What Does the Opposition to the Islamic Republic Say About the Aftermath of the Nuclear Agreement?

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, described the achievement of a nuclear agreement with world powers as the result of the presence and full resilience of the great Iranian nation and the guidance of the wise leader of the revolution. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, has repeatedly thanked Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, for his support, especially after reaching the agreement with the 1+5 group. There have also been numerous reformist figures and groups supportive of Rouhani who share similar views. Among them is the Assembly of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary, which considers the achievement of this agreement as being 'in light of the steadfastness of the people, the guidance of the noble leadership, and the wisdom of the government.' However, this is not the whole story. Some groups and personalities opposing the Islamic Republic believe that not only is there no room for thanking Mr. Khamenei, but he should be removed from his position due to the extraordinary costs imposed on the Iranian people for pursuing the nuclear program. The United for Democracy in Iran is one of these groups. In a statement published on Sunday, July 28, they described the nuclear agreement as 'an important step towards lifting the ominous shadow of this aimless project' from Iran, while also stating that the emergence of this issue is fundamentally 'the result of the ignorance and miscalculation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the commander-in-chief, namely Mr. Khamenei, in creating nuclear weapon production capabilities.' United for Democracy referred to the leader of the Islamic Republic as someone who has 'imposed a futile and entirely harmful project on the Iranian nation' and 'bears full responsibility for all these damages.' The statement accused Mr. Khamenei of 'trying to convince the people, with the help of his agents in all three branches and his extensive propaganda apparatus, that returning to the conditions of 20 years ago and dismantling a setup that has cost hundreds of billions of dollars from the Iranian people's wealth is a new victory for the ruling regime and that everyone should be grateful to him.' United for Democracy concluded by calling for Mr. Khamenei to be removed from his position as the direct responsible party for this devastating calamity brought upon the country, so that 'the people can exercise their sovereignty through free elections and with the sovereignty of the people, the rule of the jurist and religious tyranny can be abolished.' 'In the midst of this turmoil,' Hassan Shariati, Shahriar Ahi, Javad Khadem, and Ramin Parham are members of United for Democracy who state their goal is to establish democracy in Iran through completely free elections. But do the people who celebrated the nuclear agreement and supported the Rouhani government and Mohammad Javad Zarif in the streets have the desire or motivation to overthrow the religious tyranny as called for by United for Democracy? Shahriar Ahi, an opponent of the Islamic Republic, believes: 'As long as the base of power is not in a parliament elected by all the people of Iran and we do not have real democracy, any temporary opening will create turmoil that will raise the concerns of the repressive power.' Mr. Ahi initially poses the question in an interview with Radio Farda: 'Is the country moving towards free elections and the transfer of power from the unaccountable jurist to the representatives of the people alongside this opening or not?' His answer is: 'It cannot be solved only with foreign policy and even good economic policy without political development and the opening of a political space and greater participation of the people progressing alongside other openings.' 'The fundamental issue,' United for Democracy was not the only opposition group to react to the nuclear agreement. The Workers' Communist Party (Hekmatist) also issued a statement saying that 'the fundamental issue' remains 'the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.' Maryam Rajavi, one of the leaders of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, described the nuclear agreement as 'an imposed retreat and a violation of the red lines declared by Ali Khamenei and a bitter cup for the clerical regime.' According to Ms. Rajavi, this agreement will 'inevitably lead to the intensification of the power struggle at the top of the regime and the disruption of its internal balance against the aging jurist.' In addition to these groups, critics and opponents like Mohammad Nourizad and Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, who are inside the country, have also expressed their predictions about the post-nuclear agreement atmosphere. Mr. Nourizad, referring to the recent statements of the leader of the Islamic Republic about the nuclear agreement, wrote on his Facebook page: 'God have mercy on us and on his lengthy speeches about the nuclear agreement and its blessings and the victories resulting from his wise leadership.' This political activist critical of the Islamic Republic added: 'The mutual damage they speak of means exactly this. Both in the nuclear story, we have lost our existence, and we must sit and listen to the lengthy speeches of the Supreme Leader about the cunning of his Islamic wisdom.' Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, another opponent of the Islamic Republic who has just been released from prison, also wrote on his Facebook that Mr. Khamenei, in his speech on Eid al-Fitr, 'tried to pretend that although he has reached an agreement with the great world powers over the nuclear program, this compromise does not mean that he will submit to human rights or cease regional aggressions and negotiate with the U.S. on these issues.' However, according to Mr. Tabarzadi, 'these are merely baseless claims.' This political activist added: 'The reality is that national and global relations and the structure of power have changed and are rapidly acting contrary to Khamenei's wishes and interests. Especially the pervasive governmental corruption has weakened their authoritarian foundation.' Tabarzadi: The demands of the people are high. Heshmatollah Tabarzadi confirms in an interview with Radio Farda that his short writing carries a scent of optimism for political change within the country: 'First of all, the demands of the people regarding various aspects of human rights, from civil and political freedoms to the right to live with dignity and improve economic and living conditions, are high. The Rouhani government has also promised to address these issues after sorting out the nuclear negotiations. Therefore, the government is also forced to pay more attention to these matters.' He also emphasized that 'Khamenei's faction continues to try to keep the space closed,' but 'other forces in the government and civil society have different views.' According to Mr. Tabarzadi, when the Islamic Republic agrees to enter the global community, 'it can no longer suppress as it did in the past.' It seems that these words of Mr. Tabarzadi are also a concern for some officials of the Islamic Republic. Among them is Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Imam of Friday prayers in Mashhad and a member of the Assembly of Experts, who said on Saturday, July 27, that improving relations with the U.S. 'will open the doors of the country for theft by enemies.'