Shamsi Saadati
As the pressure on Iran increases, the internal divisions among regime officials are becoming more and more apparent and tense. The internal disputes were once denied and kept secret, but it is no longer possible. In an open session of Majlis (parliament) on Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani was on the receiving end of some very harsh criticism.
One of the hardliner members of parliament, Alireza Salimi, called Rouhani out for having no authority in the regime’s political system. The official, that is close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did nothing but highlight the major division that separates the two factions.
He went on to speak about a number of government failings, saying that Rouhani’s cabinet has plundered the nation’s wealth, repressed the people, and so on. Salimi said that the Iranian president continues to deceive his peers by trying to cover up the fiascos that he is responsible for.
Speaking about Rouhani’s personal conduct, he pointed out that Rouhani hired his brother to be his personal secretary and gave official positions, in sensitive roles, to a number of other members of his family.
Speaking about the current economic crisis that is having a major impact on the regime’s activities and the lives of the people, Salimi reminded the Iranian president that it was his administration that chose the official currency exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar which as a result let to all of the country’s reserves being used up.
Salimi blamed Rouhani for the hardship that the people are facing. He said: “Do you also remember that instead of working toward solving people’s problems including employment, inflation, housing and etc… your administration brought up this misery upon the people who now have to stand in queues for hours to buy meat, chicken, sugar and other essentials. With the same authority, you brought up a huge recession, unseen inflation and other social and economic pressures upon the people. And now you say that you don’t have any authority?”
This attack on Rouhani is entirely justified, but it is also highly ironic. The way Salimi attacked the Iranian president, one would imagine that this hardliner member of parliament would have done things differently. However, all of the country’s parliamentarians are the same no matter which side they sit on. They are all guilty of corruption and mismanagement. They would quite simply not be sitting in parliament if they did not adhere to the malign policies the regime pursues.
It is for this reason that the people of Iran are desperate for regime change. There is no moderation in their leadership and no one to represent the needs of the people. Regime officials do what is in their own best interests and what will prolong the regime’s grasp on power.
However, the regime is verging on collapse and the severity of the internal disputes is increasing. Rouhani is to blame for the current crisis in Iran, but so are his predecessors and every single other member of the Iranian regime.