Khamenei's Representative Attacks 'Niyavaran Circle' and Supporters of 'Peaceful Coexistence with the West'

The representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in the Revolutionary Guards implicitly referred to Hassan Rouhani and his close associates as the 'Niyavaran Circle' and stated that the pursuit of the idea of 'peaceful coexistence with the West' in Iran is the result of this group's activities. According to the representative of the Supreme Leader, one of the outcomes of this idea's implementation was the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Some Iranian media refer to the 'Niyavaran Circle' as a group of Hassan Rouhani's close associates who were managers and members of this institution during his presidency at the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Discernment Council. According to reports from several news websites, including Entekhab, Ali Saidi, the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei, announced on Sunday, June 4, in a speech in Isfahan that the idea of 'peaceful coexistence with the West' is the result of a decade-long activity of the 'Niyavaran Circle'. He added, 'They believe that we should not confront the West; Khrushchev and Gorbachev had the same belief and interacted with the West, resulting in the collapse of the Soviet Union.' The speech by the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei coincided with a day when the Supreme Leader himself stated in a speech that 'challenging' the West is less costly than 'compromising' with it. These remarks come at a time when the Islamic Republic's insistence on pursuing certain regional and international policies, including its controversial nuclear program in recent years, has led to Iran's isolation in international circles. Mr. Saidi also mentioned that some groups operating under the title 'Imam Line' in the Islamic Republic have beliefs and discourse that contradict the ideals of Ayatollah Khomeini. He listed characteristics of these groups, such as 'de-revolutionization', 'moving towards a free economy', 'serious efforts for relations with the US and reducing defensive power', 'Westernization', 'selective obedience to the Supreme Leader and hypocritical views towards him', and 'lack of belief in the role of religion in managing society'. The Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Discernment Council is located in Niyavaran, Tehran, and during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, a group of managers from the governments of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami were active there. Youssef Abadari and Hamid Parnian, two sociology professors at Iranian universities, have also used the term 'Niyavaran School' in an article to refer to a group of economists and government managers who believe in 'free economic policies' and have recommended 'privatization' and 'structural adjustment' policies. Previously, the Supreme Leader and his close associates have repeatedly warned about the consequences of 'non-revolutionary thinking' and 'attempts to get closer to the West'. For instance, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, has repeatedly called the existence of 'non-revolutionary views and thoughts' the 'main danger for the country' and stated that 'Western, liberal, and non-revolutionary views exist in many officials', and these officials 'proudly boast of studying at Western universities'. Mr. Jafari has previously spoken multiple times about 'realizing Islamic civilization' and 'forming a global Islamic community'. He stated in May 2015 that 'we are moving towards a great Islamic civilization', considering the situation of exporting the Islamic Revolution outside Iran as 'very favorable' and saying that the revolution 'needs to advance more quickly' within Iran. The Islamic Republic is referred to as the 'fourth stage' of the movement of Islam. Meanwhile, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards referred to 'five historical stages' in the movement of Islam, stating that 'the mission is the beginning of Islam, Ghadir is its continuation, and Ashura is its revival'. Mr. Saidi referred to the Islamic Republic as the 'fourth stage' of the movement of Islam and the 'foundation for the globalization of Islam', stating that the 'fifth stage' is the 'appearance' of the twelfth Imam of the Shiites. He also mentioned that the UNESCO 2030 document is 'worse than capitulation' and that government officials 'initially said it was not signed, then said they prevented its implementation'. According to Mr. Saidi, the Supreme Leader was forced to intervene in this matter due to the 'laziness of the elites', and 'if the elites had done their duty, public opinion would have stood against this document'. Despite statements from Hassan Rouhani's government officials about halting the implementation of the UNESCO 2030 document, attacks by the Supreme Leader's close associates on this document continue. Hassan Rouhani announced during the presidential election that he had been given a 'false report' about this document to the Supreme Leader. After the elections, he emphasized that he would not forgive the 'lies' told about this document and would pursue them. In this context, media close to Hassan Rouhani published images of bulletins during the election period that they claimed were distributed by Ebrahim Raisi's campaign, alleging that the implementation of the 2030 document would promote homosexuality and masturbation in Iranian schools. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, declared the implementation of this document 'unauthorized' on May 7 and stated that the Islamic Republic would not submit to documents like the UNESCO 2030 document. The UNESCO educational document for 2030, known as the 2030 document, emphasizes issues such as ensuring equal and inclusive education, environmental protection, gender equality, and equal social opportunities for women and men, human rights, eliminating discrimination against minorities, and promoting a culture of peace and non-violence.