Reactions of Principlists to the Nationwide Reformists' Conference

The newspaper Shargh evaluated the holding of the "first gathering of reformist factions after six years" as a "preparatory move by reformists for the parliament" in its front-page headline on Saturday. The newspaper Qanoon described this conference as "the reformists' conference in the absence of special guests." The newspaper Aftab Yazd also characterized the holding of the reformists' conference as a "return of reformism," while the newspaper Etemad published a report titled "Reformists at the Feast of Consensus," stating: "The wheels of political activity have started moving with the large reformist conference." In response to the holding of the reformists' conference, the newspaper Kayhan referred to "support for seditionists and attacks on the Guardian Council" as two main axes of the reformists' conference and quoted a principlist member of parliament as saying: "In the reformist front, the wheel continues to turn on the axis of sedition." Simultaneously, the newspaper Javan also titled "Seditions and Elections" as "two axes of the reformists' conference," writing: "After six years of silence and retreat, the reformists gathered again on Thursday to display their apparent unity." The newspaper Iran reported that Hassan Rouhani's government has reduced the price of oil in the next year's budget bill from $72 to $40 to implement a "new plan to counter the decrease in oil prices." Mohsen Renani, an economist who previously predicted the drop in oil prices in his book "The Political Economy of the Nuclear Dispute," stated in an interview with Shargh that one consequence of the global drop in oil prices and the government's reduced income is the "end of the government's presence in the development arena," adding: "Since 2015, the government has turned into a salary and wage payment fund." The newspaper Etemad reported on a "new wave of cafe closures in Tehran," stating that after the closure of 26 cafes in December, police closed at least three more cafes in Tehran last Thursday for "not adhering to hijab" and "women smoking." The newspaper Shahre Vahdat dedicated its front page to the drowning of two female students in the Shourabil Lake. Resalat quoted Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating: "If the West imposes new sanctions, we will pursue any level of enrichment we desire." Resalat also reported on its front page on the 9th meeting of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary and Scholars of the Provinces, which issued a statement condemning the publication of a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in the first issue of Charlie Hebdo after the terrorist attack on the publication as "the French magazine's insult to the Prophet" and "the completion of America's Islamophobia project." The newspaper Khorasan also dedicated its front page to "new hostage-taking in France and the arrest of dozens of suspects in Germany and Belgium," while simultaneously announcing the launch of a "campaign to express love for the Prophet Muhammad," designing and printing its front page in line with this campaign. Concurrently, the newspaper Ebtekar in its front page titled "European Tour of Negotiations" wrote: "On Friday, Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Paris for further discussions with his American counterpart John Kerry." The newspaper Iran also reported on its front page: "Zarif's nuclear negotiations reached Paris," stating: "The foreign ministers of Iran and the United States met for the fourth time in two days in Paris." The reformists' conference; lifting house arrest, freeing political prisoners, and transparent ballot boxes. The newspaper Shargh evaluated the holding of the "first gathering of reformist factions after six years" as a "preparatory move by reformists for the parliament," stating: "After six years, the reformists gathered. Although not everyone was present, the limitations that the executive manager, the organizer, and some speakers implicitly referred to caused this gathering to be limited from a large reformist conference to an internal meeting of reformist groups in a hall with a maximum capacity of 600 people." This newspaper also reported: "Mohammad Khatami, whose attendance was uncertain until one or two days before, could not come, sent a message, and [Akbar] Hashemi also announced earlier that he would definitely send a message, which he did. Aref, however, attended to dispel doubts," and "what he deliberately referred to in his speech was the readiness for cohesion without any excuses and compliance with the collective wisdom and opinion." According to the newspaper Shargh, the speakers at the reformists' conference held on Thursday at the Tawhid Center in Tehran "were all presidents and secretaries of reformist parties and organizations." This newspaper reported that at this conference, "Zahra Shajai represented the Assembly of Reformist Women, Fatemeh Rake'i from the Assembly of Enlightened Women, Mostafa Kaveh-Kabir from the People's Democracy Party, Hadi Khamenei from the Assembly of Followers of Imam's Line, Mousavi-Lari from the Assembly of Combatant Clergy, Mohsen Rahami, Secretary-General of the Islamic Association of