Rouhani's Response to Criticism of the JCPOA: They Say Buy Buses Instead of Planes

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani responded to critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement, stating that if the government does not purchase airplanes, these critics will ask, "What happened to the JCPOA?" and if the government does buy airplanes, they will claim, "These planes are luxurious and new." On Thursday, October 21, Rouhani also emphasized that "exports do not come from fighting with the world" and called for increased relations with other countries and trust in the people, stressing that reliance cannot be placed solely on "four security forces." He remarked, "When we go to buy airplanes, some say... go buy buses. Fine, we will buy buses, but thank God we will make the buses ourselves." He emphasized that the goal of purchasing new airplanes for Iran is to use them in the tourism industry and to conduct direct flights to other countries so that "people's time is not wasted" and they do not have to fly from neighboring countries to other destinations. Last year's trip of the Iranian president to Italy and Paris led to the signing of several economic agreements between Tehran and Paris and Tehran and Rome, including an agreement to purchase 118 Airbus aircraft from France. However, several close associates of the Supreme Leader, including Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the commander of the Basij, have strongly criticized this action by Rouhani's government. Kazem Sediqi, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, referred to Western sanctions against Iran as a "blessing" and criticized the agreements signed during this trip. According to Rouhani's government officials and media close to the government, opponents of the Vienna nuclear agreement previously claimed that sanctions had no impact on Iran's economy and that this agreement had no positive outcomes, yet after the agreement, they criticize why it is not being implemented and why Western sanctions are not lifted. Meanwhile, the Supreme Leader has repeatedly emphasized that the results of the visits of European governments and companies and their negotiations with Iran after the Vienna nuclear agreement have "not been felt so far." Rouhani has previously protested against the remarks of critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement. He has stated that the JCPOA brought dignity to Iran, but Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader and representative of the Supreme Leader in Khorasan Razavi province, indirectly described Rouhani as "naive" in response to these statements. Government officials have also repeatedly emphasized that the Vienna nuclear agreement has removed the "shadow of war" from Iran. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, stated on Sunday, September 19, in a meeting with the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that such statements are "not correct" and that the only factor in removing military threats is "defensive and military power" and "creating fear and terror in the enemy." Rouhani, in another part of his remarks, identified one of the opportunities created for Iranian producers and exporters after the Vienna nuclear agreement as "the possibility of cooperation with foreign companies and reputable international brands." The Iranian president, referring to the experiences of countries like Malaysia and Vietnam in increasing exports, stated that "exports do not come from fighting with the world" and that these countries have based their relations with the world on "constructive interaction." He added, "Some think that when we say constructive interaction, it means we smile and talk with Westerners and Europeans and have lunch together; it's not like that. Constructive interaction means making the international relations environment suitable for exporting goods and facilitating the import of capital goods and raw materials." Rouhani stated, "Some say the land of God is only Iran. If we want to leave the borders of Iran, they steal our thoughts. They deceive us. Some have not yet realized the greatness of the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation has had relations with the world throughout history." He emphasized that reliance cannot be placed solely on "four security forces," but trust must also be placed in the Iranian people, youth, merchants, and students. After the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Supreme Leader and his close associates have repeatedly warned about what they describe as "the danger of political, economic, and cultural infiltration of the U.S. in Iran" and the "naivety" of Rouhani's government towards the U.S. Meanwhile, some of Khamenei's close associates have considered economic cooperation between Iranian and foreign companies as a ground for Western "infiltration" in Iran. For instance, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated on Tuesday, September 18, that the "naivety" of some officials towards the West is "worrisome." A day earlier, Ali Saidi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that "the government says we must establish relations with the U.S., and this is not compatible with the principles and foundations that religion has set for us." On Friday, October 24, Saidi also accused Rouhani's government of seeking to establish "contact with the U.S. through the Vienna nuclear agreement" and still pursuing the implementation of "JCPOA 2 and 3."