Reactions from Several Ministries and Government Organizations to Mir-Salim's Statements in the Second Debate

The Atomic Energy Organization, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Press Deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development responded to Mustafa Mir-Salim's remarks in the second televised debate of the twelfth presidential election candidates, deeming his criticisms unfounded. In response to Mir-Salim's statements in the second debate, the Atomic Energy Organization announced that Iran's nuclear industry has "not stopped" and that "no nuclear scientist or official employee" has been dismissed from this organization during the eleventh government. Mustafa Mir-Salim, who appeared more aggressive in the second televised debate than in the first, criticized Hassan Rouhani's government for what he called the "unemployment" of nuclear scientists and the decrease in the activities of the Atomic Energy Organization after the JCPOA. In response to this criticism, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported on Saturday, May 6, citing a statement from the Atomic Energy Organization's public relations, that currently "thousands of centrifuges in [Iran's nuclear power plants] are enriching" and that "heavy water production continues at a higher rate than before." The statement addressed Mr. Mir-Salim, referred to as a "devout and experienced" individual, stating that the Islamic Republic has exported "tens of tons of its heavy water products to the same country that sought to shut down the heavy water plant [the U.S.]." The statement also described Iran's nuclear achievements as being at a level that "the U.S. ruling body, particularly Obama, did not expect." The public relations office of the Atomic Energy Organization reminded that these achievements were presented on April 9, which is designated as National Nuclear Technology Day in Iran. The statement expressed surprise and criticism that Mr. Mir-Salim made claims regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear industry and the status of employees in this organization without providing "any evidence or documentation." It stated that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has "more than 14,000 personnel in official, contractual, project-based, and corporate forms" and that "no scientist or official employee has been dismissed during the eleventh government." The Atomic Energy Organization further considered the raising of this issue as a "trick by some" who were "seeking to create a crisis for the country's nuclear industry" and added that the "incorrectness" of this claim had been proven after "thorough examination" in several commissions of the previous parliament. Meanwhile, another report indicated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reacted to statements by Ebrahim Raisi and Mustafa Mir-Salim, who believed that the JCPOA had not lifted sanctions, by issuing a statement declaring that "all sanctions that were supposed to be lifted based on the JCPOA have been revoked and halted." The statement added that "some obstacles and problems that still exist in the banking sector are due to sanctions and issues that are outside the JCPOA." The Press Deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance also reacted to Mir-Salim's criticisms of the law on access to information and the performance of the eleventh government in this regard. Hossein Entezami, the Deputy Minister of Culture, wrote in an open letter to this presidential candidate that the law on publication and access to information was approved in 2009, but "until the establishment of the eleventh government, no action was taken to implement it." The letter mentioned that even after the establishment of the eleventh government, "despite numerous follow-ups, unfortunately, other agencies besides the government have not yet started the necessary cooperation." However, Mir-Salim's remarks regarding the lack of obtaining the right to produce aircraft parts from Airbus and Boeing by Rouhani's government also provoked a reaction from Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development. According to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), Mr. Fakhrieh Kashan stated that Mir-Salim's remarks showed that he "definitely does not understand the economics of the aviation industry." He added: "Manufacturing 10 to 20 percent of parts in Iran and using them in foreign aircraft requires that this capability exists domestically... and the part must be approved according to international standards." According to the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, "there are certainly capabilities for manufacturing in the country; however, not all of these parts meet international standards." In the second televised debate of presidential candidates held on Friday, May 5, Ebrahim Raisi, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and Mustafa Mir-Salim, three candidates from the conservative faction, criticized the performance of Rouhani's government over the past four years. In contrast, Hassan Rouhani, Eshaq Jahangiri, and Mustafa Hashemi-Taba also responded to some of these criticisms.