Larijani: Oil Contract Reforms Will Not Happen in the Streets

Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reacted to a gathering of Basij students in front of the Ministry of Oil protesting Iran's new oil contracts with foreign countries, stating that such contracts cannot be "reformed" through protests and that "the street is not the place to resolve these issues." On Sunday, February 11, the IRNA news agency reported that Larijani made these comments in response to a warning from Ahmad Tavakoli, a member of parliament, regarding police actions against the protesters. Iranian media reported that the police prevented Basij students from gathering in front of the Ministry of Oil in Tehran on Saturday, February 10, to protest the new oil contracts. This news comes as Ali Kardour, the deputy for investment and financing at the National Iranian Oil Company, announced in an interview with the weekly Seda that the London conference, scheduled for March 3-5 to attract foreign investments in Iran's oil and gas industry, has been canceled due to "visa issues." Kardour stated that the importance of oil contracts is so significant that even if there are dozens of nationwide protests, it would not be enough if the situation remains unchanged. Ahmad Tavakoli, a Tehran representative in parliament, acknowledged the illegality of the Saturday gathering but insisted that protests against such contracts must occur. He added that the importance of oil contracts is so great that if they remain unchanged, even numerous protests would be insufficient. Tavakoli criticized the detention of 38 individuals during the gathering, noting that four of them are still in custody. Larijani responded to Tavakoli's remarks by saying that there are ways to address this issue and that contracts cannot be arranged through protests. He emphasized that there is a system in place to handle these matters and that such issues cannot be resolved in the streets. The Speaker deemed the gathering of Basij students in front of the Ministry of Oil as "illegal" and stated that individuals with opinions should express them legally. Several conservative members of parliament and media close to them consider the new oil contracts detrimental to the country. Representatives such as Alireza Zakani, Ahmad Tavakoli, Elias Naderan, Hossein Najabat, Ahmad Amirabadi, and Mohammad Dehghan believe that the new oil contracts are "contrary" to the constitution and "resistance economy." Basij students, in line with these representatives, have described Iran's new oil contracts with foreign countries as "plundering national resources" and are calling for their cancellation. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the head of the Basij Organization, also described President Rouhani's visit to Italy and France and the commercial contracts signed during this trip as "a dagger to the heart of the resistance economy." The term "resistance economy" was first used by Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, to describe the economic situation under sanctions.