Meeting of Dozens of Parliament Members with Khatami on the Anniversary of the Victory of the Hope List

Dozens of parliament members visited Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran, on Tuesday, March 9, to commemorate the anniversary of the victory of the Hope List in the 10th parliamentary elections. Mohammad Khatami has faced restrictions such as being banned from appearing in media, attending events, and even leaving the country since the events of the 2009 elections. In this context, the meeting of about 50 parliament members with him is significant. According to ILNA, at the beginning of the meeting, Mohammad Reza Aref mentioned the role of several figures, including Khatami, and stated, 'For reformists, widespread public participation in elections is a crucial principle, and experience has shown that whenever the ground for the presence of various tastes in elections is provided, public participation will be remarkable, and this participation will enhance and make the system more efficient.' Aref, the head of the Hope faction, referred to the influence of his faction in the parliament and said that after overcoming some ups and downs, the Hope faction now has good cohesion and coordination among its members. According to the spokesperson for the Hope faction, a group of parliament members, most of whom were from the Hope faction, visited Khatami on the anniversary of the elections and after the death of Hashemi Rafsanjani. Bahram Parsai stated that during this meeting, about 50 parliament members were present, and some representatives, including Aref, expressed their views and concerns about domestic issues and emphasized the necessity of solidarity and coordination to resolve societal problems. Recently, Khatami expressed hope for the 'realization of national reconciliation and internal solidarity' in Iran, stating that 'now is the best opportunity to create solidarity among all forces in the path of national interests and to repel threats and conspiracies.' However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, indirectly and sharply dismissed Khatami's proposal as 'meaningless' and warned that 'the people will not reconcile with the seditionists of Ashura 88.' Following Khamenei's reaction, the head of the judiciary, the attorney general, and some conservative figures, including Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the deputy speaker of the 9th parliament, and Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the secretary-general of the Islamic Coalition Party, also criticized this proposal, and conservative media, including Kayhan newspaper, called for Khatami and the reformists to apologize and repent. On the other hand, the meeting of parliament members with Khatami occurs while Jawad Karimi Qodosi, a representative from Mashhad, reported on the hardline stance of the leader of the Islamic Republic against Khatami. In a speech in Qom, Qodosi stated, 'After Mr. Hashemi's death, Es'hagh Jahangiri, the first vice president, went to the leader and insisted that Khatami should meet with Ayatollah Khamenei to discuss national reconciliation.' According to Qodosi, Khamenei rejected any meeting with Khatami and emphasized that because the former president did not separate himself after the events of 88, 'he absolutely cannot return.' The events of the 2009 presidential election, referred to as 'sedition' in the rhetoric of the Islamic Republic's leader and the conservative faction, have remained a significant issue in the political equations of various groups over the past seven years, to the extent that Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, leaders of the protesters against the election results, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. In this context, requests to end their house arrest have gone unanswered, and Khatami, as the intellectual leader of the reform movement, has consistently faced severe criticism.