The organizers of the Aug. 16 rally at the iconic Feizieh Seminary in the holy city of Qom would have probably not anticipated such a widespread backlash. Their event was meant to be “a gathering for economic justice” in Iran, with a large banner reading “Clerical community in solidarity with the people.” Little seemed out of the ordinary.

The controversy arose after a photo showed one participant holding a placard that seemed to reflect a threat against President Hassan Rouhani while also raising suspicion surrounding the death of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. It read, "Oh you, whose slogan is negotiations, Farah's pool is awaiting you," referring to Rouhani’s rhetoric about the need for “constructive engagement” with the world. Some hard-liners have alleged that Rafsanjani died in a swimming pool on premises previously belonging to the shah’s regime. The reference to Farah is Farah Pahlavi, the widow of late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The official line about Rafsanjani is that he died of a heart attack.

Still, ever since Rafsanjani’s death in January 2017, rumors and speculation have resurfaced every now and then. Some have claimed that he was killed by extremist elements within the Islamic Republic in a plot to annihilate a close ally of moderate President Rouhani. Mindful of these claims, many are now reading the placard as a confirmation of those reports.

“Some believe that such slogans … include an indirect confession,” wrote the pro-Rouhani newspaper Arman. The first senior cleric to strongly criticize the rally was Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, who described it as a “tragedy.” He also called for clarifications from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which later issued a statement slamming the event and calling it “spontaneous.” The statement also stressed that the IRGC will continue to throw its weight behind the Rouhani administration.