Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, May 15, 2019 – Using the opportunity of Ramadan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani talked on different occasions to complain about the difficulty of the regime’s status quo and asking his rival factions to refrain from attacking him and his camp.
While exonerating himself, Rouhani implicitly put the responsibility on the shoulders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which in turn triggered a series of new infightings.
Rouhani expressed his thoughts in a meeting with so-called political activists from different factions on May 10.
“In the days of [the Iran-Iraq] war we had no banking or import-export problems and the only sanction against us was about weapons,” he complained.
In an indirect manner, as is customary for Iranian mullahs, he then admitted to the popular discontent and opposition the regime faces among ordinary Iranians.
“During the war, there was an almost consensus among the people that the government isn’t to blame for the problems… and helped to solve the problem.”
And then Rouhani complained that he has no power and authority in the Islamic Republic.
“The major problem is that you expect everything from the government. Yet you should note the government’s actual authority… The government neither has authority in foreign policy nor does it know where it should negotiate and where not, where it should meet and where not. The government has also no authority over cultural issues and the broadcasting network,” he added.
“Also, mosques and Friday prayer tribunes, and the cyberspace issues are not under the control of the government. So you’re asking the government for something that isn’t under its control,” he concluded.
However, contrary to what Rouhani was hoping for, the meeting added to discontent instead of increasing unity and conformance.
Hossein Mozafar, a member of the regime’s Expediency Discernment Council, said that 30 people had asked for time to speak to Rouhani in the meeting, but only 14 people found the time and the meeting did not last more than 45 minutes.
“The people’s problem is that the government is hanging loose and people feel that everybody does anything they wish,” he said, adding he had warned Rouhani about any type of controversial decision like increasing the prices of fuel.
“Because if the price of fuel is increased, prices of other goods and services will become uncontrollable and the impact of this inflation will show itself ten times over in other sectors. This will also increase discontent 10 times,” he added.
Last Saturday, in another Ramadan gathering with a group of the well-connected ruling elite who he called “members of the government’s family”, Rouhani admitted that the moral of the members of his government is low.
“The family of members of the government must increase the moral of government officials so that they can bear the heavy weight of their duties… Our job is more difficult than ever and 2018 and 2019 have been among the most difficult years in the past 40 years,” he added. “No domestic or foreign conspiracy can break the resolve of government officials to serve the public.”
It appears that Alireza Rahimi, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) from Rouhani’s camp, was referring to the same “domestic conspiracy” theory when he recently talked about a managerial coup d'état.
“While demonizing the government and tainting the image of national and regional achievements is the order of the day for the rival faction, there is the talk of managerial coup d'état against the government,” he said according to the regime-linked Tabnak website.
Therefore, while the U.S. is completing its battle formation in the Persian Gulf by sending more ships and troops, the ensuing fear that is shaking the mullahs’ entire apparatus has led to a deeper rift among Iran’s ruling thugs.
