Unrest in Iran: President Rouhani Hit Hardest

: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Photo: AP

While some senior Iranian officials fear that prolonged unrest will undermine the legitimacy and influence of religious leaders, some see it as an existential threat to the country's leadership, with the biggest loss perhaps being President Rouhani, who is more closely linked to economic policy.

“Of course Rouhani and his administration will have less power going forward, especially because his economic policies have been criticized during the protests,” said political analyst Hamid Farahvashian. “He will be a limited president and Khamenei will have more power.”

Meanwhile, a senior official close to President Rouhani, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Continued protests will lead to a crisis of legitimacy. People have economic demands... of course these demands need to be taken seriously and the clerics need to listen to the people, but all these issues can be discussed in a quiet atmosphere.”

Another Iranian official said: “President Rouhani’s power is limited within Iran’s governing system. Anger among the people is growing… people are gradually losing faith in the system. The leaders understand this reality and its dangerous consequences.”

“So far, the security forces have not managed to stop the protests... but that will change if (Khamenei) calls for an end to street protests and protesters defy that call,” said a former reformist Iranian official. Even if the riots are quelled, the demands of tens of thousands of young workers are unlikely to disappear.

“Whether Rouhani intends to maintain any commitments is a question,” a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “He has not delivered on his commitments, particularly on the economic front. This has made him unpopular. He may be one of the losers, but not immediately.”
Meanwhile, another official in Iran gave a contrasting view, saying that the current nationwide protests have united Iran's leadership.

“At this point, it is not important that one political faction is fueling unrest to harm the opposing faction, but the problem is that our enemies have taken advantage of the riots... that is why all political factions have united to protect the Islamic Republic,” the official said./.