New Names Proposed for the Presidency of the Assembly of Experts

The newspaper Etemad reports on 'new names proposed for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts,' stating: 'With three days left until the president of the Assembly of Experts is determined, new names have emerged for candidacy for this position; Ayatollah Jannati and Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi.' The newspaper Aftab Yazd has also dedicated a photo in its Sunday issue to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, emphasizing that with the increasing likelihood of Ahmad Jannati and Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi's candidacies for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, the possibility of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's candidacy has also become 'serious.' According to this newspaper, 'After the disclosure of a letter from a significant number of representatives of the Assembly of Experts to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani urging him to accept the presidency of this assembly, now, in a situation where for a long time Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi's name was mentioned as the only potential candidate for this position aside from the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, whispers of competition between Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, and Mohammad Yazdi against Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani have intensified.' Aftab Yazd emphasizes that after 'the publication of a letter of support from a significant number of representatives of the Assembly of Experts' for Hashemi Rafsanjani's presidency, conservatives 'have gone all out to defeat Hashemi.' The newspapers Iran and Qanoon reported on the denial of 'rumors about the Supreme Leader's poor health.' According to the Iran newspaper, Sadegh Khrazi described the purpose of publishing 'such lies' as 'to demoralize negotiators, the people, and the government' and 'to overshadow Iran's regional successes in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Yemen, and also the Geneva nuclear negotiations.' The Qanoon newspaper also published the 'denial of rumors about the illness' of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, quoting Mohammad Sadegh Khrazi, who stated: 'Now that Iran has gained the upper hand across the region and, more importantly, the discourse belonging to the idea of de-escalation and confidence-building has borne fruit, and our esteemed brothers in diplomacy have shifted from a defensive to an offensive position, Western news-analysis networks have engaged in news manipulation and psychological warfare.' Sadegh Khrazi does not hold an official position in the office or residence of the Supreme Leader but is considered a relative of the Supreme Leader due to his sister's marriage to one of Ali Khamenei's sons. The newspaper Shahre Vandan quoted Habibollah Masoudi Farid, Deputy for Social Affairs of the Welfare Organization, who published new statistics on some social harms, especially 'child abuse' and 'spousal abuse.' This official emphasized that 'child abuse tops the list of public contacts with the social emergency service,' and during the first nine months of the current year, nearly 54,000 calls regarding 'spousal abuse' were made to the social emergency service, with 85% of the callers being 'women.' This newspaper also highlighted the 'warning from FIFA's president to Iran,' stating: 'On the eve of International Women's Day, it was the turn of FIFA's president to speak about women's freedom and equal opportunities with men to engage in their favorite sports,' and among other things, Sepp Blatter stated during the sixth special FIFA session: 'I received a promise from the President of Iran about women's attendance in stadiums, but this issue has not yet been resolved.' The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to the foreign ministers of the US and Saudi Arabia, writing: 'John Kerry's trip to Saudi Arabia' is a sign of a 'forthcoming agreement' between Iran and the 1+5 countries. The newspaper Javan, in the headline of its March 6 issue, wrote that 'after four days of negotiations in Switzerland,' Mohammad Javad Zarif stated: 'An agreement cannot be reached with sanctions.' This newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, simultaneously dedicated its front page to a photo from Abbas Araghchi's Instagram showing the deputies of the foreign ministers of the 5+1 countries in one of the meetings with the deputies of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Javan, alongside this photo, wrote in a note titled '7 to 50': 'Is this comprehensive presence of the deputies of Kerry and other foreign ministers of the 1+5 a sign of political will to reach an agreement, or does American excessive demand minimize the likelihood of an agreement at the last hour?' The newspaper Javan emphasized that 'one of the goals of Western maneuvering in negotiations is to place the blame for the failure of negotiations on Iran at the last moment.' The newspaper Jahane San'at quoted Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stating: 'We are willing to temporarily accept limitations on our nuclear activities to reach an international agreement. We are ready to accept more transparency measures to alleviate existing concerns, which we believe are unfounded. We think these concerns stem from the alarmist rhetoric created by people like Netanyahu and his allies. Nevertheless, we are ready to adopt appropriate measures to alleviate concerns and dispel unwarranted fears.' However, the Kayhan newspaper, in its front page and in reaction to the Iranian Foreign Minister's remarks, wrote: 'The ten-year suspension cap is broader than the two-phase agreement.' This newspaper wrote: 'The Iranian Foreign Minister implicitly speaks of accepting a minimum ten-year deadline,' while 'by agreeing to a ten-year suspension, we have accepted a large part of the details in favor of the opponent and have also closed the door for negotiating details in favor of the opponent.' Aftab Yazd, in a report titled 'The Dirty Money Ball is in the Parliament's Court,' wrote that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated: 'I am ready to present the flow of dirty money in the economy and its process wherever necessary.' This newspaper recalled that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli made this promise in response to Ali Larijani's harsh