The Destructive Room of Qom

The newspaper Arman, in a report about the 'Destructive Room of Qom', refers to the activities of a faction of hardliners in Qom, stating: 'Now that there is not much time left until the elections in Esfand, the think tank for destruction in Qom has become active again, and its goal, as always, is to undermine figures like Ayatollah Hashemi.' The newspaper points to statements made by Morteza Aqa Tehrani, Secretary General of the Stability Front, who, in an interview with the magazine Ramz-e Abour, addressed Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, saying: 'If we were to physically enforce the command of good and forbid the bad, believe me, we would tear you and Khatami apart.' It was clear from that moment that the next target on the 'think tank and destructive room of Qom's table was Hashemi's name.' Motahareh Shafiei emphasized in her report for Arman: 'The main pain of these hardliners is not Hashemi's speeches but the fear of his presence in the Assembly of Experts.' Hadi Seyed Afghahi, in a note for the newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the prison organization, titled 'Rebellion Against the Law', wrote: 'Some individuals and groups that were once advocates of the law and defenders of oversight bodies are now at the forefront of those who harm them and have risen against the law with deceptive arguments, filled with emotions and devoid of logic.' The newspaper Iran, close to the government, described the statements made by Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday as a 'call for a second JCPOA', quoting the President of the Islamic Republic as saying: 'We need a comprehensive national action plan to secure national interests and develop the country.' The newspaper Etemad assessed the President's remarks as the beginning of a 'national JCPOA season' and simultaneously reported that Ali Larijani emphasized in separate remarks that 'attention to the recent openings in the nuclear issue and the efforts of regional and international enemies to overshadow this matter requires a national consensus.' This newspaper noted that it does not matter whether it is called 'JCPOA 2' or 'national consensus'; both aim at changing the situation of domestic politics. Both Hassan Rouhani with his post-JCPOA theory and Ali Larijani with his insistence on internal cohesion are targeting the same goal. The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported the day after Hassan Rouhani described himself in a televised interview as 'the executor of the Constitution' and 'the guardian of the Constitution' based on the presidential oath in the Constitution, quoting Sadeq Larijani, the head of the judiciary, as saying: 'Article 113 of the Constitution is ambiguous' and 'the President is not the executor of the Constitution in all matters.' According to this newspaper, Sadeq Larijani emphasized during his remarks at the inauguration of the new building of the Administrative Justice Court that 'the judiciary, according to Articles 57 and 156 of the Constitution, is independent of other branches.' He stated that 'today, the Islamic Republic of Iran can proudly say that the judiciary is not under the control of the legislative and executive branches, but all branches are alongside each other and under the supervision of the leadership.' The newspaper Hamdeli described the statements of Hassan Rouhani and the reaction of Sadeq Larijani as the beginning of a 'new debate about the powers of the President', noting: 'With the reasoning of the head of the judiciary, the discussion of the President's powers has once again come to the forefront of interpretations.' This newspaper reminded that the Iranian Constitution mentions the President 40 times and states in Article 113: 'After the leadership, the President is the highest official of the country and is responsible for executing the Constitution and presiding over the executive branch, except in matters directly related to the leadership.' Nemat Ahmadi, a lawyer and university lecturer, commented on Article 113 of the Constitution to Hamdeli, stating: 'The Constitution does not specify in which cases the President is the executor of the Constitution and where he is not responsible for its execution,' but this flaw is in Article 133, which states that 'the authority to execute the Constitution is given to the head of the executive branch, but no lever is provided for him.' This was why 'Mohammad Khatami formed the oversight and follow-up committee for the Constitution during the reform period.' The newspaper Qanoon reported under the headline 'Principlists in Crisis of Excess Candidates' that due to the number of candidates, 'a list is published every moment' in the name of the principlists. The newspaper Etemad noted that the principlists' electoral list was completed with the slogan 'one voice and one list', evaluating this list as 'the list minus Larijani and his allies.' Ghodratollah Ali Khani, a cleric with several terms of experience in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, told the newspaper Jomhouri Islami: 'After a lifetime of service to Islam, I was disqualified on the grounds of not adhering to Islam.' Kayhan published part of the remarks made by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic during a meeting with members of the Supreme National Security Council on its front page, quoting Ali Khamenei as saying: 'We must stand against the current that is indifferent to the fight against imperialism.' The newspaper Javan welcomed the Supreme Leader's remarks, stating in a note: 'Now, the duty of the Supreme National Security Council, its secretariat, responsible institutions, and all active members of the revolutionary front is to stand firmly against the current that seeks to distort and change the main lines of the revolution within the system.' Mohammad Javad Akhavan wrote in a note for this newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards: 'Even if completely reputable figures with a brilliant history or titles respected by the nation are involved in this current, confronting this 'new hypocrisy' that seeks to transform and change the identity of the system is a significant and strategic mission that requires a jihadist presence and full readiness.' The newspaper Shahrvand published statistics from the Deputy Minister of Health at the Congress on Child and Adolescent Nutrition, quoting Ali Akbar Sayyari as saying: 'Statistics show that 6.8% of children under five in Iran suffer from stunting and 6.7% are underweight,' adding that 'stunting in children in South Khorasan, East Kerman, and Sistan and Baluchestan reaches 20%.' The newspaper Farhikhtegan reported on 'continued reactions to the statements of the head of the Cancer Research Center', stating that the Ministry of Energy confirmed the pollution of Tehran's water with 'nitrates' but described it as 'temporary.' Saeed Ali Pour in a report for Farhikhtegan recalled: 'Earlier this week, Mohammad Ismail Akbari, head of the Cancer Research Center, pointed to the problems of cancer and pointed the finger at the pollution of Tehran's water, citing it as a reason for the increased likelihood of cancer, an accusation that sparked reactions and prompted the Ministry of Energy to respond.' The newspaper Shahrvand also reported that Akbar Mirshakar, Deputy for Cultural Affairs of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, announced that '1,500 students under the coverage of the Relief Committee drop out of school annually due to economic problems,' adding that '30% of students under the coverage of the Relief Committee drop out of school annually due to marriage.'