Proposal for Reforming the Political and Economic Structure of the Country in a Letter from University Professors to Khamenei

Dozens of university professors in Iran have written a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, calling for reforms in the economic and political 'structures' aimed at improving the country's economic situation. Among their proposed reforms are 'trust-building' with the international community, 'transparency' in the operations of government economic enterprises, and lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement. The 101 university professors emphasized in their letter, published on websites and Telegram channels close to reformists, including the Zeytoon website, that improving the economic situation and increasing people's income is 'intertwined with the political situation and conditions in other social, cultural, judicial, and security areas' of the country. They argue that improving people's livelihoods cannot happen with an 'excessive' focus on the government without implementing 'necessary structural reforms in other areas.' In recent months, the Supreme Leader and his close associates have repeatedly criticized the performance of Hassan Rouhani's government and expressed doubt about the accuracy of government statistics regarding the improvement of the country's economic situation. In his latest remarks about the country's economic situation, Ayatollah Khamenei asked all presidential candidates to promise that their outlook for Iran's economic development would not be 'looking outside the borders.' In contrast, these university professors in their open letter called for 'trust-building' with the international community and emphasized that gaining trust from domestic and foreign investors is 'a process, not a project,' a process that 'takes time' and is not a 'one-night project.' The letter stressed that investors are unwilling to invest in a land where 'the law does not have the necessary value and dignity.' The university professors stated that issuing an order to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi by Ayatollah Khamenei 'to avoid political blockage and increase social cohesion' would be 'very deserving and effective' for the people. The issue of the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement has been raised in the meetings of presidential candidates. For instance, on Sunday, April 23, a group of attendees at Hassan Rouhani's speech chanted for the lifting of the house arrest, but Mr. Rouhani did not directly respond to this issue in his speech, only stating that 'we do not want to keep Iran in a state of house arrest and we want to lift the house arrest forever.' On the same day, Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction in Parliament, called for the President to 'negotiate' for the lifting of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders and the end of the media ban on Mohammad Khatami, while another member of this faction, Gholamreza Heydari, asked the Supreme Leader to issue an order for lifting the house arrest. The house arrest of the leaders protesting the 2009 presidential election continues, while Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, promised during his 2013 election campaign to resolve the 'house arrest issue' if elected. Meanwhile, several political figures, including Ali Motahari, have continuously emphasized the illegality of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, and at the same time, Ali Motahari, who has discussed the lifting of the house arrest with the Supreme Leader, believes that the main opponent of lifting the house arrest is Ayatollah Khamenei himself. The 101 university professors also called for all economic enterprises, including those under the Supreme Leader, such as the Astan Quds Razavi and the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to pay taxes and for the operations of these enterprises to be 'transparent.' Some economists and political figures have described the institutions under the Supreme Leader as one of the main obstacles to implementing 'resistant economy' and also to transparency in Iran's economy. For instance, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, stated in March 2017 that he opposes the activities of institutions like the 'Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command,' as some of these institutions are exempt from paying taxes and 'disrupt the economy.' Majid Farahani, the Secretary-General of the Iranian Call Party, has also previously stated: 'More than 40 percent of Iran's economy is in the hands of foundations and institutions that do not pay a single rial in taxes and, relying on power rent, monopolize all national and developmental projects in an unfair and unequal competition.' Writing an open letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic is not very common in Iran, and this letter has not been published in the official domestic media.