Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s incoming administration will make a point of reinforcing revolutionary ideology, including enforcing aspirations aimed at Israel and Jerusalem. That, at least, is the assessment from the Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Central Province:  

Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Central Province said that one of the first priorities of the incoming administration is the maintenance of revolutionary slogans. He said, “This revolution is not recognized anywhere in the world without the name of Imam [Khomeini] and revolutionary slogans…. The slogan of Quds [Jerusalem] is [a part of] Islam.” He added, “This slogan is unchangeable until Judgment Day and no one can negotiate regarding Quds, the Palestinian nation or the Resistance….”

Meanwhile Iranian member of parliament Fatemeh Alia emphasized that the “moderation” of Rouhani’s cabinet would be measured by the extent to which it excludes ” a phrase that regime loyalists use to refer to pro-reform dissidents. The comments echo those made earlier this month by Cultural Advisor to the IRGC Commander Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi. Harandi emphasized that Rouhani – a revolutionary cleric who analysts describe as a “consummate regime insider” – would work to reinforce the clerical regime:

Cultural Advisor to the IRGC Commander Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi said Hassan Rouhani is not a Reformist but is someone who will be active “within the framework of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He added that Rouhani did not criticize the system during his campaign, rather he “criticized the present administration or trends that were pursued by the administration.

The statements are likely to influence the debate regarding Rouhani’s heavily emphasized “moderation”, a term that has taken on significant meaning – and become a source of controversy – since the cleric’s election. The descriptions positions Rouhani in a relatively precise place along the Iranian political spectrum, in between the camp of current Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the liberal Green Movement variously describe as “seditionists,” “radical reformists,” and “reformist extremists.”

[Photo: Soroush90gh / Wiki Commons]