Iran News Round Up

President Hassan Rouhani renewed his criticism of the corruption during former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration during a speech on March 23. Rouhani accused some members of the Ahmadinejad administration of corruption under the guise of circumventing the extensive sanctions imposed on Iran before the 2015 nuclear deal. Rouhani has called attention to these cases of corruption previously. Rouhani also highlighted the improvement in Iran’s relationship with the UN during the Rouhani administration.

• Rouhani defended his administration’s record on job creation but also acknowledged that “the unemployment rate is high because of the increased presence of jobseekers... We must prioritize programs for the creation of jobs for the youth.” (Khabar Online)

Hardliner former Parliamentarian Ali Reza Zakani addressed conservatives’ need to unify ahead of the May presidential elections in a letter to the candidates of the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, the conservative coalition working to introduce a single conservative competitor to President Hassan Rouhani. Zakani stated, “The main contest is between the revolutionary and the non-revolutionary. The creation of internal competition within [the Popular Front], under any pretext, is a strategic error.” (Fars News Agency)

Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized President Rouhani for “not listening to the word of the nation” during a speech in support of Hamid Baghaei’s candidacy in the May presidential elections. Baghaei served as vice president during Ahmadinejad’s administration.  Ahmadinejad’s comment refers to the Rouhani government’s efforts to remove cash subsidies. Ahmadinejad also attacked Iran’s conservatives for not doing enough to combat Rouhani’s policies. Ahmadinejad has ramped up his criticism of Rouhani’s financial policies over the last month. Baghaei promised during his own speech that his first step as president would be to increase subsidies heavily. Ahmadinejad used lavish subsidies to gain popular electoral support at the expense of sound government finance policy.  (Ghatreh) (Radio Farda)

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that “Iran needs to jump… in the economic field. With a revolutionary spirit, it is important to move forward towards the implementation of this important issue.” He stressed that “Parliament has undertaken a serious effort to achieve the goals of the Resistance Economy. One of the missions in this context is the removal of barriers to production and employment.” Larijani stated that he has commissioned the heads of the industry and mining, energy, agriculture, water and natural resources, construction, and finance commissions to examine methods in order to “develop a coherent program to achieve the Resistance Economy” doctrine. (Fars News Agency) (Fars News Agency)