Two Members of Rouhani's Government: Reformists Should Follow Leader's Guidelines for National Reconciliation

Two members of Hassan Rouhani's government stated on Monday, February 14, that reformists and other factions must enhance their relationship with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, to realize the slogan of "national reconciliation" and act according to the "guidelines of the leader." Majid Ansari, the parliamentary deputy of the Iranian president, spoke to Mehr News Agency about the "necessity" of increasing the relationship between reformists and the leader, adding: "This relationship is currently not at the necessary and appropriate level." He noted that former President Mohammad Khatami has also called for an increase in the relationship between reformists and the leader, stating: "Everyone should respect the high position of the leadership." The deputy president pointed out that "the reformist movement is aware of the fact that without a broad connection with the leadership institution, the ability to fulfill their duties will be either impossible or limited," and added: "Reformists cannot be distant from the 'center of guidance and leadership of the system' and must establish a 'mechanism' to get closer to the leader." In this regard, he urged reformists and the office of the Supreme Leader to establish a mechanism so that the reformist movement can have a more formal and broader contact with their leader. Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, also stated in an interview with ILNA that "the entire nation and officials must stand behind the leader and seek unity and solidarity." He considered one of the "requirements and factors of national unity" to be the activity of all political factions based on the law and the "guidelines" of the Supreme Leader. The renewed discussion on increasing the relationship between reformists and the Supreme Leader and the proposal for "national reconciliation" has once again come to the forefront of reformists' agenda following the death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Mohammad Khatami had also expressed hope on January 17 that the "relative reconciliation" that emerged after Rafsanjani's death would continue and that the Supreme Leader would guide everyone into a "new realm of life for serving the people and elevating the country." He also expressed hope that the "relative reconciliation" formed as a result of Ayatollah Hashemi's passing would continue under the leadership of the Supreme Leader. Following these remarks, Mohammad Hashemi, the brother of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, reported on the "efforts and intentions of reformists for direct and independent communication with the Supreme Leader." Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a member of the Supreme Council of Reformists, also spoke about the "necessity of increasing the relationship between reformists and the leader," adding: "We must strive for this close connection to happen." According to ISNA, Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction in Parliament, stated on Thursday, February 10, during a meeting with Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, that "in the current sensitive situation and the special regional status, we have no way but to unite within the revolutionary family." He emphasized that the Islamic Republic needs "solidarity within the country" to play an effective role in reducing tensions in the region. The head of the Hope faction announced that this faction has been pursuing the issue of "national dialogue" within Parliament since the beginning of the tenth Parliament by forming a working group and added that the faction will pursue the issue "seriously" at the national level. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, also stated in his speech at the February 11 rally in Tehran that "by following the Supreme Leader, we are seeking consensus, reconciliation, and national cohesion." Political analyst Ali Afshari, residing in the United States, previously told Radio Farda that "the call made by Mr. Khatami regarding the February 11 rally under the guise of national reconciliation is effectively an oath of allegiance to the leadership and lacks the capacity for national reconciliation; rather, it is a response to external threats." He added, "National reconciliation is achieved through imposing the will of the people on an autocratic power, not through begging... The government must take the first step and end its oppressive policies." Earlier, Hossein Mirdamadi, the uncle of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a critical letter regarding his performance and policies, urged his nephew to "change his approach before it is too late and your era has ended, and the fabric of affairs has completely unraveled and the country and nation have been lost." In response to the reformists' discussions about "national reconciliation" and the necessity of increasing their relationship with the Supreme Leader, conservatives and some supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei have set conditions for the realization of these two demands of the reformists. For instance, according to ILNA, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, announced during the February 11 rally that "national reconciliation makes sense when we have fundamental disagreements, which we do not." Additionally, Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the secretary-general of the Islamic Coalition Party, described the topic of "national reconciliation" as "beating water in a mortar" and stated that what is proposed under the title of national reconciliation is to transform the face of a "seditionist" and "combatant" into a "reformist debtor." He added: "If someone is at odds with the system and the people, let them come to reconcile. However, they must apologize to the people and the system and explain based on what political logic they have been at odds with the people and the people's vote {in the 2009 presidential election}." Hamid Reza Taraghi, a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Coalition Party, also stated that "the goal of those who propose national reconciliation is to act as intermediaries for the return of the structural breakers to power." He raised the question, "Why are those who propose national reconciliation not thinking about repenting for their past actions? They must repent first before thinking about returning to the embrace of the revolution." Furthermore, Rouhollah Hosseinian, the head of the Islamic Revolution Document Center, stated that "the reformists' intention behind proposing national reconciliation is the freedom of the sedition leaders." The Supreme Leader and his supporters refer to Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as the "leaders of the 2009 sedition." Mousavi, Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard have been under house arrest since February 14, 2010, following continued protests against the results of the presidential election, and efforts to lift their house arrest have so far been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper, on Sunday, February 13, assessed the proposal for "national reconciliation" as "the insistence of a group to forget the great crimes they have committed and their attempt to re-enter the structure of the system." He wrote: "The proposal for national reconciliation comes from those who, during the 2009 sedition, openly played the role of pawns for the triangle of America, Israel, and England." In this context, Iran newspaper reported on Tuesday that not all conservatives oppose the proposal for national reconciliation. Iran quoted Ahmad Karimi Isfahani, a conservative political activist, as saying: "National reconciliation is good, and discussing this issue in the current situation of the country is very wise. Because now, when the new U.S. president seems to have no intention of engaging and is making harsh speeches against Iran, if there is no unity within the country and the government lacks support, these threats will certainly become more severe and find a practical arena for execution." The secretary-general of the Islamic Society of Guilds and Markets added: "Conservatives are happy with dialogue and have no problem in this regard, and whenever reformists announce their readiness, they will sit down for dialogue." In this regard, Abbas Salimi-Namin, a conservative political figure, told the electronic newspaper "Hope of Iranians" that "it is not difficult for us to look at some issues that arose after the 2009 election and put an end to them. I do not think that understanding this issue is so difficult that we cannot walk this right path in this regard. Or, for example, resolving the issue of house arrest, which is a demand of some, is a prerequisite for national reconciliation, and each of them is a prerequisite for the other to achieve national reconciliation." He pointed out that "some of the more rational forces of the reformist movement have come to rectify their past mistakes or those of their affiliated forces," adding: "On the other hand, conservatives have also set aside some of their extremist forces, and this is a significant step." This conservative political figure also noted that "conservatives are moving towards national reconciliation" and urged reformists to "disavow some of the actions taken." Abbas Salimi-Namin's reference was to the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. Meanwhile, Mostafa Tajzadeh, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Mujahedin Organization, stated that "national reconciliation" means "accepting plurality from a position of equality and sameness, not that one party should apologize to the other or write a letter of repentance." He also stated: "If we were of such a nature, we would have resorted to such methods during the years we were in prison to save ourselves and be able to claim a share of the government."