Professors, and Rasoul Montajeb-Nia, Deputy of National Trust, delivered speeches." Shargh wrote that "criticizing the behavior and performance of the parliament, especially the recent incident involving Ali Motahari, and emphasizing cohesion and presenting a unified electoral list in parliament were common threads in all speeches, in addition to another topic; the demand for lifting house arrest." According to this newspaper, Fatemeh Rake'i, Secretary-General of the Assembly of Enlightened Women and a former representative in the sixth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, during her speech at the reformists' conference expressed her three wishes: "The first issue and wish is to resolve the house arrest issue; the second wish is the freedom of all political prisoners." Shargh wrote that "at that moment, the program host addressed Ms. Rake'i, saying you were supposed to speak about women's issues, and the attendees cheered the speaker and protested against the host, demanding her to continue her speech. This protest temporarily disrupted the atmosphere and made [Fatemeh] Rake'i a bit nervous, responding to the host that this was not the case and where such an agreement had been made." Shargh also reported that Fatemeh Rake'i stated: "Our third wish is for an efficient parliament that operates within the framework of the constitution and allows representatives of the people, like Ali Motahari, to express their views." This newspaper also quoted Fatemeh Rake'i as saying: "Today we expect half of the reformist list to be allocated to them, and we pursue this goal, asking reformist parties to follow this issue to at least reach the global average of 30 percent." The newspaper Qanoon, referring to the holding of the Coordination Council of Reformist Front's conference on Thursday, described it as "the reformists' conference in the absence of special guests." This newspaper pointed to the absence of Mohammad Khatami as the "leader of reform" at the reformists' conference, writing that during the holding of this conference, "the list of the ceremony's program given to the attendees surprised many with the absence of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami's speech." The newspaper Qanoon also noted the restrictions imposed at the reformists' conference, stating that one of the executive officials of this conference "warned the attendees at the beginning of the ceremony, speaking loudly to everyone, that slogans and placards were prohibited, and we made a commitment." The newspaper Aftab Yazd also described the holding of the reformists' conference as a "return of reformism," writing: "The first reformists' conference was held on Thursday after years of pressure on this political faction," which was welcomed by reformist parties. This newspaper also noted that at the conference on Thursday, alongside the leaders of most veteran reformist groups, representatives from newly established parties like the Voice of Iranians added a different dimension to it. Aftab Yazd, however, emphasized that "the absence of Mohammad Khatami, the reformist president, and his settling for sending a message were among the other notable points, an absence that could perhaps be attributed to ongoing issues, according to some speakers." The newspaper Etemad, while publishing a report titled "Reformists at the Feast of Consensus," wrote: "The wheels of political activity have started moving with the large reformist conference." This newspaper published parts of the speeches and also the messages of Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to the reformists' conference, and also reported that Mohsen Rahami, one of the speakers at this conference, called for "transparent ballot boxes" in elections, stating: "I have always proposed a very important suggestion, and I repeat it again. In all countries, transparent glass ballot boxes are used, which everyone can see into, in addition to electronic voting being utilized, so we must strive to move towards these." According to this newspaper, Mohsen Rahami also referred to the electoral concerns of the reformists regarding "widespread disqualifications" and stated: "I hope the Guardian Council will be a defender of people's rights against the government and a reference for complaints. I hope the time of such institutions is not spent on screening, as screening is the work of the people, and it should be entrusted to the people because it must be known that the right to choose is a public right." Reactions of principlists to the reformists' conference; "In the reformist front, the wheel turns on the axis of sedition." The newspaper Kayhan, in response to the holding of the reformists' conference, referred to "support for seditionists and attacks on the Guardian Council" as two main axes of the reformists' conference and quoted a principlist member of parliament as saying: "In the reformist front, the wheel continues to turn on the axis of sedition." Simultaneously, the newspaper Javan titled "Sedition and Elections" as "two axes of the reformists' conference," writing: "After six years of silence and retreat, the reformists gathered again on Thursday to display their apparent unity." The newspaper Kayhan, in its Saturday issue, published a