Ten months after Hassan Rouhani’s election as President of Iran, the
Islamic Republic is in the midst of a deep internal struggle between the
President and his supporters on the one hand, and his conservative rivals
on the other. While the President seeks significant changes in his country’s
domestic and foreign policy, conservatives in the political system, the
religious establishment, and the Revolutionary Guards are attempting to
block some of his initiatives, which they perceive as a potential threat to
the values of the revolution and the stability of the regime.
Rouhani, who was one of the founders of the Iranian regime and is
considered a moderate conservative, has since his election sought to lead
changes on the basis of his campaign promises to his voters. These include
improving the economic situation, easing the security atmosphere in
society, releasing political prisoners, granting rights to women and ethnic
minorities, and expanding freedom of expression. Even though Rouhani
is not identified with the reformists, he recognizes the need to make the
revolutionary ideology fit the conditions of the current situation. His
election augurs changes in Iranian policy, though he himself is committed
to the path of the Islamic Revolution and a government system based on
the principle of the rule of jurisprudence (velayat-e faqih).
Rouhani’s religious training, his Western academic education, his
establishment background, and the mandate he received from the public
allow him to promote his policy while attempting to avoid conflicts, tothe extent possible, with the main centers of power: Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the religious establishment, and the Revolutionary
Guards. At this point, the President is choosing his battles carefully, giving
preference to economic issues and the nuclear talks with the West in an
effort to advance a repeal of the sanctions. Nevertheless, it is evident that
he is determined to spearhead profound changes, even if they are moderate
and gradual, in order to reduce the government’s involvement in ordinary
civilian life and provide a response to the public’s demand for change.