Larijani's Response to Rouhani: We Are Not Idle, Unemployment Is Due to the JCPOA

The head of the judiciary reacted to recent comments by Hassan Rouhani, stating that this body does not summon individuals out of 'idleness' and that the existence of unemployment in the country is due to 'focusing on the JCPOA' over the past four years. According to ISNA news agency, Sadegh Larijani made these remarks on Tuesday, October 9, during a meeting of senior judicial officials. On October 7, Hassan Rouhani had said among a group of students at Tehran University that 'some agencies may be idle and summon individuals to create jobs for themselves.' Rouhani also criticized what he called 'unhealthy political competition' in Iran, lamenting that after elections, 'one side is rewarded while the other is punished.' He referred to the new restrictions placed on Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, calling him an 'influential' figure who urged people to vote but is not rewarded for this action. In response to this stance, Sadegh Larijani described Rouhani's comments as 'ungrateful' and stated that 'the judiciary does not summon individuals out of idleness... [but] acts according to its main and inherent duty to administer justice.' Without mentioning Rouhani by name, he added that 'if there is unemployment, it is you who have abandoned the country for four years and focused on the JCPOA, as if the country has no other work or problems. We have work to do and we firmly stand on our legal path.' Larijani considered the president 'obligated to support the judiciary' as one of the 'pillars of the system' and claimed that this institution has also 'supported the government as a pillar of the system over the years.' He told Rouhani that 'it is not right to express whatever comes to your esteemed mind against the judiciary in every gathering.' The head of Iran's judiciary deemed it unacceptable that 'some want to make unfounded statements against the judiciary in every gathering' and added ironically that 'we should not defend judicial proceedings when it benefits us and speak against the judiciary when judicial investigations are against us.' According to Fars news agency, Sadegh Larijani called such statements 'illogical and unfounded' and urged judges to 'pay no attention' to them, asking 'judicial officials' to support 'judges so that the pressures of this kind can be alleviated.' Defending the judiciary's handling of cases related to 'economic corruption,' he expressed regret that 'as soon as someone is summoned in some financial-economic cases, some interested parties start political or personal maneuvering.' Larijani continued, stating that 'they create uproar to divert public attention from embezzlement and corruption towards political issues, and unfortunately, they do not shy away from any attack or accusation against the judiciary.' He also mentioned that 'some individuals with dark records speak in real and virtual environments and publish videos. The cases of these individuals have entirely financial dimensions, although there may be security charges against some.' The head of the judiciary warned that actions such as 'accusations, insults, and obstacles against the judiciary are considered crimes, and we warn the perpetrators that the judiciary's tolerance for maintaining a calm atmosphere in society has its limits.' This is not the first time Hassan Rouhani and Sadegh Larijani have engaged in verbal disputes. They have previously clashed over the state of investment in Iran and the summoning of some investors by the judiciary. On April 24, Rouhani had said in Kurdistan that 'we bring someone here to invest with effort and pleading, and suddenly someone whimsically decides to summon him. Work cannot be done.' A day later, Sadegh Larijani rejected Rouhani's remarks, stating: 'The judiciary is not a place to summon someone out of whim, and claiming that such actions cause a lack of investment is completely incorrect.' Rouhani's recent criticisms of the judiciary followed the arrest of Mehdi Jahangiri, the brother of his first deputy, Eshaq Jahangiri, the issuance of prison sentences and bans on political and journalistic activities for seven reformist activists, and the imposition of new restrictions on Mohammad Khatami.