Medicalian's Statements on Aligning His Cabinet with Khamenei Spark Controversy

Rare statements by Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, in the open session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly regarding the alignment of his cabinet with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic have sparked a wave of criticism in the Persian-speaking social media. Although after these remarks, representatives voted in favor of all of Pezeshkian's proposed ministers, many users have written that in the history of the Islamic Republic, the republic has never been as 'damaged' as it is now, and no president has so explicitly shown that he has accepted the role of 'logistics manager' for the Supreme Leader. Pezeshkian had previously stated that he would coordinate his cabinet list with Ali Khamenei, but on Wednesday, although he repeatedly asked representatives not to make him delve into details, he raised unprecedented details about how he coordinated his cabinet with the Supreme Leader. He mentioned that Abbas Salehi, the proposed Minister of Culture, agreed to have his name on the cabinet list after a phone call from Khamenei, Abbas Araghchi, the proposed Minister of Foreign Affairs, was the first proposed individual approved by him, and Khamenei himself said that Farzaneh Sadegh should be included as the Minister of Roads in the cabinet. In the Assembly, Pezeshkian not only spoke of the cabinet's coordination with the Supreme Leader but also added regarding some ministers: 'We did not do this without coordination; neither with the committees nor with those who needed to be coordinated.' On social media, these statements have been interpreted to mean that, in addition to the Supreme Leader, the approval of the Revolutionary Guards and other parallel security and intelligence institutions has also been obtained for the cabinet list. Several conservative figures opposing Pezeshkian and his plans, both in and out of the Assembly, criticized the President for 'using' the Supreme Leader. However, Ali Motahari, a former Assembly representative, rejected this criticism, stating, 'It is not the case that Mr. Pezeshkian has used the leadership; rather, he has clarified and stated the realities.' Hossein Shariatmadari, Khamenei's representative at the Kayhan Institute, who had previously asked representatives to refrain from voting confidence in some ministers, expressed a 'brotherly grievance' towards Pezeshkian a day after the entire cabinet list was approved. Shariatmadari called Pezeshkian's statements about 'coordination' with Khamenei a 'claim' and wrote that 'this claim of his immediately became a pretext for the enemies of the system to undermine democracy and the position of the Assembly and even the powers of the President in the Islamic Republic of Iran.' He asked Pezeshkian to 'correct' his 'unrealistic claim' from the previous day and 'block the way for the enemies' exploitation and leave them unsuccessful as always.' This request was made because some social media users, following Pezeshkian's remarks, have again raised the topic of the 'death of the republic' in Iran, stating that another wound was inflicted on the body of 'lifeless democracy and parliamentary system in Iran.' While some political figures, either sincerely or to praise the Supreme Leader, refer to the approval of Pezeshkian's entire cabinet as 'the beginning of a new chapter in Iran's political life,' some users on social media have referred to the fourteenth government as the 'most appointed' cabinet. Hamid Abutalebi, a former Iranian ambassador to Australia and former political advisor to Hassan Rouhani, wrote to Pezeshkian that he won the battle with the Assembly but 'lost' the century-long struggle for constitutionalism and republicanism. Others, including some journalists, have written that after Pezeshkian's remarks, it can now be said that the 'steering council' formed under the presidency of Mohammad Javad Zarif for cabinet formation, which had been promoted for a long time, was insignificant, and the main player was the Supreme Leader. Some figures supportive of the Supreme Leader have also praised Khamenei's 'wisdom and politics,' noting his correct use of the reformist movement as an internal force to advance his programs and policies, in a way that the opposing side also has some relative satisfaction. Journalist Mohammad Aghazadeh, referring to Pezeshkian's statement to the Assembly representatives that 'Sir accepted, who are you? Vote so we can get to work...' wrote: 'The unanimous vote of the Assembly for Pezeshkian's ministers showed that the boogeymen were nothing, and the fear of them was a Goebbels-style psychological war; for the first time, the rule became unified with the participation of reformists.' Some users have also written that the government during the presidencies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ebrahim Raisi was also 'unified,' but 'this is the first unification with the symbolic or real presence of reformists.' Another topic raised on social media regarding Pezeshkian's remarks in the Assembly is the title 'loquaciousness' of the President, which some users, including Hossein Dehbaashi, a documentarian, have described as dangerous for his supporters and negotiators, while Hesamoddin Ashna, a former security figure, wrote that 'perhaps his mouth is not loose, but his left is full.'