Radical Students' Letter to Ruling Clerics: Acceptance of the Additional Protocol is Political Suicide

A group of radical students from Tehran universities expressed their strong opposition to the acceptance of the Additional Protocol in a letter addressed to the ruling clerics of Iran. Previously, following a quadrilateral meeting in Tehran with three European countries—Britain, France, and Germany—several student organizations affiliated with the conservative faction condemned Iran's acceptance of the Additional Protocol and called for the country's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Meanwhile, some protesters went further, implicitly calling for Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. For instance, after this week's Friday prayers in Tehran, some students wearing shrouds carried placards that read: 'Do not disarm Iran against Israel.' According to the newspaper 'Jomhouri Eslami,' the authors of the recent protest letter described the ruling clerics' 'silence' regarding the acceptance of the Additional Protocol as 'incredible' and 'unjustifiable,' stating: 'We are concerned about what guarantees the negotiators received for the preservation of sovereignty and national security in exchange for the commitments resulting from the acceptance of the Additional Protocol. We are worried that, given the lack of independence and the severe financial dependence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the United States, what assurance exists to prevent a repeat of the Iraq experience, namely the entry of American spies disguised as agency inspectors?' The radical students further warned all officials and decision-makers, especially members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, not to fall into fearful analyses and to rely on the nation, assuring that the noble people of Iran would never compromise their dignity and independence, and they should know that the issue of accepting the Additional Protocol (unconditionally) will only be interpreted as 'political suicide.' On Saturday, during a Q&A session, Hassan Rouhani (Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran) faced severe criticism from Basij students for accepting the Additional Protocol. Rouhani gave a brief and noteworthy response: 'I participated in the negotiations on behalf of the Supreme Leader, and as his representative, I say that this decision is approved by him.' He went further, labeling criticisms from conservative faction newspapers regarding the Additional Protocol as 'provoking public emotions.'