Rouhani Calls for Action Against 'Negligence in Removing Iran's Assets from US Access'

The President of Iran has urged the judiciary and the Supreme National Security Council to pursue the 'negligence' that occurred during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration regarding the failure to remove Iranian assets from US access. These remarks come three days after Ahmadinejad's letter to the US President concerning the seizure of two billion dollars of Iranian assets. According to the state news agency IRNA, Hassan Rouhani stated on Wednesday, August 10, during a meeting with governors, that it was 'possible' to have removed all of Iran's money from the reach of Americans during the golden opportunity of about 10 months between 2007 and 2008, but negligence occurred in this regard. Rouhani emphasized that the judiciary, the Supreme National Security Council, and other relevant institutions 'have a duty to follow up on this issue.' The US Supreme Court ruled on April 20 of this year that two billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets in the country should be paid to the families of American victims of several terrorist operations attributed to Iran, including the 1983 bombings of the US Marines headquarters and French soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon. Reports indicate that these assets were used during Ahmadinejad's presidency to purchase American securities. A special task force of Rouhani's government had accused Ahmadinejad's officials of failing to take 'effective action' to remove the purchased bonds from the reach of the US judicial system despite court rulings and warnings from foreign sources, domestic relevant centers, and high institutions. According to this task force, despite the fact that it was clear from 2007 onwards that the purchased bonds were 'at risk,' the Central Bank 'sold only a small portion of them' despite multiple warnings and merely transferred the bonds 'from one account to another' in 2008. In response, Ahmadinejad's office, while not denying the purchase of these bonds during his administration, attributed the seizure of the two billion dollars of Iranian assets to the 'weakness' of Rouhani's government in the international arena and the 'arrogance' of American officials. On August 8, Ahmadinejad also requested the return of this two billion and compensation to Iran in a letter to US President Barack Obama. Iran has officially complained to the International Court of Justice against the United States, and on June 17, the government's information base published an image of this complaint, stating that US courts had issued a ruling of 56 billion dollars against Iran 'on the grounds of participation in terrorist activities outside US territory.' On the same day, Hossein Yaghoubi Miyab, the director general of international affairs at the Central Bank of Iran, announced that Iran had sent a group of its experts to negotiate the seizure of the two billion dollars of its assets with the US. In another part of his speech, the President of Iran stated that 'undoubtedly, lies, slander, and discouraging the people cannot have any relation with the Islamic system and national interests.' He noted that while 'constructive criticism is useful,' destruction, slander, lies, and public confusion are forbidden and a crime, and the judiciary must deal with these issues not for any individual or specific person but for the preservation of the ideals of the revolution. Two days prior to Rouhani's remarks, Majid Ansari, the legal deputy of the Iranian President, announced that the government would file a complaint against several clerics who had recently insulted Hassan Rouhani in a special clerical court. Ansari did not name those from whom the government intends to complain. Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, described Hassan Rouhani on August 6 as a 'naive' person who believes that Iran has gained dignity through the nuclear agreement. Additionally, Hamid Rouhani, a hardline cleric, called for Rouhani to be tried for treason against the country due to his actions in the Vienna nuclear agreement. In recent months, attacks from individuals close to the Supreme Leader against Rouhani's government and him personally have increased, with some figures and media close to the Revolutionary Guards accusing Hossein Fereydoun, Rouhani's brother, of economic corruption. For instance, Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Kayhan newspaper, implicitly called for Rouhani to take action against his brother due to economic corruption during a television program on August 7.