Minister of Information: Some are Spreading Obvious Lies in Their Bulletins

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Information, criticized what he called attempts to undermine Hassan Rouhani's government, stating that some individuals who consider the revolution their own are spreading "obvious lies" in their bulletins. Alavi's remarks were published by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Wednesday, February 4, indicating that Hassan Rouhani's government is facing "difficult conditions." According to him, the Iranian government is grappling with sanctions and falling oil prices, and in this situation, "if it can keep the country afloat, it has done a great job." The Minister of Information then stated, "Sometimes one gets upset when seeing some bulletins that are published by those who consider the revolution their own, spreading obvious lies, and this is not right." Previously, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, also spoke about the bulletin-making by government institutions against Rouhani's government. Jannati mentioned that these bulletins are prepared by some institutions that use government budgets but "lie from head to toe." However, neither Jannati's nor Alavi's statements specify exactly which institutions and individuals are involved in the bulletin-making against Rouhani's government. Nevertheless, the Minister of Information provided an example of this bulletin-making against the government, stating, "They said that the president had shut down the military industry. But when the Fajr satellite was launched into space and entered orbit, it showed that all these claims were aimed at undermining the government." Last month, the Saham News website, close to Mehdi Karroubi, reported that centers within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been established with the intent to obstruct Hassan Rouhani's government. According to this website, these centers are managed by political forces affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Martyrs Foundation, the Islamic Path Movement, and IRGC intelligence, and these centers are tasked with bulletin-making, preparing destructive reports, feeding the media, creating news subjects, and conducting psychological warfare against the government. This report faced a strong reaction from several conservative members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, who summoned the Minister of Information to the parliament.