Iran's Khamenei strikes down Reformist call for ‘national reconciliation’
In Iran, a call by Reformists for “national reconciliation” receives a stern response from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Over the past week or so in Iran, Reformists have been putting forth a plan to fully reintegrate themselves within the political establishment, calling it a "national reconciliation." Former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) first brought up the plan Feb. 7, and it was subsequently pursued by Reformist members of parliament.
The national reconciliation plan entails the freeing of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi from their house arrests so as to forge national unity — particularly in the face of threats by US President Donald Trump. In the disputed 2009 presidential elections, which saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected by a landslide, Mousavi and Karroubi — both of whom ran as candidates — were of the view that the vote was rigged. The elections were followed by an unrest that had not been seen in decades, and Mousavi and Karroubi were eventually, in 2011, placed under house arrest.
Since the announcement of the national reconciliation plan, conservatives have vocally opposed it, opining there is no dispute among the people and, thus, no need for reconciliation.
On Feb. 15, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated his view about the Reformists' reconciliation plan.
