Tajzadeh to Khamenei: Why is there so much opposition to the JCPOA?

Mostafa Tajzadeh, the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, criticized Ayatollah Khamenei and his associates in an open letter regarding their approach to the nuclear agreement, stating that the Supreme Leader is expected to "take the side of the majority of the nation." Tajzadeh's letter was published on April 22 on the Kalemeh website. It references Khamenei's speech in Mashhad and recent statements by conservative figures close to him opposing the nuclear agreement between the Iranian government and the international community. Khamenei had stated at the beginning of the Persian New Year that certain "red lines" were not respected in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He implicitly criticized Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's remarks about the necessity of implementing a "JCPOA 2," saying that the opposing side does not consider the resolution of the nuclear issue sufficient and wants to imply that "JCPOAs 2, 3, etc., must be created for us to live comfortably." Previously, Rouhani had called for the implementation of a "national comprehensive plan" to overcome problems and achieve development in Iran. Tajzadeh, who has been imprisoned since 2009, stated in his letter that if the nuclear agreement had not been reached and the policies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Saeed Jalili had continued, the fall of the rial's value would have continued, people's purchasing power would have decreased, and inflation in Iran would have reached triple digits. Tajzadeh asked Khamenei, "If you consider any agreement with the U.S. to be purely detrimental, why did you not heed the warnings of critics and allow the previous government to provide the necessary excuse and opportunity for the White House to take Iran's case to the Security Council and issue several sanctions resolutions against us?" He also questioned, "Why did you allow the legendary $700 billion oil revenue to be squandered and the country to become severely vulnerable to intensified sanctions? You must remember that you always responded to critics by saying that we have been under U.S. sanctions since the beginning of the Islamic Republic and know how to cope with them." The former deputy minister continued by referring to the attacks by figures close to the Supreme Leader and the media under their control against the officials of Rouhani's government and the nuclear negotiators. Tajzadeh stated that with such attacks, "Is it appropriate... that no wise person in the world dares to invest in Iran and people become hopeless about the country's improvement and withdraw their support from the government?" He also reminded of the results of the elections in June 2013 and February 2016, stating that the Iranian people have endorsed their support for the government and the nuclear agreement. Tajzadeh added that it is expected that the Supreme Leader will also side with the majority of the people and assist the government; "Do not forget that the Iranian nation observes the behavior and speech of everyone, including the leadership, with keen insight and intelligence." The nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers was implemented last year; based on this agreement, Iran's nuclear activities were limited, and international nuclear sanctions were lifted in return. Iran's nuclear case was sent to the UN Security Council during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. Iran's sanctions have been referred to as "the harshest punishments in history." Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stated that the nuclear agreement between world powers and Tehran prevented another war. Obama also expressed hope in his message for Nowruz 95 that friendship and communication between the people of Iran and the U.S. would continue to grow. Khamenei's reaction to Obama's Nowruz remarks was sharp, describing them as "childish deception." Mostafa Tajzadeh has written several letters to the Supreme Leader in recent months.