report about the reformists' conference, stating: "The reformists' conference was held on Thursday with the slogan of unity and speeches from several reformists" and "support for seditionists and attacks on the Guardian Council were among the main axes of the speeches made at this conference." This newspaper attributed the demand for lifting house arrest from Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard at the reformists' conference as the reason for "anti-revolutionary media's support" for this conference, stating: "The strong emphasis by reformist hardliners on lifting the house arrest of the leaders of the sedition caused an anti-revolutionary website to write about this; the emphasis on lifting house arrest and wishing for the health of the leaders of the Green Movement was a common thread among the speakers at the nationwide reformists' conference, and this conference could be the beginning of their power maneuver." Kayhan also published the reactions of some principlist figures and representatives to the reformists' conference, quoting Mohammad Saleh Jokar, a member of the National Security Commission of the 9th Parliament, about this conference: "In the reformist front, the wheel continues to turn on the axis of sedition, and we expect the reformists to separate their path from seditionists." This newspaper also quoted Mahmoud Rajabi, a member of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, stating: "The reformists' conference is a case of cleansing sedition" and "the reformists are the heralds of the sedition movement, and this goes back to the thought and blindness of the second Khordad era. We must keep the memory of the sedition and the epic of 9 Dey alive, as some want to forget this conspiracy, which was more dangerous than the imposed war, and they have serious plans for this matter." Parviz Sarouri, the deputy of the Path of Revolution Society, is another principlist quoted by Kayhan, who stated: "The reformists' conference is a blind return to the second Khordad era; we are worried that extremist movements will lead the reformists towards divergence from the system." The newspaper Javan also titled "Sedition and Elections" as "two axes of the reformists' conference," writing: "After six years of silence and retreat, the reformists gathered again on Thursday to display their apparent unity." This newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also described the reading of Mohammad Khatami's message by Zahra Farahani, referred to as "one of the executive elements of the Ministry of Interior, who is the director of the Office of Organization and Improvement of Methods of the Ministry of Interior," as "suspicions of the ministry's deviation from justice" in the upcoming elections, stating: "This issue, given the holding of this conference with an electoral approach and the Ministry of Interior's executive role in conducting elections, strengthens the suspicion of this sensitive ministry deviating from the path of justice and the misuse of power by the reformists during the elections." The newspaper Javan also wrote: "Another point that raises suspicion of interference in the executive affairs of the elections to change public opinion is the strong emphasis of the speakers at this conference on the issue of protecting votes," and "a trend that, given the reformists' pressure to take over the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior, seems to be pursued for a specific purpose." This newspaper, however, noted: "It should not be forgotten that the Minister of Interior has so far firmly resisted the reformists' excessive demands and, understanding their intentions, has not been willing to hand over this sensitive post to the reformist faction." The newspaper Javan described the statements of representatives of various reformist parties regarding "lifting house arrest" as "the contradiction of the speakers regarding the status of the leaders of sedition," writing: "The issue of house arrest of the leaders of sedition was also one of the most important axes of this conference, a topic that showed a severe disagreement among reformist forces in this area. The disagreement arises from the fact that Mostafa Kaveh-Kabir, Secretary-General of the People's Democracy Party and one of the speakers at this conference, called for the unconditional release of the leaders of sedition, while on the other side, Ali Mohammad Gharibani, a member of the Coordination Council of Reforms, stated that lifting house arrest is a national demand and called for a trial for the leaders of sedition, saying: 'We consider the house arrest of Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rahnavard illegal and support holding a trial in this regard.' The newspaper close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also wrote: 'Some statements by the speakers at the conference were such that they faced simultaneous reminders from the secretary of the conference,' including 'when the secretary of the conference emphasized to Fatemeh Rake'i during her speech about the necessity of lifting the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi that her comments were not within the framework of the conference.' The newspaper Javan also wrote: 'Before the...