NCRI

Hassan Rouhani’s Protest Letter Aims at Khamenei’s Guardian Council, Hits Iran’s Regime

Shahriar Kia

Four-minute read

Less than a week after a significant defeat for the authoritarian regime of Iran in the second round of parliamentary sham elections, a website affiliated with Hassan Rouhani, the former president of this regime, published an open letter. Though the writing predominantly slams Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran’s regime, and his scheme to consolidate power, it also serves as evidence highlighting the failure of Western appeasement policies towards Tehran.

During the regime’s staged election for the Assembly of Experts, held on March 1, the Guardian Council barred Hassan Rouhani from running.

At the beginning of the letter, Rouhani threatens Khamenei, claiming to have secrets that he has so far refrained from disclosing to prevent public outrage against the state. 

He writes, “In the eight years of the presidency, I resisted many attacks with ‘thorns in the eye’ and ‘bones in the throat’ while defending the rights of the nation and the government (the executive branch), and I concealed many untold secrets and buried them for history so that the system and people would not suffer from the dichotomy between the government and the governance.”

Under the pretext of addressing the Iranian people and “providing a report on the reasons put forward by the Guardian Council for his disqualification,” the former president launches an attack on Khamenei’s scheme to remove Rouhani and sideline a long list of high-ranking officials from power, highlighting the regime’s failure in its entirety.

Rouhani writes, “Now, in justifying my disqualification, the Guardian Council refers to the resume of the country’s legitimate president in a way that suggests the second highest official of the country is an opponent of the state. This council, which itself has confirmed my eligibility twice in presidential elections, five times in parliamentary elections, and three times in the same Assembly of Experts elections, has made a mistake. It deems a person who, by the decree of two former presidents, the esteemed leader, the founder of the country’s highest security institution, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (for 16 years), and the leader’s representative in that council (for 24 years), and its head (for eight years), is deemed unqualified by the Guardian Council, despite a 45-year history from serving in the Islamic Consultative Assembly [Parliament] to serving in the Assembly of Experts from 1979 to 2024, equivalent to the entire life of the Islamic Republic system. Isn’t disqualifying former presidents and some heads of branches questioning the republicanism of the system?” 

Many senior officials and heads of state in the Iranian regime, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after holding high positions in the system, were eliminated from power and were disqualified by the Guardian Council.

Citing the likelihood of Khamenei’s death and revealing his plans to influence the succession cycle, Rouhani acknowledges, “I understand why an independent and critical movement was not tolerated during the sixth term of the Assembly of Experts. I recognize that the sixth term of the Assembly of Experts is a crucial and pivotal period, and the presence of individuals like myself is viewed with concern by the jurists of the Guardian Council.”

Continuously, Rouhani undermines “the unelected Guardian Council,” questioning, “Which elections and with whose votes have these jurists obtained the right to deprive the people’s chosen representatives of their right to choose?” adding, “Does the ‘conflict of interest’ rule not apply to the jurists of the Guardian Council who are both candidates for the Assembly of Experts and review the qualifications of their rivals? Do the jurists of the Guardian Council, with the least political, security, and diplomatic experience, have specialized qualifications to disqualify candidates due to what they perceive as political knowledge and insight? How many times have you, who accuse the candidates of being out of touch with the people, subjected yourself to the judgment of the public in a competitive election?”

In defense of his performance and dismissing the Guardian Council’s allegations regarding the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, while blaming Khamenei for Tehran’s compromises, Rouhani admits how the regime has resorted to nuclear extortion from the West. 

He writes, “It is not bad to remind the gentlemen that after the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), Iran reduced its obligations proportionally, and when whispers of using the snapback mechanism from some of the remaining five plus one members were heard, a decisive stance was immediately taken, and it was officially announced that if they wanted to use the snapback mechanism, Iran would immediately withdraw from the NPT.”

Throughout the letter, framed as “constructive criticism,” it becomes apparent how internal conflicts permeate the three branches of government and within the power structure of the regime. Rouhani accuses various entities, notably the Guardian Council, of participating in political and factional purges.

Moreover, Rouhani underscores his pivotal role in confronting what he terms as “global hegemony,” highlighting the flawed calculations of Western governments in appeasing Tehran under the pretext of empowering moderate elements within the clergy.

Now, instead of a naïve interpretation of “Rouhani’s brave opposition to Khamenei,” it would be wiser to draw lessons from the experiences of the past four decades. Undermining the entire regime by its former second-in-command is not merely a call for freedom or even personal justice, but rather a glaring indication of the regime’s serious disenfranchisement. It underscores the regime’s inability to address numerous internal, regional, and international crises and emphasizes the necessity of exerting maximum pressure to further weaken it, ultimately leaving its fate in the hands of its people.

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