Presidential Election; Direct Questions to Pezeshkian about Morality Police and Controversial Remarks by Ghalibaf's Daughter

Before the second debate of the candidates for the 14th presidential election, scheduled for June 21, reactions from candidates to rival statements, provincial trips, speeches, and controversies surrounding the actions and words of some of their families continue. Massoud Pezeshkian, a candidate from the reformist movement of the Islamic Republic, faced questions about water, women's rights, and the morality police during a campaign trip to Isfahan on Wednesday, June 30. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Rouhani's government, Rasoul Khatibi, a player from the Sepahan football team, and Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the former governor of Isfahan, were present in his entourage. Iranian media reports indicate that slogans such as "Breathe life into Isfahan, return the Zayandeh Rud" and repeated criticisms of water management in this province and others, which have led to the river's drying up, were heard at various gatherings attended by Pezeshkian and Zarif. At one of these gatherings at Khaju Bridge, someone shouted that the drying of the Zayandeh Rud was "the result of the reformist government's actions" and "the record of Mr. Doctor's friends," to which Pezeshkian responded, "Vote for this government to fix it." This response was met with criticism from some users on social media. An Isfahani citizen also shouted at Zarif, "Shame on you," to which the former foreign minister replied, "You should be ashamed." Although water scarcity and drought have plagued most parts of Iran in recent years, protests by farmers in Isfahan, especially in the eastern regions over their water rights, have repeatedly made headlines and remained in the media for a long time. Some of these farmers were violently arrested and beaten, and reports of serious eye injuries from security forces firing pellet guns during confrontations with their protests have been published. Mr. Pezeshkian also faced a question from a student at Isfahan University who introduced herself as a first-time voter and a representative of Generation Z, stating that she "has no hope for reforms through the ballot box," and asked him about guarantees for his promises. This student asked, "Do you have the ability to deal with the morality police, hijab enforcers, and guidance forces in your government? What executive guarantees do you provide? What actions will you take to improve internet quality and reduce filtering? What will you do for expelled professors and students and student organizations? And if you cannot fulfill your promises, what will you do?" Another female student reminded Pezeshkian that winning the presidential race would not happen "without the support of the women of this land. Women who are fighting every day for their basic and fundamental rights, livelihoods, legitimate freedoms, choice of dress, and dozens of other small and large issues... The humiliations and insults of the morality police are a daily burden on them, and they have no one to turn to." Mohammad Javad Zarif also called for widespread public participation in the upcoming elections, saying, "Not voting is voting for the minority." Another report indicates that Hossein Karrubi, the son of Mehdi Karrubi, stated that his father supports Massoud Pezeshkian. According to him, Mehdi Karrubi, who has been under house arrest along with Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard since the 2009 protests, has asked Pezeshkian to "make every effort to restore the rights of the people, overcome sanctions, and fight against the corruption of the power and wealth mafia" if elected. On social media, some supporters of Mohammad Javad Zarif continue to praise his statements against the actions and remarks of conservatives regarding the JCPOA, while opponents have used his statement that "if you want to deceive the people, at least do it properly" as a basis for criticism against him, Rouhani's government, and the reformist movement. The former foreign minister emphasized on June 29 that Joe Biden was seeking to return to the JCPOA, asserting that the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent figure in Iran's missile program, "prevented the revival of the JCPOA due to Israel and the Strategic Action Law for the Lifting of Sanctions" passed by the 11th Parliament. He also attributed the growth of Iran's oil exports to Joe Biden's policies rather than the efforts of the Islamic Republic, including the government of Ebrahim Raisi. Alireza Zakani, the current mayor of Tehran and a presidential candidate, described Zarif's statements as "weak and unfounded" and said, "I will respond to the words of the foreign minister of the 12th government tomorrow with numbers and figures." Saeed Jalili, another candidate, also remarked on June 29, without naming Mohammad Javad Zarif, in front of his supporters, "Today I heard someone say that this success is not ours; the U.S. itself says our strategy has failed, and today someone said that Biden himself did not want to prevent the sale of Iranian oil." Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji also claimed that any government in the U.S. would not be able to prevent Iran's oil exports. On Wednesday, several conservative members of Parliament also harshly criticized Zarif's remarks. The publication of an interview with Maryam Ghalibaf, the daughter of Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, a presidential candidate, stating that she traveled to Turkey but did not buy a baby stroller, has become newsworthy on social media. Ms. Ghalibaf also claimed that since her father's opponents could not find anything else against him, they raised this "accusation" against Ghalibaf. In addition to the content of her remarks, the tone of Ghalibaf's daughter has been described by some social media users as "arrogant" and "condescending," with some labeling her as a symbol of the "Aghazadeh" (elite children) of the Islamic Republic. In April 2021, images of Ghalibaf's wife and daughter traveling to Turkey with her son-in-law were published, showing that they went to Turkey to buy a baby stroller amid Iran's economic crisis. According to a leaked audio file on social media, the Ghalibaf family had 19 suitcases on this trip. Vahid Ishtari, a political-media activist close to conservatives, who first exposed this issue, also wrote on his Twitter page that the Ghalibaf family had 20 suitcases and faced problems at the airport due to the large volume of luggage. After the publication of Maryam Ghalibaf's remarks, Ishtari tweeted another image of the "Meraj" airline system for the first time, showing "294 kilograms of luggage" including "20 packages and suitcases" registered as the luggage of Maryam Ghalibaf's spouse. Other users, some of whom are journalists, reminded Maryam Ghalibaf that the baby stroller scandal is not the only case involving the Ghalibaf family, as her father and other family members are linked to several corruption cases. Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf has been one of the few candidates whose actions and those of his family in dealing with journalists and whistleblowers of his and his relatives' corruption have faced serious criticism. The second debate among presidential candidates is scheduled for Thursday night, June 31, and it is expected that, given the feedback from the first debate, candidates will speak more frankly against each other.