Sadegh Larijani: Acceptance of Western Development Models Paves the Way for Infiltration

The head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, referred to the acceptance of 'Western development models' as one of the 'serious grounds for the infiltration of enemies' and described the ideas presented about accepting 'Western requirements and rules' for the country's progress as 'dangerous', 'incorrect', and 'inconsistent with the goals and path of the Islamic Revolution'. According to ISNA news agency, on Tuesday, April 9, Larijani stated: 'Unfortunately, according to some reports, some have said that for economic progress and development, we have no choice but to move towards accepting the requirements and rules of the West in all matters.' He considered such thoughts 'dangerous', 'incorrect', and 'inconsistent with the goals and path of the Islamic Revolution'. He emphasized that those who 'do not believe in the Islamic Republic and its foundational thought, which holds that Islam has a new version and discourse for managing society and development' should 'not be given the opportunity for consultation'. The head of the judiciary also pointed to the Supreme Leader's remarks about 'infiltration' and 'resistant economy', identifying one of the 'serious grounds for enemy infiltration' as 'their influence on changing the mindset of the officials' of the Islamic Republic and 'the effort to accept Western development models'. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has repeatedly warned about what he describes as America's efforts for 'infiltration' in Iran following the Vienna nuclear agreement. He has previously emphasized 'resistant economy' and named the year 1395 (2016-2017) as 'Resistant Economy, Action and Practice', a term used to describe an economy independent of foreign countries, especially during sanctions. In the last days of the previous year, in a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts, he referred to the remarks of one of the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, who stated that 'even if the entire country is surrounded', this institution would not face problems in missile production, saying 'this means progress'. In contrast, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, on March 22, 2016, without directly referring to Khamenei's remarks, stated: 'Can we be happy about being surrounded in today's world?' Rafsanjani also called for Iran's accession to the World Trade Organization, and some of his close associates, including Hossein Marashi, spokesman for the Construction Party, have called for attracting foreign investment to increase the country's economic growth. Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in his Nowruz message to Iranians, stated that Iran has found the opportunity to rejoin the global economy after the Vienna nuclear agreement. However, figures like Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, and several members of parliament have urged President Hassan Rouhani's government to utilize 'the existing capacities in the resistant economy' to solve the country's problems instead of waiting for U.S. action. Meanwhile, the President of Iran, while emphasizing his government's efforts to implement 'resistant economy policies', mentioned one of these policies as 'constructive interaction with the world'.