Iran supremo Khamenei's backing breaks back of hardliner motion against President Rouhani

After Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed his support for the regime of President Hassan Rouhani, the parliamentarians who had sought to impeach him have changed course. On July 14, a group of at least 10 Iranian parliament members ended the row with President Rouhani’s government which was sparked by financial and economic hardships. Members of the Iranian parliament wanted to rally over 290-seats to their side and overthrow the governance of Rouhani, according to reports.

However, the motion against the president was dropped after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supported him. Trump administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, the re-imposition of sanctions in 2018, rising inflation, growing unemployment, and the Coronavirus crisis rendered Iran’s economy in shambles. This led to the massive criticism of Rouhani by the reformists who called for his resignation. While Hassan Rouhani urged the state hard-liners to show 'brotherhood', the cleric-politician witnessed growing accusations as a result of mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis, a failing economy, corruption, as well as security concerns.  

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120 lawmakers signed a motion

Amid growing discontent over the government's economic policies, at least 120 lawmakers signed a motion to question the Rouhani’s government and handed it to the presiding board of the assembly. A move that could have led to the dissolution of the Iranian President, however, the board on July 14 announced that they were holding back from issuing the summons for now, as per media reports. Iran's top authority, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appealed to the parliament to display unity and cooperation amid the mounting tensions with the west and the US.  

The lawmakers have various questions for the president, including the reasons behind the foreign exchange market crisis as well as the high prices of basic goods and basic necessities of the people today, a Tehran lawmaker Eqbal Shakeri, was quoted saying.

Further, the hardliners wanted to interrogate the government's strategic mistake that allowed the US withdrawal from the deal at the lowest cost, he added. In the parliament, the hardliners expressed displeasure at the Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as shouts of 'liar' interrupted his speech, according to reports. Iran's top nuclear negotiator was also made peace after Khamenei appealed to the parliamentarians to maintain the legitimacy of the Islamic republic.  

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(Images: AP)