Larijani Attacks Hashemi and Hassan Khomeini; Creating Scholars is Mockery of the Seminary

The head of Iran's judiciary, in response to a letter from Ali Motahari, implicitly attacked Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Khomeini, calling the oversight of the Assembly of Experts over the leadership a "delusion and false expectations" and "made-up words" that conceal a "mysterious movement" behind them. On Tuesday, December 30, Sadegh Amoli Larijani also criticized the entry of Hashemi Rafsanjani's "like-minded" individuals into the Assembly of Experts elections, calling the designation of Hassan Khomeini as "Allameh" by Hashemi Rafsanjani a "mockery" of the seminaries and "laughing at the intelligence of the people." According to the state news agency IRNA, Larijani emphasized that the Assembly of Experts has no right to intervene in the institutions under the Supreme Leader for oversight. In response to claims about the Assembly of Experts overseeing the Supreme Leader and his subordinate institutions, he stated, "We say these statements are incorrect, wrong, and are expectations and delusions that you are raising." The judiciary chief referred to the content of Motahari's letter to him, labeling the criticisms from this parliament member as "baseless critiques." Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, had stated in an interview with ILNA on December 22 that the Assembly of Experts should not be "negligent" in overseeing the institutions under the leadership, saying, "We must at least address and pursue any deficiencies in the institutions under the leadership with the leader so that those deficiencies are resolved." The day after, the head of the judiciary declared the Assembly of Experts' oversight over the Supreme Leader as "incorrect" and "unconstitutional," asserting that "there is nothing in the Constitution about oversight over the leadership." Ali Motahari, a Tehran representative in parliament, on Friday, December 27, published a letter to the head of the judiciary, deeming his statements as "against the conduct" of the Prophet of Islam, the first Imam of Shiites, Ayatollah Khomeini, and Ayatollah Khamenei, as well as "reminiscent of the claims of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages," "against the dictates of reason and political science," and "against the Constitution." The judiciary chief reacted to part of Motahari's letter that referenced Ayatollah Khamenei's statements about the oversight of the Assembly of Experts over him, adding, "He said oversight, meaning to see if he possesses the qualities or not?... He did not say you should go set up a tent in the leader's house and monitor the leader's actions one by one to see if, for example, they negotiated well with Putin or not?" Larijani emphasized, "What are these words you are saying? These are made-up words and have nothing to do with the Constitution." He added, "It feels like there is another mysterious movement behind these words; sometimes they raise the issue of a leadership council, even though it contradicts the text of the Constitution, or... they raise the issue of oversight." Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani also mentioned in an interview with ILNA that before the removal of the "Leadership Council" in the constitutional amendment of 1989, he believed in a council leadership, but despite such a view, he had "submitted" to the decision of the Assembly of Experts. Larijani continued his remarks by saying, "Some provoke those who think like them to enter the Assembly of Experts; of course, there is no problem, it is freedom, but they also create scholars in the seminaries." He added, "This is acting; this is mockery of the seminaries; this is laughing at the intelligence of the people." The judiciary chief emphasized that some are seeking to "polarize society" during the election period to "use or misuse the votes of some people." Larijani also criticized the performance of what he called "chain newspapers" and "creating fronts and fake interviews" regarding the Assembly of Experts elections without mentioning details. Hashemi Rafsanjani had referred to Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, as "Allameh" during a speech on April 24. This statement prompted protests from some media and figures close to the Steadfast Front. However, Hashemi Rafsanjani defended his remarks again, emphasizing that "Allameh is much lower than Ayatollah and means someone who knows a lot." Following the announcement of candidacies by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Khomeini, and Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi for the Assembly of Experts elections, as well as the announcement of reformists' participation in the parliament elections, several Friday prayer leaders and appointees of the Supreme Leader warned about the entry of individuals they termed "seditionists" into both the parliament and the Assembly of Experts. For instance, Kazem Sedighi, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, during his sermons on December 20, urged the Guardian Council to "without any hesitation" not approve the candidates for the elections "until they have verified their qualifications." Since last year, some conservative clerics and close associates of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have warned about the efforts of reformists and individuals close to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to participate in the Assembly of Experts elections. Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts' board of directors, stated in February 2015 that reformists would not even succeed in forming a powerful minority in the next term of this Assembly, and this Assembly would remain, according to him, "Velai."