The legacy of the founder of the Islamic Republic, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is contested among Iran's top leadership circles. Reformists refer to his near decade of rule after the 1979 revolution as a “golden era” and selectively refer to some of his decisions to reinforce their own policies, particularly those in favor of compromise and flexibility. Conservatives, particularly hard-liners, recollect a strong political figure who stood up to the West.

In his latest statements, President Hassan Rouhani has attempted to blend the two disparate readings, while at the same time, perhaps in a nod to the current stalemate in the nuclear negotiations, reminding the top leadership that the former supreme leader knew when it was time to “choose peace.”

At a ceremony in honor of Ayatollah Khomeini’s return to Iran after a 15-year exile Feb. 1, 1979, Rouhani said, “Imam [Khomeini] taught us the path of moderation, progress and development. An imam that at various points stood up to arrogance and the enemy and taught us anti-arrogance and had the courage to, when necessary, choose the path of peace and continue the path of stability and development for the country.”

Rouhani’s reference can be construed as referring to a number of issues, though none can be more significant than Ayatollah Khomeini’s decision to end the Iran-Iraq war in 1988 after a brutal and devastating conflict with a foe that was supported by Arab nations in the Persian Gulf, Western Europe and the United States. In his radio address announcing the end of the war, Ayatollah Khomeini compared accepting the cease-fire to drinking from “the poisoned chalice.” It was a bitter moment for a leader who rallied his people for eight long years under the chants, “War, war until victory” and “The path to Quds goes through Karbala.”