Rouhani: People's Demands are 'Economic, Cultural, Social, and Security'

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani described limiting the demands of recent protesters to economic issues as an 'insult to the people' and stated that the people's demands encompass economic, cultural, social, and security aspects, and 'all these demands must be addressed.' In a speech in Tehran on Monday, January 8, Rouhani said, 'Some think that people only want money and the economy, but would anyone be willing to receive a significant amount of money monthly if, for example, the virtual network is completely blocked or they face restrictions in commuting and even lack the right to speak?' He added, 'Can the freedom and life of the people be bought with money? Why do some give false addresses, and this is an insult to the people?' He also called criticism 'very useful' but noted that 'denying the current situation is dangerous, while criticizing it is constructive.' The Iranian president announced that 'there are no exceptions in the country for criticism' and added, 'We have no infallibles in the country. The Prophet of Islam also allowed the people to criticize, and there is no higher position than that of the Prophet in history.' He pointed out that 'everywhere in the world, some exploit the demands and gatherings of the people,' adding, 'But the people rightly say, look at us, listen to our words, and act on our demands.' Rouhani had previously stated that the protesters' demands are not limited to economic issues and that 'one of the people's demands is to open up the space more.' He also referred to a group of recent protesters who, according to him, 'insult the sanctities and values of the revolution and destroy public property' as 'a minority and a small group' that does not represent the people and said that the Iranian nation would 'properly gather them.' In recent days, over 1,800 people have been arrested in various cities across Iran, including more than 90 students arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence. 'Social networks should not be blocked forever,' Rouhani also stated on Monday, emphasizing that 'some should not want the virtual networks that have been blocked for a few days due to special circumstances to be blocked forever.' According to ISNA news agency, he stressed, 'With this action, more than a hundred thousand people have lost their jobs in the past week, and we must think about the lives and comfort of the people.' Disruptions in user access to the internet and the filtering of websites and messaging apps in Iran have faced international criticism, with Reporters Without Borders calling the recent internet restrictions in Iran a 'suppression of freedom of information and the right to know for the people.' Solmaz Sadeghnia, the secretary of the Association of Internet Businesses, also announced that there are hundreds of thousands of internet sellers in Iran who have suffered 'serious harm' due to the filtering of social networks. Previously, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, despite previous promises that the blocking of social networks was temporary, announced that 'the continuation of Telegram's activity in Iran is conditional on the removal of terrorist content.' Azari Jahromi did not specify what 'terrorist' content he was referring to. Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has not yet reacted to this news but previously stated in response to the minister's earlier message that the network is sensitive to promoting violence but does not accept the Iranian authorities' request to block channels related to peaceful protests. In contrast, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, emphasized that the filtering of social networks, including Telegram, has 'diminished' protests and criticized government officials' statements about the possibility of lifting the filter on this messaging app. In another part of his speech on Monday, Rouhani referred to the 'gap between officials and the youth' and added, 'The youth's view of the world and life differs from our view, and this is a fundamental problem that we must resolve.' Hussein Zolfaqari, the deputy minister of the interior, had previously announced that most of the detainees from recent protests are under 25 years old. Meanwhile, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the vice president for women and family affairs, noted that 'a significant number of detainees' are young people and stated that 'we need deep intergenerational dialogue. We definitely need to hear the voices of teenagers and young people, as we have not provided enough opportunity and space to hear the voices of the generation of the 70s and 80s, neither in the family nor in society.' Criticism of the UN Security Council session regarding Iran Rouhani on Monday described the UN Security Council session to review the protests in Iran as 'the United States abusing its permanent membership in the Security Council' and stated that in this session, 'the countries of the world slapped America in the face.' The UN Security Council meeting was held on Friday regarding the protests and the suppression of protesters in Iran. This emergency session was convened at the request of the United States. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and several officials from his administration and U.S. lawmakers have supported peaceful protests in Iran. Rouhani, along with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and other officials of the Islamic Republic, have accused Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia of instigating the recent protests in Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also accused countries referred to as 'enemies of Iran' of having 'allied' recently to create problems for the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Mike Pompeo, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, on Sunday, January 7, rejected the Iranian Attorney General's statements about the agency's involvement in street protests in Iran, stating that Iranians have broken away from the Islamic Republic regime. Israel has also denied involvement in the protests in Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing Rouhani's accusations in this regard as 'lies and ridiculous.' The accusation of foreign interference in the recent protests has been raised by Iranian officials at a time when 16 reformist political activists, in a joint statement on January 6, deemed the claim of 'foreign interference' in the recent protests as 'an insult' to the people. According to some websites and news agencies, they emphasized that 'focusing on foreign factors leads to neglecting or ignoring the roots of protests and dissatisfaction and their treatment.' Mahmoud Sadeghi also tweeted on Sunday: 'According to intelligence officials, there has been no foreign involvement in the recent unrest so far.'