Mehdi Karroubi Resigns from the Secretary-Generalship of the National Trust Party

Mehdi Karroubi, the Secretary-General of the National Trust Party, resigned from his position in a letter from house arrest, requesting that the members of the party accept his resignation 'without emotional interference' and due to 'more important interests' choose a new Secretary-General. In the letter, published on Tuesday, January 6, on the National Trust Party's website, Karroubi emphasized that due to his 'illegal' house arrest, the end of which is uncertain, he is unable to pursue party matters. He urged party members to avoid 'any fragmentation and disagreement' and to maintain their independence while interacting and cooperating with other reformist groups and figures. Karroubi also advised reformist groups to refrain from self-centeredness and superiority over others to avoid future humiliation and to not have to speak or take positions contrary to their beliefs that would be ignored by the powers that be. The letter regarding the selection of a new Secretary-General 'under the management' of Rasoul Montajebnia comes amid reports of Montajebnia's resignation from the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trust Party. According to these reports, the Central Council of the National Trust Party agreed to the party's 'interaction' with the Supreme Policy Council of Reformists, but Montajebnia had expressed his opposition to this decision. Following these disagreements, the public relations office of the National Trust Party announced that the party has no spokesperson, but Esmail Gerami Moghadam, the party's spokesperson, responded that changing the spokesperson is the responsibility of the Central Council, not the Deputy Secretary-General. The ILNA news agency also reported on Saturday, January 4, that these disagreements ultimately led to Montajebnia's resignation, which Karroubi accepted, delegating the decision to the Central Council of the party. However, on the same day, Hossein Karroubi, Karroubi's son, stated that his father remained silent regarding Montajebnia's resignation and left the decision to the Central Council. The National Trust Party was established in 2005 with Mehdi Karroubi at its center and announced that its office had been sealed following protests against the 2009 presidential election. However, after the eleventh presidential election in Iran, which resulted in Hassan Rouhani's victory, senior members of the party announced its return to the political arena.