The Association of Iranian Journalists (AIJ) have written an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani expressing regret that instead of pushing to have their guild reopened the president proposed a less controversial plan of starting a new guild.

“The Association of Iranian Journalists, with its duty as a guild and to defend the right to organize the Association of Iranian Journalists, expresses deep regret about the latest statements of the president that ‘the administration will produce a bill for a guild regarding journalists,’” the statement read.

On Aug. 7, before Journalists Day in Iran, Rouhani said that his administration would produce a bill that would create a guild “so that this association can be active for the work of journalists.” He added that one of the services this guild could offer would be, “If there is an infringement, this guild and professional association can state its position on that infringement.”

The AIJ statement continued, “The guild sees it necessary to inform Dr. Hassan Rouhani that the guild for journalists has an independent organization, with an active history of 18 years and close to 4,000 members. It is the largest guild organization for this profession in the history of Iranian journalism, and despite the limitations and hardships has been the source of numerous services for the profession of journalism.”