The Jamaran Triangle for the Assembly of Experts

The newspapers Arman and Ebtekar have published reports about the potential candidacy of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Rouhani, and Hassan Khomeini in the Assembly of Experts elections, with Ebtekar describing it as the 'Jamaran Triangle for the Assembly of Experts.' The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reacted strongly in its Sunday issue to news about a possible meeting between the presidents of Iran and the United States, stating: 'Travelers to New York stretch their legs according to their carpets.' The newspaper Khorasan reported the suspension of 'two' officials from the Ministry of Science on charges of 'disclosing the names' of illegal scholarship recipients. The newspaper Shargh dedicated its front page to Saeed Mortazavi, the former prosecutor of Tehran and a defendant in the Kahrizak detention center case, and published a report from his seventh court session, quoting the father of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini as saying: 'People say that a knife never cuts its own handle, but we hope the judiciary will invalidate this proverb this time.' Mahsa Jazini reported in Shargh that Mirmajid Taheri, the lawyer for the Rouh-al-Amini family, is optimistic about the Kahrizak case, hoping that the family's complaint against the Kahrizak detention center deaths regarding the charge of 'aiding and abetting murder' against 'Saeed Mortazavi' will yield results. Shargh also published a report on the front page about the remarks of Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri during a meeting with some news site managers and graduate and doctoral students in political science, stating that in response to a question about decision-making regarding the lifting of house arrest, he said: 'Decision-making about the issue of house arrest and its lifting is solely within the authority of the high-ranking officials of the system and is determined based on national interests and red lines; therefore, neither Mr. Rouhani nor anyone else has the ability to intervene and make decisions regarding this issue. The leadership has repeatedly specified its red lines regarding internal issues; therefore, this issue will not be resolved by talking and advising. Rather, if the high-ranking officials deem it appropriate and make a determination, the issue will be resolved.' The newspaper Etemad highlighted Abbas Araghchi's remarks about the 'secrets of negotiations' on its front page, stating that the warm day of Mordad 10, which is nearing its end, provides an opportunity for the Deputy Foreign Minister to speak about negotiations in front of the managers of the national media. He warned that 'only Obama's order for an attack on Iran remained,' spoke of the difficult nights of nuclear negotiations, and ultimately complained that over the past two years, the negotiating team has felt lonely. According to this newspaper, 'the number two man in the nuclear negotiations, who has been reporting on the nuclear agreement for two weeks, gave his most different report to the national media managers and perhaps hoped that these managers would convey to the people the difficulties they faced in reaching this agreement.' This newspaper reported that Abbas Araghchi also mentioned 'the troubling details of the agreement' and did not deny that this agreement has troubling details but asked them [the media managers] to also consider that victory in war comes with troubling details and costs. He spoke of Fordow, the facility that was the main concern of the negotiating team during the negotiations, and the procedures that inspectors are expected to follow in Iran. He also mentioned the role of the President's brother [Hosseini Fereydoun] in the negotiations and emphasized that the President's brother discussed issues with the President in the Semnani dialect. Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, the spokesman for the government during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, emphasized in an interview with Etemad that 'the government must make every effort to lift the security pressure off the political currents in the country and stand firmly against pressures that may push the political atmosphere towards closure.' This reformist figure also stated: 'There is no doubt that the government has a difficult task ahead, but it must utilize all its legal capacities in this path. In my opinion, the experience of the reformist government has shown that if the government stands firm on the rights enshrined in the constitution, it will achieve good results. I want to say that I see signs of this political opening these days.' 'The Jamaran Triangle for the Assembly of Experts'; Hashemi, Rouhani, Hassan Khomeini. The newspapers Arman and Ebtekar have reported on the potential candidacy of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Rouhani, and Hassan Khomeini in the Assembly of Experts elections, with Ebtekar describing it as the 'Jamaran Triangle for the Assembly of Experts.' The Arman newspaper dedicated its front page on Mordad 11 to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Rouhani, and Hassan Khomeini, stating: 'In the past couple of days, some websites and news media have put forward a list of candidates from the reformist and moderate currents for participation in the Assembly of Experts elections. Regardless of whether the presence of these individuals is confirmed or not, reviewing the names present in the list indicates the heavy weight of this current and its potential for participation in the sensitive Assembly of Experts elections.' According to the Arman newspaper, in this 'list,' figures such as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Rouhani, Hassan Khomeini, and several high-ranking officials from the eleventh government are present, all of whom have a history of participation in the Assembly of Experts and whose capabilities are well-known. Reza Raeisi, the reporter for Arman, emphasized that 'a brief review of these names, each of whom is a weight in the political structure and trusted by various and diverse layers of the public, is a good indication of the strong backing of reformists and moderates for participation in the Assembly of Experts elections and, of course, a justified reason for the concern of the opposing current, which knows that competing electorally with these figures will be a very difficult and challenging task.' The Arman newspaper reminded that 'some principlists are worried; this is well evident from their comments and sometimes contradictory hints. They know well that this election is different from previous ones and must engage in a close competition with their long-time rival, and this time the competition is not limited to internal organizational struggles. The insistence on unity and warnings about defeat against reformists if this is not achieved is itself a testament to this issue.' Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi, the secretary of the Society of Researchers and Teachers of Qom Seminary, a group close to reformists, emphasized in a note in the Arman newspaper the 'importance of the Assembly of Experts and the elections,' stating: 'The importance of the Assembly of Experts and the elections can be understood through the provisions of the constitution, especially since if we delve into the details, we see that the management of the country is largely directly and indirectly related to the Assembly of Experts and the Assembly of Experts elections.' The columnist for the Arman newspaper noted that 'the most important duty of the Assembly of Experts is to elect the leadership and oversee the performance of the leadership,' emphasizing that 'since the leadership is recognized as the highest authority in the country, all the pillars of the country are also directed and managed under his supervision.' In his note, Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi insisted that 'all groups must accept responsibility in the Assembly of Experts elections' and expressed hope that 'with the wisdom of the officials and the enthusiastic and informed participation of the people, the next Assembly of Experts will be a fully-fledged assembly with more youthfulness than before in line with the goals and ideals of the country.' The Ebtekar newspaper also dedicated its front page to Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Rouhani, and Hassan Khomeini, referring to them as the 'Jamaran Triangle for the Assembly of Experts.' This newspaper wrote: 'Perhaps now we should think about which clerical organization, the Combatant Clergy Association or the Society of Researchers and Teachers of Qom Seminary, or which of the moderate and popular figures Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hojjatoleslam Rouhani, and Hojjatoleslam Hassan Khomeini, understands the necessity of paying more attention to the Assembly of Experts; especially when the principlists have taken over this assembly while also talking about its non-partisan nature.' The Ebtekar newspaper, noting that 'in the days when the excitement of the Assembly elections is drawing the attention of reformists, the principlists are preparing for participation in two elections,' wrote: 'The principlists know that in the February 2016 elections, they must also have a program and list for the Assembly of Experts.' This newspaper evaluated the principlists' electoral program for the Assembly of Experts as being influenced by 'Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, and Mohammad Yazdi' while simultaneously reporting on 'the reformists' strong push to dominate the Assembly of Experts.' The Ebtekar newspaper wrote: 'Preparing white and low-profile figures on the one hand and creating an atmosphere to return the presidency of the Assembly of Experts to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani may be the clearest strategy of the reformists for the Assembly of Experts elections,' and 'it seems that reformist currents and organizations, led by the Combatant Clergy Association as the influential clerical organization of this camp, are not willing to take risks on their old and experienced figures who have the shadow of disqualification over them, and have made preparing figures like Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, who is low-profile and well-regarded and has the potential to bring the gray and youth population to the scene, their main plan.' This newspaper, however, reminded that Hassan Khomeini has not yet responded to this invitation from the reformists, but 'some news indicates that experienced reformist figures' have asked the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini to prepare himself for this election period. According to this newspaper, 'the reformists, who were hit in the previous elections due to disqualifications and written jurisprudential exams, have even asked Seyyed Hassan Khomeini to accept and participate in the scientific examination of jurisprudence if the Guardian Council requests his presence.' The Ebtekar newspaper emphasized that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani 'is calmly arranging the puzzle of the Assembly of Experts elections. Bringing Hassan Rouhani into this election on the one hand and persuading Seyyed Hassan Khomeini to participate in this election; these are Rafsanjani's winning cards so that he can enter the Assembly of Experts with two powerful and popular wings this time, perhaps claiming its presidency.' The response of the Javan newspaper to the possibility of a Rouhani-Obama meeting; 'Travelers to New York stretch their legs according to their carpets.' The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reacted strongly to the news about a possible meeting between the presidents of Iran and the United States, stating: 'Travelers to New York stretch their legs according to their carpets.' This newspaper wrote: 'The story of a meeting between Rouhani and Obama at the United Nations can only be told by a novice storyteller of yellow journalism, someone who, more than understanding the story and correctly grasping the realities, is caught up in fleeting yellow and purple emotions.' Javan emphasized that 'New York is not Obama's capital, where a red carpet is laid for Rouhani, especially for an Obama who, two weeks after the agreement, along with his officials, threatened Rouhani's country with a precise and easy military attack that could occur after the agency's inspections.' Instead, 'New York is the permanent headquarters of the United Nations, where any country can spread its carpet and read a prepared speech and return, and if it covets more than this carpet, it means deceiving the people who sent him on an annual trip to the United Nations, not a special trip to America.' The Javan newspaper also attacked the Arman and Aftab Yazd newspapers for publishing news about the possibility of a meeting between Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama, stating: 'Such an approach is more a sign of political self-abasement and, beyond that, smells of mutual flattery between Rouhani and Obama, showing a misunderstanding of political events.' Among the issues that the Javan newspaper assessed as stemming from 'political misunderstanding' is the emphasis of the Arman newspaper on the point that 'in Rouhani's previous two trips to New York, taboos were broken, and fruitful developments elevated Iran's position in global equations.' The Javan newspaper also accused reformists of wanting a meeting between Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama, writing: 'The approach of opportunism and expediency among these individuals has inevitably opened their mouths to flatter America, and the more the opposite side raises the strategy of threat and sanctions, the more the opportunists at home speak of respect and praise.' This newspaper, referring to what it described as 'four years of resistance in Syria,' 'the resistance in Yemen,' and 'the long-standing and invincible resistance of the Palestinians and Hezbollah in Lebanon,' and 'standing up against ISIS in Iraq,' stated: 'This is only part of what Western strategists repeatedly refer to as indicators of Iran's importance and regional power, but domestic strategists introduce Rouhani's taboo-breaking in his previous trip, which was a meeting with the British Prime Minister and a phone call with Obama, as indicators of the elevation of Iran's position in global equations.' In conclusion, the Javan newspaper implicitly warned Hassan Rouhani that the President of Iran's trip to New York 'is an ordinary annual trip to the United Nations headquarters that is prepared for all its members, not a trip to the capital of America, and although reformists have their mouths agape for some inappropriate behaviors, Rouhani is smarter than to not think about his return and providing answers to the people during such a trip.'