Rouhani Reports Efforts to Address Khamenei's Concerns Regarding the 2030 Document

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated on Tuesday, June 9, that "addressing the concerns and strictly adhering to the leader's directives" will be on the agenda of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council regarding the 2030 document. According to Tasnim News Agency, Rouhani announced this during a meeting of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council about the 2030 document, saying: "It is natural that the West and even the East seek to promote or impose their culture and lifestyle, but we must defend and preserve our religious frameworks and national culture alongside Islamic countries and those with a common culture." He, who heads the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, pointed out that many similar international documents and conventions, especially those from UNESCO, are not binding and added: "Regarding the 2030 document, it has been explicitly stated that we will act only within the limits of our religious, legal, and cultural norms." Tasnim reported that the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council will present its final opinion on the 2030 document to the public in future sessions. In recent days, following the severe criticism from the leader of the Islamic Republic regarding the 2030 document, conservatives have strongly attacked Rouhani's government for accepting this document. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei deemed the implementation of this document "unauthorized" on May 6 and stated that the Islamic Republic would not submit to documents like UNESCO's 2030 document. Following this criticism, Iranian officials announced that the implementation of this document has been halted. This was while Rouhani had accused his opponents during his electoral campaign of sending a "false report" about this document to the leader of the Islamic Republic and distributing "night letters" in villages, raising issues that are not present in the document. Nevertheless, several Friday prayer leaders in Iran labeled the acceptance of this document as "treason." In contrast, Fakhruddin Danesh Ashteyani, the Minister of Education, announced on June 7 that the Islamic Republic is not obligated to implement this document, and Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, also stated that the government's resolution regarding this document "does not conflict with Iranian laws in form." According to the House of Nation News Agency, affiliated with the Parliament, the Minister of Education, after a session of the Education and Research Commission regarding UNESCO's 2030 document, said: "Iran has taken a reservation right from UNESCO, meaning that if any of the recommendations in this statement contradict our religious beliefs, we are not obliged to implement it." Additionally, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, on June 7 in response to a reminder from one of the representatives, said that based on the opinion of the "Committee for Conformity of Resolutions" of the Parliament, which assesses the government's resolutions in terms of formality against the laws, this resolution has no legal objections. He emphasized that "the content of the government's 2030 resolution must be examined by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council or the Education and Research Commission of the Parliament, and no opinion regarding the content has yet been expressed by the Cultural Revolution Council." The UNESCO educational document for 2030, known as the 2030 document, emphasizes issues such as ensuring equal and inclusive education, environmental protection, gender equality, and equal social opportunities for women and men, human rights, eliminating discrimination against minorities, and promoting a culture of peace and non-violence.