Users React to Pezeshkian's Comments: 'The Clown of Khamenei's Circus' Speaks of 'Leader's Fist Against the People'

Recent statements by Masoud Pezeshkian, who was introduced as the 'Islamic Republic's President' following a government vote to succeed Raisi, claiming that 'the people' delivered a 'strong fist' to the opponents by voting, have sparked reactions from political and civil activists as well as social media users. On Sunday, July 31, Pezeshkian stated, 'The people came and hit the faces of those who were advertising inside and outside not to come to the polls with a strong fist.' This claim comes despite official statistics from the Islamic Republic indicating that the majority of Iranians did not participate in the government vote for the succession of Ebrahim Raisi. Pezeshkian's statements are controversial, especially since he had previously stated on July 12, before the government vote, that 'with all this noise, 40 percent came to vote for me and Jalili. 60 percent do not accept us. So the people have a problem with us.' The contradictory statements from Pezeshkian before and after the government elections have drawn reactions from various political and civil activists as well as social media users. Bahram Parsai, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, responded to Pezeshkian's recent comments by stating that 'dividing society into those who came and those who did not is not a good sign,' and questioned, 'If you believe that those who came hit a strong fist to the supporters of those who did not come, who did the majority who did not come hit with a strong fist?' Mehdi Mahmoudian, a journalist and political activist, noted that Pezeshkian had previously stated that 'everything he does is to gain votes and that the day after victory, he will only follow the demands of Ali Khamenei.' Mahmoudian pointed out the contradictions in Pezeshkian's statements, saying that he 'spoke of friendship and unity before the elections and now speaks of the same fists of his leader against the people,' and 'for the sake of unity with 20 percent of the regime's supporters, he runs from one delegation to another every night, but shows an iron fist against the 60 percent of the people who did not vote.' This civil activist also emphasized to Pezeshkian, 'If your fists and those of your elders were healing, today you would not have formed the weakest government in five decades with all the deceptive displays, engineered threats, and government doping.' Meanwhile, Ali Karimi, a popular football figure in Iran and an opponent of the Islamic Republic, shared an image of Pezeshkian alongside a photo of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, interpreting it as 'reverse progress in the narrative of images.' One user reacted to Pezeshkian's comments, referencing the results of the government vote that were boycotted by the majority of Iranians, stating, 'That strong fist has hit your own face,' and that 'declaring victory with 40 percent of the votes is your ignorance and nothing more!' Another user remarked that when Pezeshkian responded to a respectful lady who said, 'the people's vote was not out of love for Ali,' by saying, 'You also voted out of hatred for Muawiya, so you should not expect anything,' it was clear that Pezeshkian 'understands neither the concept of the public nor the duties of the president.' Additionally, several political and civil activists who participated in the government elections and voted for Pezeshkian criticized his recent statements. Javad Heydarian, a journalist, stated that 'I voted for Pezeshkian and I am critical of this rhetoric,' adding, 'Mr. Pezeshkian, what you said yesterday in the parliament about a strong fist against non-voters is nonsense that has been hammered into this nation for 40 years.' This journalist emphasized, 'This vulgar and foolish rhetoric is not worthy of a representative of the people. Sooner or later, this fist will hit you hard in the face. Correct it before it’s too late.' Kiwan Samimi, a labor activist and former political prisoner, also called for Pezeshkian to 'immediately apologize' to 'the opponents of voting,' writing on his Telegram channel, 'What I heard before the elections is different from some of what I hear now.' According to a video received by Voice of America on Tuesday, one day after the new government's statements, citizens protested against him, calling Pezeshkian 'the clown of Khamenei's circus and his son.' The Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic announced hours after the government vote for the determination of the fourteenth government president that Masoud Pezeshkian was named as the replacement for Ebrahim Raisi. The 'election' headquarters of this ministry claimed early on Saturday, July 16, that they counted 30,530,175 votes, with Masoud Pezeshkian receiving 16,384,403 votes and Saeed Jalili obtaining 13,538,179 votes. This statistic and the claim of nearly 50 percent participation come despite numerous observations from citizen-reporters in Iran and other parts of the world indicating low participation and empty polling stations, as well as widespread boycotting of this round of government voting. Some analysts say that changing the head of the executive branch in the Islamic Republic is not decisive and does not change anything. For instance, Hossein Raghfar, an economist, recently stated regarding the campaign slogans of the candidates favored by the government that there are two governments in the ruling system of Iran; one 'has weapons and force' and its actions affect the people's livelihoods, while the other 'has no power at all.' Shiva Mahbubi: The people of Iran do not have the impression that appointing Masoud Pezeshkian will change anything in Iran. Farrokh Negahdar: The July vote was a completely competitive 'election' that brought Pezeshkian to power. Reza Alijani: Pezeshkian's words have been contradictory from the very beginning; he wants to be under Khamenei's roof. Jack Rawsh: Masoud Pezeshkian is not a reliable option for negotiation or lifting sanctions. Mohammad Qayedi: Pezeshkian has shown in just a few days that he is not looking to confront Khamenei and the IRGC. The reasons and methods of 'engineering elections' by Khamenei; Reuters: Pezeshkian was the leader's preferred option. Blinken: The Islamic Republic could produce the necessary materials for building a nuclear weapon within 'one or two weeks.'