Statement Calling for Rouhani’s Apology over JCPOA Draws Criticism

The statement, published Sunday by the website of the Assembly of Experts as the body’s official position, said the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had approved the deal at the administration’s insistence.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the chief of the Assembly of Experts which is responsible for selecting and monitoring the performance of the Leader, said Rouhani should offer apologies for failing to observe the "redlines” set by the Leader.
Jannati’s statement also expressed pessimism that Europeans could help keep the deal in place as they are apparently in cahoots with the US.

The statement was first published by the secretariat of the assembly of experts titled as the reaction of the assembly to the US pullout. But the website later changed its title to the reaction of the body’s chairman, after some members of the assembly, notably Ayatollah Hashem Hashemzadeh Harisi, said many members were unaware of the statement, and that was just Ayatollah Jannati’s personal stance.

Government Defends

The government was quick to reject Jannati’s call for apology in a statement on Monday.
According to Tasnim News Agency, the statement said the whole process of nuclear negotiations was in compliance with the Constitution, the authority vested in the president, and Supreme National Security Council measures, which must be approved by the Leader.
The government statement said the critics demanding an apology from the administration were once concerned about the US presence in the JCPOA, but are now complaining about the US exit.
"Those who should apologize for wrong positions in the past are now arrogantly attacking national achievements,” it said, without addressing Jannati by name.
The statement said the government has devised plans to ensure Iran’s interests are protected after the US exit from the nuclear deal.
The government also called on all Iranian people and organizations to follow the guidelines of the Leader and boost national solidarity in standing against those who reneged on their commitments.
In a separate reaction on Tuesday, the government’s spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht reiterated that the Leader’s concerns were taken into account by the government.
"It is no time to distract attention of diplomats busy with negotiations [with world powers],” he said.
We have managed to prove Iran’s goodwill to the world. The world understood that we were not lying,” he said.
"Without a doubt, history will praise Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei will be known as a wise leader,” he said.

Source: IFP