Medicalian's Judgment for Aref; Users: 'The Lord of Silence, Compromise, and the Table' Becomes Vice President of the Islamic Republic

Hours after the ceremony of Masoud Behdar's confirmation as the fourteenth president of the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Reza Aref was introduced as his first deputy; an action that provoked critical reactions from users on social media. Some users on social media on Sunday, July 29, pointed to Mohammad Reza Aref's background, who previously served as the first deputy of Mohammad Khatami during his second term in the executive branch, as well as a comment from his son about having a 'good gene', criticizing Aref's appointment as Behdar's first deputy. Ali Karimi, a popular sports figure in Iran and an opponent of the Islamic Republic, remarked on social media X that 'the father of the good gene has come', alluding to the previous rent-seeking of government affiliates, stating: 'Let's see how many useless good genes are produced from the wealth of the Iranian people by the end of it.' His reference was to Hamid Reza Aref's statements about 'good genes' and his security rent, where he justified himself in 2017 by saying, 'The one who has the ability and has reached a point must have talent within him, and this is definitely hereditary', 'My parents were both among the top students in Iran's university entrance exam, and this gene is transferred.' Amir Hossein Etemadi, a political activist opposing the Islamic Republic, also emphasized that Aref's introduction as Behdar's first deputy was part of the 'election circus', stating: 'Both Khamenei and Mojtaba are satisfied, the terrorist IRGC is satisfied, and the reformed beggars are satisfied. In the meantime, only those who played the fools for these criminals and thieves without benefiting from it ended up with the short end of the stick.' Furthermore, journalist Moloud Hajizadeh referred to Aref's performance record during his time in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, calling him the 'king of silence', and stated: 'His son was also the same good gene gentleman. You read the detailed story from this summary.' Journalist Mohammad Aghazadeh also remarked, 'Say hello again to the return of the good gene era,' referring to Behdar's claims of justice-seeking during the election campaign of government candidates, and wrote on X: 'By the way, what happens to justice? It was a joke, forget it!' Hussein Dehbaashi, a historian and a figure close to Hassan Rouhani in the 2013 elections, described Mohammad Reza Aref as 'the lord of silence, compromise, and the table [of the revolution]' and a 'first deputy of caliber' for Masoud Behdar, sarcastically wishing 'congratulations to Behdar's supporters.' Additionally, journalist Hediyeh Hashemi emphasized that 'Behdar, by choosing Aref, showed that he not only does not pay attention to critics and protesters, but even the opinions of those who voted for him are not very important.' She considered Aref to be 'the most passive political figure in recent years' who had 'remained silent during the crises and important events of the country' and 'has now become the first deputy.' The confirmation ceremony for Masoud Behdar as the new president of the Islamic Republic was held on Sunday, July 29, at the Khomeini Hosseiniyeh in Jamaran. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, dedicated a significant part of this ceremony to speaking against the Pahlavi kings, claiming that 'Mohammad Reza Pahlavi resorted to America and England to overthrow a national government.' Some users on social media considered Khamenei's attack on the Pahlavi kings as 'another witness' of his 'wishful thinking,' expecting that reformists would 'save the regime from the Pahlavi-loving sentiment of the Iranian people.' Journalist Reza Talebi, in an interview with VOA, predicted that during Behdar's term, 'public discontent in Iran will have an upward trend.' Additionally, Majid Golpour, an international relations expert, told VOA that 'Behdar has no plan to solve the people's problems.'