Skip to main content

Ahead of presidential vote, Khamenei attacks Rouhani’s economy

During Iranian New Year speeches, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani painted starkly different pictures of the Iranian economy, which is turning out to be a weak spot for the president’s re-election campaign.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves as he stands next to a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at Interior Ministry in Tehran December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY     - RTX1ZKHQ

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, used his most important speech of the year to criticize President Hassan Rouhani and his administration’s economic performance. With presidential elections two months away, Khamenei's criticism opens the door for other conservatives to attack the president on a vulnerability.

The supreme leader's Nowruz (Iranian New Year) speech is similar to the State of the Union Address in the United States and delivered at the shrine of the 8th Shiite imam in the city of Mashhad, the most important site in the country for Iranian Shiites. In his speech on March 21, Khamenei discussed not only the previous year, but also laid out the most pressing issues for the upcoming year. Khamenei also proclaimed that this year, 1396, would be the “Year of Resistance Economy: Production and Employment.” The president is largely responsible for managing the economy, so it is up to the president and his administration to ensure that Khamenei's economic objectives for the year are met. 

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.