criticisms, as the Speaker of the ninth parliament had said last week in his pre-speech remarks, referring to the Minister of Interior's statements about the entry of smuggled money into the power structure, 'If you have information about such money transfers in the recent elections that brought them to power, please announce it.' The report on new names for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts states that the newspaper Etemad reports on 'new names proposed for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts,' stating: 'With three days left until the president of the Assembly of Experts is determined, new names have emerged for candidacy for this position; Ayatollah Jannati and Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi.' This newspaper notes that the proposal of these names, even from the mouth of Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the Secretary-General of the Society of Clerics, 'does not quite align with the previous image that these factions had constructed of their trusted candidate for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts; where Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi's name was heard more than anyone else's, and even there was talk of his near certainty of selection.' Etemad states that with only three days left until the Assembly of Experts meeting, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, in response to a question about who would be candidates for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, said: 'Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi's name is mentioned; it is possible that Mr. [Mohammad Taqi] Mesbah, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Ayatollah [Mohammad] Yazdi may also be candidates; even it is possible that Mr. [Ahmad] Jannati, who said he would not run, may also run.' This newspaper emphasizes that perhaps these statements by Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani are more than just a prediction, and it is not far-fetched that 'the Secretary-General of the Society of Combatant Clergy in his recent remarks has also expressed the desire of this influential conservative group for the elections of the Assembly of Experts on Tuesday, especially since he has spoken about the desire of the Combatant Clergy Society to meet with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi regarding another issue that is not directly related to the developments of Tuesday.' According to the report, Hosseini Bushehri, a senior member of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, without mentioning or introducing the candidate supported by this society for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, stated: 'Due to the Society of Teachers' concern for the revolution, it is necessary for them to have a significant presence in all areas, especially in the Assembly of Experts, which has a closer connection with the Society of Teachers, the seminary, and the clergy.' The Etemad newspaper recalls that 'the Society of Clerics' and 'the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary,' two organizations of clerics close to the conservative faction, are set to welcome the election of the new president of the Assembly of Experts on Tuesday, having emphasized from the early days of the poor health of Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, the former president of the Assembly of Experts, and after his death, their focus on Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi as the preferred candidate for this presidency. Someone who, although in the absence of Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, practically presided over the sessions of the Assembly of Experts and managed the affairs of this group, has not yet made a clear statement regarding his candidacy. This newspaper emphasizes that the proposal of new names by Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts 'is significant in that if the two societies nominate someone other than Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi or Ayatollah Vaez Tabasi, they will face Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani.' The Aftab Yazd newspaper, dedicating a photo in its Sunday issue to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, emphasizes that with the increasing likelihood of Ahmad Jannati and Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi's candidacies for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, the possibility of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's candidacy has also become 'serious.' According to this newspaper, 'After the disclosure of a letter from a significant number of representatives of the Assembly of Experts to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani urging him to accept the presidency of this assembly, now, in a situation where for a long time Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi's name was mentioned as the only potential candidate for this position aside from the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, whispers of competition between Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, and Mohammad Yazdi against Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani have intensified.' Aftab Yazd evaluates the recent developments regarding the election of the new president of the Assembly of Experts as a sign of 'increased likelihood of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani entering the arena of the presidency of the Assembly of Experts,' stating: 'The position of the head of the Expediency Discernment Council regarding entering the scene in the event of the arrival of certain individuals has led conservatives to bypass all names except Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi as the closest person to the head of the Expediency Discernment Council,' but now, after 'the publication of a letter of support from a significant number of representatives of the Assembly of Experts' for Hashemi Rafsanjani's presidency, conservatives 'have gone all out to defeat Hashemi.' This newspaper considers the proposal of more conservative figures for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts as 'an effort to complicate the scene with the intent of breaking the unity around Hashemi's name' and writes that the Assembly of Experts meeting, which is set to determine the presidency of this assembly on March 9, 'can reveal the weight of hardliners and moderates in the fourth term of the Assembly of Experts.'