Raisi in Mashhad Gathering: Rouhani Should Not Sacrifice National Interests for Personal Gains

Ebrahim Raisi, the presidential candidate, in response to criticisms from Hassan Rouhani, urged him not to "sacrifice national interests for personal gains." According to Tasnim News Agency, Mr. Raisi on Wednesday, May 17, addressed his supporters in Mashhad, saying to Hassan Rouhani, "You are saying things during the election that are not true; I advise you not to sacrifice national interests for personal gains." He added, "Are you angry instead of answering the people? Are you upset with the people who sincerely say they cannot tolerate hearing about embezzlement and corruption?" Mr. Raisi had previously threatened Hassan Rouhani in Isfahan, stating, "You know my heart is a treasure chest of secrets, and if I speak, no one can compete with me." On the morning of Wednesday, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic deemed some "words" in the debates as "unworthy" of the Iranian people and referred to the "denial of freedom" in the country as the "ingratitude of some." Hours before Ebrahim Raisi's speech in Mashhad, Hassan Rouhani had made unprecedented criticisms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the state media, the judiciary, and the Astan Quds Razavi, four institutions under the Supreme Leader's oversight. Meanwhile, Mr. Raisi commented on the non-payment of taxes by Astan Quds Razavi, stating that this institution has given "ten times" the amount it should have paid as tax to the poor and orphans. The issue of tax non-payment by institutions like Astan Quds Razavi and the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters of the IRGC has become a hot topic of recent discussions with Ebrahim Raisi's candidacy as the head of Astan Quds Razavi. In his remarks, Mr. Raisi also referred to the performance of Hassan Rouhani's government in foreign policy as "begging diplomacy." In response to Hassan Rouhani's comments about Mr. Raisi's unfamiliarity with the "language of the world," he said, "Do not worry about our diplomatic relations; we know diplomacy." He added, "If diplomacy means telling the West to take care of us in the elections, we do not know that diplomacy." Hassan Rouhani, in his speech in Ardabil, had asked, "Do you know how to negotiate with the world? Do you understand the language of the world? You are trapped in understanding the language of your own people." Mr. Raisi also told Hassan Rouhani, "Do not worry about the social freedoms of women and youth; we will provide all these God-given freedoms according to the Constitution for all classes, especially the youth, artists, and students." During the presidential election campaign, Hassan Rouhani criticized Ebrahim Raisi for not expressing his views on political freedoms. Regarding political and civil freedoms, Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, previously stated that none of the presidential candidates in Iran have a commendable human rights record. She also believes that Mr. Rouhani's record in respecting legal freedoms is "very weak." Lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the 2009 protests was one of Hassan Rouhani's electoral promises in the 2013 elections, which he has been unable to fulfill after coming to power. Meanwhile, critics of Mr. Rouhani, including human rights monitoring organizations, have criticized the lack of improvement in human rights conditions and the continuation of pressure and repression in universities during his tenure. 29 members of the European Parliament also emphasized the necessity of holding "free and fair" presidential elections in Iran and the release of political prisoners before the elections in a letter to Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief.