Note: Faezeh Hashemi's Assessment of the 'Self-Destructive' Nature of the Islamic Republic

The social role and status of Faezeh Hashemi is well-known. She is the most political child of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (the right-hand man of Ayatollah Khomeini), who was elected as the second representative of Tehran to the fifth parliament. She was the editor of the banned magazine 'Zan' and played a significant role in women's sports, but she fell out of favor with the oppressive regime (a term used by Karroubi in a letter from house arrest to describe Khamenei). In broad daylight, she was subjected to the worst insults that one would be ashamed to hear. She was sent to prison, but in prison, she expressed solidarity with Baha'is who were imprisoned for their beliefs from a human rights perspective. Now, more than anything, she is a women's rights activist who completed her education up to a doctorate in international law and thus views events in Iran no longer from the perspective of power—as her father did for a long time—but rather from a critical standpoint. Perhaps her most notable trait is that instead of striving for power retention, she now focuses on critiquing power in a clear and straightforward language. Although there is less seen of her directly criticizing her father's role in the flawed foundations of today's Republic, her personal assessment of the Islamic Republic of Iran is highly noteworthy when she believes that 'the government's policies are leading to its own overthrow.' Faezeh Hashemi argues that the country's problems 'have nothing to do with the JCPOA and the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA... These statements are a misdirection to maintain power.' She leaves no doubt about the incorrectness of the country's foreign policy, which is directly the responsibility of the leader, stating, 'We enter a country and incur massive human and financial costs. We tarnish our credibility on the world stage. When it comes to utilization, we are effectively expelled, as seen in Syria and Iraq. These are our national resources that go up in smoke without any achievement. How long must this mismanagement continue?' She elaborated on this assessment repeatedly, including in a lengthy interview with Hossein Dehghani. However, such a clear statement from her has been rare. Recently, she elaborated on the 'self-destructive nature' of the Islamic Republic, asserting that 'the policies the government has adopted lead the country towards overthrow, and there is no need for the actions of others [read: enemies].' Although she does not mention the leader of the Islamic Republic by name, it is well-known that 'government,' 'authority,' and 'system' refer to the leader of the Islamic Republic, who strongly believes in conspiracy theories and has repeatedly spoken about the enemies' intentions to overthrow the regime. Recently, in remarks referring to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, she stated that the goal of this U.S. action is to overthrow the regime in such a way that they want to 'create chaos in the country.' She does not refer to the mismanagement that has plagued the government from top to bottom, which could undermine any government. However, contrary to the leader's 'external' perspective, which sees foreign conspiracies as the source of overthrow, Faezeh Hashemi has a completely 'internal' view. She believes that the country's problems 'have nothing to do with the JCPOA and the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA... These statements are a misdirection to maintain power.' She leaves no doubt about the incorrectness of the country's foreign policy, which is directly the responsibility of the leader, stating, 'We enter a country and incur massive human and financial costs. We tarnish our credibility on the world stage. When it comes to utilization, we are effectively expelled, as seen in Syria and Iraq. These are our national resources that go up in smoke without any achievement. How long must this mismanagement continue?' This clear language from Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of the closest person to the founder of the Islamic Republic, indicates that 'national trust' has been undermined. From a political sociology perspective, if a country's assets are imagined as bricks in a wall, national trust serves as the binding material for the bricks. If this binding material is not strong, none of the bricks (national assets) will hold. This is what Faezeh Hashemi has rightly pointed out. For example, while the leader has never evaluated the events of December 2017, which spread to over 90 cities, including Mashhad and Qom, Faezeh Hashemi sharpens her focus on events such as last December's protests, Women's Day protests, Labor Day protests, truck drivers' protests, the imprisonment of environmental activists, the crackdown on dervishes, Baha'is, and Sepanta Niknam, the Zoroastrian representative in Yazd City Council, etc., and asks, 'How long will people take to the streets and show their protests with dignity and patience? What have we done to this country?' She sees the signs of weakening national trust in the funerals of critics of the regime and anti-government individuals, where 'we witness the maximum presence of people. But how many come out for those aligned with the regime [for funerals]?' Ultimately, she believes that the restoration of national trust can only be achieved through one solution: a referendum. She addresses those in power, stating, 'Have the courage and honesty to hold a referendum according to the law.' However, what Faezeh Hashemi has not clarified is whether she proposes a referendum for the regime itself or merely 'for several important issues that have faced criticism and have become problematic for the rights and welfare of the people and the development of the country.' Despite this ambiguity in Faezeh Hashemi's words, her assessment of the weakening foundation of the Islamic Republic is historical and enduring. As a former parliament representative and the daughter of Hashemi Rafsanjani, she believes that the regime 'cannot continue and survive with the approach it has taken.' She asserts that 'the policies that the government [read: Khamenei] has adopted lead the country towards overthrow.'