Iranian authorities have rejected reports that former President Hassan Rouhani attempted to grab power during last month's nationwide protests. The claims were characterised as 'purely fictional narratives' by Iran's embassy in Paris.
A French media report alleged that Rouhani gathered influential clerics, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, and other figures to take power, but Iran's embassy said this was 'likely based on false information and speculative accounts'. The embassy stated that the report was part of an 'organised campaign to produce and disseminate false and fabricated information' aimed at damaging Iran's image.
Rouhani's office also denied the reports, framing them as a 'continuation of the psychological operations of American and Israeli sources' aimed at creating 'doubt and concern among public opinion in Iran'. The former president said the reports were intended to support the US and Israel's 'maximum pressure' campaign against Iran through economic sanctions and military threats.
Arrests and Protests
Rouhani and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were reportedly placed under arrest after thousands were killed during the anti-establishment protests on January 8 and 9. However, Rouhani's office denied the claim, and he appeared in public alongside former reformist President Mohammad Khatami to refute the reports.
Some reformist leaders have been arrested and released after posting bail, while others remain incarcerated due to previous political prison sentences. Former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house arrest since 2009, released a statement calling for a peaceful transition away from the Islamic Republic after the protest killings.
International Context
The Iranian embassy in France also rejected any connection between the arrests of top reformist leaders and the alleged power grab scheme. The embassy stated that the arrests were related to public statements made during the unrest in January.
Student protests have restarted in Tehran and other major cities after universities were reopened for the first time since the January protests. The protests come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US, with Iran's supreme leader calling the events during the unrest a 'coup' carried out to serve US and Israeli interests.
The Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a foreign-based group considered a 'terrorist' outfit by Tehran, claimed a major operation on the headquarters of the supreme leader, but Iranian authorities rejected the claim as baseless. A senior IRGC commander suggested that such a large operation could not have taken place without anyone noticing.
Source: Al Jazeera
