Misbahi Moghadam: The Trial of Mousavi and Karroubi is Not in the Interest of the Regime

Gholamreza Misbahi Moghadam, a member of Iran's Expediency Council, referred to the "response" of the Supreme Leader regarding the trial of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, stating: "The clearest response on this matter was given by the Leader. It seems that a trial would not be in their interest or that of the regime." According to a report on Wednesday, September 1, by the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, Mr. Misbahi Moghadam emphasized that a "trial without remorse" for these individuals would "intensify their condemnation." It appears that this member of the Expediency Council and spokesperson for the Combatant Clergy Association is referring to the response of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, to Ali Motahari, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, in 2014. In July of that year, Mr. Motahari recounted that in a meeting with the Supreme Leader, Mr. Khamenei described the "crime" of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi as "great" and mentioned that if they were tried, a "heavy sentence" awaited them. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were the two candidates who contested the results of the 2009 presidential election, leading the protest movement following that election. They have been under house arrest without trial since February 2011. Zahra Rahnavard, Mr. Mousavi's wife, is also under house arrest with him. During this time, there has been much discussion about them in Iran's political and media space. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, promised during his election campaign that he would pursue the lifting of the house arrest of these three individuals if he reached the presidency, but his government has so far been unable to take any action in this regard, and some of his main supporters, such as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, have stated that the government has no authority in this area. Gholamreza Misbahi Moghadam also stated in his recent remarks that if Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard were tried, "the execution of this sentence is also not in the interest of the regime" and "its internal and external repercussions are not beneficial for the regime either." This member of the Expediency Council recommended that "if they reconsider their position, perhaps the issue can be resolved in some way, but they have acted as if they are right, so it is better to set aside the trial." Mohammad Reza Bahonar, another member of the Expediency Council and former deputy speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, recently stated that the "best situation" for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi is their continued house arrest. Mr. Bahonar also added that Mr. Mousavi did not accept his suggestion that he announce he would not engage in political activity for years if released. Following these remarks, Mir Hossein Mousavi, implicitly accusing Mr. Bahonar of "lying," stated that he had received no message from him.