Tehran Friday Prayer Leader: Members of the Assembly of Experts Must Be 100% Obedient to the Leader

Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, has called for individuals to enter the Assembly of Experts who are '100% entirely obedient to the Supreme Leader.' According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Mr. Mohammadi Kermani stated on Friday, February 19, that 'the people obey the Supreme Leader' and added: 'People must be careful in choosing officials.' A member of the Expediency Discernment Council warned that 'God forbid, an election based on a mistake could lead to a great disaster.' These remarks by Mr. Kermani, who is also a representative of the Assembly of Experts, come after Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, another member of this assembly and head of the Expediency Discernment Council, mentioned the possibility of a 'council' leadership for the Islamic Republic after the potential passing of the current leader. He stated: 'If the Experts perform their duties correctly, in the absence of a suitable individual, they can certainly form a council, as the law allows for it.' Meanwhile, Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council and another member of this assembly, warned against the 'council leadership,' stating that 'some are thinking of seizing the Assembly of Experts.' According to Mr. Jannati, 'enemies' want a leadership for the Islamic Republic that is also 'approved' by them. Abolqasem Khazaeli, a member of the Assembly of Experts, has also explicitly stated that 'Rafsanjani's plans for the Assembly of Experts will not be realized.' Rafsanjani's website previously denied his lack of desire to preside over the Assembly of Experts, quoting a source close to him that he said if some 'unfit' individuals intend to run for this position, he would also run for it. The Fars News Agency recently emphasized the possibility of his candidacy for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, citing Qodrat Ali Khani, an advisor to Mr. Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani previously held the presidency of this assembly from 2007 to 2011 but later withdrew under pressure from some supporters of the Supreme Leader. The next election for the Assembly of Experts is scheduled for March 7, 2016. In another part of his speech during Friday prayers in Tehran, Mohammadi Kermani referred to one of the sayings attributed to the first Imam of Shiites, addressing the Iranian nuclear negotiation team, saying: 'Do not easily trust the enemy and do not have good expectations; the enemy is the enemy.' The Friday prayer leader of Tehran emphasized that 'we should not be deceived by the enemy's smile,' adding: 'We have science, technology, weapons, international credibility, and millions of talented youth, while America has severe political and economic problems and conflicts.' This comes as multiple reports from Iranian officials indicate dire economic and industrial conditions in Iran due to economic sanctions. In one of the latest examples of these statements, Bijan Zangeneh, the Minister of Oil, described the state of Iran's oil industry as 'tragic' and emphasized that the Ministry of Oil will have no money for investment in this sector next year. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, also stated that $700 billion in Iran was 'eaten and swallowed' during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency over five to six years, adding that the result of this money 'should not be negative economic growth.' However, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, referring to remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, about the necessity for Iranian officials to focus on domestic capacities to counter economic sanctions, said that 'of course, reliance on domestic resources does not negate diplomatic activity.' Ayatollah Khamenei has also recently once again called for the 'complete and real lifting of sanctions,' stating: 'Our negotiators are trying to take the weapon of sanctions from the enemy; if they succeed, that would be great; if not, everyone should know that there are many ways in the country that can blunt this weapon.' A member of the Assembly of Experts also called for 'care from officials' regarding music concerts, adding: 'They should be careful whether this concert leads to moral corruption or not, pay attention to film screenings, and not allow every film to be shown. If it is based on Islamic standards, allow it; otherwise, do not.' The Friday prayer leader of Tehran stated: 'Books that are published should also be scrutinized, and those who are encouraged as artists and enter society should be carefully considered. We must not allow artists with a bad history of collaborating with the Shah's regime and the 2009 sedition to show their faces in our society; people are disgusted by them.'