The Assembly of Experts Calls for Major Changes in Rouhani's Cabinet

On Tuesday, August 6, the Assembly of Experts issued a statement calling on President Hassan Rouhani, his economic team, and other branches of government to be accountable for the dire economic situation. According to Tasnim, the statement urged Rouhani to make extensive changes 'without hesitation' in the cabinet and senior economic and financial managers of the government, and to seek assistance from 'energetic forces' to improve the economic situation. Last week, following the government's inability to cope with the wave of the national currency's devaluation and unprecedented inflation in Iran, over 190 members of parliament also demanded fundamental changes in Rouhani's government. The Assembly of Experts' statement emphasized that 'public opinion is waiting to see how the leaders of the three branches, especially the President and senior economic managers, respond in practice—not just in slogans and words—to the repeated demands of the leadership, clergy, scholars, and elites from the religious and academic fields and the Assembly of Experts regarding the improvement of economic conditions and the resolution of the livelihood problems of the people, especially the deprived and underprivileged and low-income classes.' The statement further stated that the government must provide a clear and transparent response to the nation regarding 'solving livelihood problems, unemployment, inflation, and skyrocketing prices that have distressed various segments of society.' This statement was published under the signature of the Assembly of Experts, and it is unclear whether it reflects the views of its leadership or just Ahmad Jannati, the Chairman of the Assembly. On May 12, a statement was released citing the Assembly of Experts, which called for Rouhani to apologize for 'not adhering to the red lines set by Ayatollah Khamenei' and 'not obtaining necessary guarantees' during the nuclear agreement with the U.S. However, later members of the Assembly of Experts announced that the representatives of this Assembly were unaware of this statement. Ultimately, the Assembly's spokesperson declared that this was the 'statement of the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts.' In response to recent protests, the Assembly of Experts emphasized that the 'alert nation' will not allow 'malicious and disruptive elements to divert their rightful demands' towards improving economic conditions and solving livelihood problems. The statement called on security forces to identify and pursue 'the networks of conspiracy and the evil hands behind the scenes disrupting public security.' In recent weeks, following the devaluation of the rial, the chaotic economic situation, inflation, and the daily increase in the prices of foreign currencies and gold coins, Tehran and several other cities in Iran have witnessed protest demonstrations. These protests initially began with economic slogans but, after a few days, the main slogans of the protesters turned against the Supreme Leader, the government, and the clergy. In recent days, protests have been held in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Ahvaz, Mashhad, and several other cities in Iran. Official authorities have not yet provided statistics on the number of individuals arrested during the recent protests. However, Fars news agency reported that 20 protesters were arrested during street protests in Karaj. Earlier, journalist Zhila Baniyaghoub reported on Twitter that 'more than 50 women arrested in recent protests in Tehran have been transferred to Qarchak Varamin prison.' Meanwhile, it has been reported that a 26-year-old man was killed during protests in Karaj.