Rohani Criticizes Those Who Consider 'Insulting' as 'Revolutionary Spirit'

Hassan Rohani criticized those who consider 'insulting' as 'revolutionary spirit', calling for a reform in the tone of media and conservative figures opposing his government in their interactions with the state, regional countries, and the world. He stated, 'We do not reach anywhere with a harsh tone; there is no way other than moderation.' In a video released from a meeting Rohani had on Thursday evening, June 15, with several journalists, he asked, 'Why don’t we correct our tone and why don’t we know how to speak with the government, the region, and the world? We do not get anywhere with a harsh tone; there is no way other than moderation.' He emphasized that the first Imam of Shiites told his soldiers during the Battle of Siffin, 'I do not want my companions to insult their enemies.' Rohani added, 'Now, why do some of us, who consider ourselves followers of Ali, regard insulting as a point of pride and consider cursing as revolutionary spirit?' The rhetoric and speech style of high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ayatollah Khamenei, in dealing with other countries, including the United States and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, has been criticized by many analysts since the early years after the revolution. For instance, Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, used terms like 'world-devourer', 'bloodthirsty', and 'Great Satan' to describe the United States, and referred to the kings of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf with terms like 'reactionary', 'American servant', and 'itinerant'. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and some other Iranian officials also use similar rhetoric when addressing officials of other countries. For example, on Saturday, June 25, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the leaders of Saudi Arabia 'fools' and described the country as a 'milking cow' from which, according to him, 'the enemies of Islam milk their cows and when they have no milk left, they slaughter them.' On September 6, 2016, the Supreme Leader also harshly addressed the leaders of Saudi Arabia during the annual Hajj ceremony, calling them 'small and despicable devils', 'godless and unprincipled', 'misguided', 'black-faced', 'instigators', 'ignorant of God', 'tyrants', and 'the accursed evil tree'. Three days later, the foreign ministers of the Arab League member states described these remarks as 'provocative and shameful' and condemned them 'in the strongest terms'. Rohani stated that 'without a doubt, the eleventh government has been the most oppressed government in the history of the revolution.' He urged his opposing media to adopt a 'friendlier and more brotherly tone' after the elections. The Iranian president also mentioned that during the elections, people came out with their mobile phones, and if there were no 'citizen journalists' and 'media that were on the path of truth', they would not have succeeded in the elections. The Iranian Ministry of Culture published several reports of 'electoral violations' by media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard during the presidential election period. However, the judiciary has not published a report on addressing these cases, and Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the spokesman for the judiciary, expressed doubt on Sunday, April 29, about the governmental and public nature of these media. Previously, some of Rohani's close associates, including Es'haq Jahangiri, the first vice president, referred to the eleventh government as the 'most oppressed' government. In recent years, media and close associates of the Supreme Leader have severely attacked Hassan Rohani and his government members, repeatedly accusing government officials of 'treason'. For instance, Hamid Rasai, an opposing cleric to Rohani, explicitly accused Hassan Rohani of 'treason' regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement in mid-August 2016. Government officials have reported that they have filed a complaint against these remarks in the Special Court for Clerics, but no report on addressing this complaint has been published yet.