The Imam's Reaction to the President: Mr. Naive Claims We Gained Dignity Through the JCPOA

Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader and representative of Ali Khamenei in Razavi Khorasan Province, described Hassan Rouhani as a 'naive' person who believes that Iran has gained dignity through the nuclear agreement. According to the local website 'Sobhe Tose', Alamolhoda criticized the President's recent statements about the achievements of the JCPOA during this week's Friday prayers in Mashhad. On Tuesday, August 2, Rouhani defended the nuclear agreement reached last summer, stating that the JCPOA brought 'dignity' to Iran, while during the sanctions, 'we were always reaching out to others.' In response, Alamolhoda, without naming Rouhani, questioned what 'dignity' the JCPOA has brought to the Islamic Republic. He argued that Western countries want to set up 'dozens and hundreds of modeling stores' through the JCPOA and 'mislead our youth.' He added that Western countries are unwilling to sell even a single screw from their electronic devices, yet 'this naive person claims we gained dignity through the JCPOA.' Alamolhoda further questioned whether it is dignified for an Italian modeling company to come to Iran and whether this was advanced in the JCPOA. He asked why foreign knowledge-based companies are unwilling to invest and whether this is dignity. He concluded that 'dignity belongs to God, the Prophet, and the believers; is bringing cheap foreign goods to the country dignity, or is it about enmity with infidels and polytheists, and opposing the enemies and imperialism?' Attacks and criticisms of the foreign policy of Rouhani's government and the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA have intensified in conservative statements following Khamenei's critical remarks about this nuclear document and America's 'betrayal' in implementing its provisions. Ahmad Alamolhoda is among the clerics who have directed harsh criticisms at the eleventh government and its cultural and foreign policies over the past year. He is also known as a critic of the reformist movement in Iran and, in May of this year, without naming former President Mohammad Khatami, insulted him by stating that 'a group of naive individuals raised the issue of dialogue among civilizations.'