party would not be considered a violation of the JCPOA, while any action by Iran would be deemed a violation of the JCPOA.' Despite Khamenei's approval of the Vienna nuclear agreement, he and his close associates continue to criticize this agreement. However, they have announced that the Islamic Republic remains committed to this agreement. The Supreme Leader also described the U.S. President's speech at the United Nations as 'foolish, very ugly, vulgar, and filled with lies and confusion.' He further stated that 'American elites should feel ashamed of such statements and having such a president.' Khamenei claimed that 'the U.S. positions are not due to power and capability against Iran but are entirely due to its weakness, defeat, and anger.' Kazemian notes, 'Khamenei's reaction to the U.S. President's remarks at the United Nations was, as expected, very harsh and expressed in an angry tone. However, he notably avoided entering the issue of the JCPOA and the potential repercussions of Washington's strictness or the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. It seems that the Supreme Leader is trying to respond strongly to Trump's remarks without acting in a way that would further jeopardize the JCPOA.' Meanwhile, President Rouhani, on Wednesday, September 20, described the U.S. President's remarks as 'ignorant, ugly, hateful, and filled with false information and baseless accusations' that, according to him, were 'not befitting' of the United Nations. At the same time, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, described the remarks of the U.S. President and the Israeli Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly as indicative of their 'war-mongering, hostile, and anti-peace spirit.' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, also called for a 'painful response' to the U.S. The harsh attacks by Iranian officials against Donald Trump occurred at a time when he had asked the international community on Tuesday, September 19, to confront the 'destabilizing actions of the criminal regime' of Iran. The U.S. President also referred to the Iranian government as a 'corrupt dictatorship' that hides its face behind a mask of false democracy. The U.S. government accuses Tehran of actions that contradict the 'spirit' of the JCPOA, such as missile tests, support for militias, and other issues, threatening regional and global stability. Tehran denies these accusations. Meanwhile, European countries involved in the nuclear agreement negotiations have also described Iran's ballistic missile tests as inconsistent with the nuclear agreement. In this context, the Assembly of Experts has called on the judiciary to decisively address electoral violations. Jannati stated that some have problems with the velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the Islamic jurist). Jannati also urged Rouhani's government to understand that the people's concerns are not political issues.