An influential committee in Iran's hard-line parliament submitted a concluded investigation and formal lawsuit to the judiciary demanding former President Hassan Rouhani be put on trial. The parliamentarians advancing the complaint argued their probe had established Rouhani's misconduct and failure to honor his presidential duties during his two consecutive terms (2013-2021).

Deputy parliament speaker Abdolreza Mesri, who presided over the Oct. 12 session, declared the lawmakers would respect any decision by the judiciary, "which is an independent entity." Iran's judiciary has traditionally been a conservative entity whose chief is directly appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The post is currently held by hard-line cleric Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei.

Enclosed with the lawmakers' formal complaint was an online petition signed by over half a million "university students, young clerics and people from different walks of life." The document urges the "revolutionary parliament" to pursue the matter until a "firm judicial verdict" is issued against the former president for "devaluing Iran's national currency," "destroying jobs," and "appointing spies and dual nationals" to sensitive positions. Iran's hard-liners have repeatedly claimed the "enemy's intelligence services" infiltrated the Rouhani government's negotiating team, who signed the "humiliating" 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers.

Listing 18 counts, the petition accuses Rouhani of "deception of the public about sanctions removal" as well as "destroying Iran's nuclear technology." It further levels "treason" allegations, punishable by the death penalty under Iran's strict judicial laws.