Strong Reaction from IRGC Commander to Rouhani's Criticism of Military Involvement in Economy

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reacted to remarks made by Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stating that if the government is 'without guns', it will be 'humiliated and surrendered' by enemies. According to a report on Tuesday, July 6, by Fars News Agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, responded to Rouhani's recent statements during a session of the IRGC's Strategic Council for Construction. On July 1, Rouhani criticized the military's involvement in Iran's economy, saying: 'Part of the economy was in the hands of a gunless government, which we handed over to a government with guns. This is not economy or privatization. They were afraid of the gunless government, let alone now that we have handed the economy to a government that has both guns and media and everything, and no one dares to compete with them.' In response to these remarks, Jafari stated, 'We are not afraid of these reproaches,' adding, 'They may introduce us as gun owners, yes, we are not only gun owners but also possess enemy-defeating missiles, which we use against enemies and to protect the system, the people, and the security of Islamic Iran. We believe that a government without guns will be humiliated and eventually surrendered by enemies.' The IRGC commander further accused Rouhani's government of 'injustice' and said, 'Unfair attacks on the IRGC evoke other goals that we only remain silent about to maintain unity.' Rouhani has previously criticized the economic activities of military and security institutions, deeming them a barrier to competitiveness. The verbal clash between IRGC commanders and Rouhani has occurred repeatedly over the past four years. While IRGC commanders have often criticized the JCPOA (nuclear deal), Rouhani considers this agreement a significant achievement for lifting sanctions, boosting the economy, and enhancing Iran's security. During the recent presidential election campaigns, Rouhani even accused the IRGC of provocative actions, stating, 'Some came and showed images of underground cities to undermine the JCPOA, wrote slogans on missiles to undermine the JCPOA, but our people have passed all this to reach today and witness our further progress in the future.' Rouhani has also repeatedly insinuated that conservative rivals and their supporters enjoy security immunity. Recently, Iran's missile attack on ISIS positions in Deir ez-Zor was another point of contention between the IRGC and the President. While Rouhani stated that the retaliatory missile attack was 'not the decision of an individual or a military branch,' but rather 'such decisions are made in the Supreme National Security Council,' the IRGC claimed in its statement that the attack was conducted 'in coordination with the General Staff of the Armed Forces and under the command of the Supreme Leader.' In this context, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence reported the 'arrest of a group affiliated with ISIS.'