Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, November 3, 2021—In its Tuesday session, the Majlis (parliament) made an unprecedented reflection on the Iranian regime’s disastrous management of the coronavirus outbreak and its possible ramifications.
During the session, the report of the health commission delivered its report on the performance of the Covid-19 Task Force under the Rouhani administration to the Majlis. The report outlines some of the disastrous policies and decisions that led to the catastrophic spread of the virus across Iran. The introduction reads in part, “The Iranian public are not satisfied with the performance of the National Covid-19 Task Force, the ministries, and [Hassan] Rouhani himself… and they have suffered irreparable losses [from the Task Force].”
While the report must be viewed in the broader context of political rivalries between different regime factions, it nonetheless sheds light on some of the realities that has made Iran the center of one of the worst global Covid-19 outbreaks across the globe.
Among the highlights of Rouhani’s report card mentioned in the health commission’s report is the following:
- Normalizing the situation of the Covid-19 outbreak at the end of the Persian year (March 2021)
- Disregard for the warnings of health experts and inspectors
- Opposition to quarantines
- The abysmal management of the import and production of vaccines
- False claims about having passed the Covid-19 peak
- Missing out on golden opportunities to restrain Nowruz trips, impose lockdowns, and most importantly purchasing and importing vaccines before the fourth peak
- Lack of program for the import of vaccines
The report concludes by saying, “Since the controversial and unprofessional decisions and actions—or lack thereof—of [Rouhani] has resulted in the death of many compatriots and damage to their lives, finances, and mental health… it is necessary that he is dealt with legally.”
The report was ratified and approved by the Majlis with a majority vote, which is an implicit acknowledgement of the crimes committed by the regime. What the report and the Majlis did not mention, however, is that Rouhani is just one part of the equation. The regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei is the real culprit, and Rouhani was just a pawn who was carrying out his commands.
It is worth noting that before Rouhani, it was Khamenei who tried to normalize the outbreak and dismissed the Covid-19 outbreak as a “temporary issue and nothing serious… let’s not exaggerate it.” It was Khamenei who described the Covid-19 outbreak as a “blessing,” an “achievement,” and an “opportunity.” It was Khamenei who unleashed coronavirus across Iran, refusing to spend a fraction of his $100-billion-plus fortune to help the Iranian people get through the outbreak. It was Khamenei who banned the import of vaccines and declared in February, “The import of American and British vaccines is banned,” and instead praised the unreliable and dangerous vaccine manufactured by the regime’s own institutions.
In this light, the report of the Majlis health commission is in fact a ploy to use Rouhani as a scapegoat for Khamenei, who is the real criminal behind the coronavirus outbreak. Khamenei hopes that, by laying all the blame on the previous president, he can keep himself away from the outrage of the Iranian people. But in effect, the report is only a confession to just a fraction of the crimes that all trace back to Khamenei himself with undeniable evidence.
