Khamenei: Engagement with West Hasn't Removed “Shadow of War”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected President Hassan Rouhani’s claim that his administration’s engagement with the West has removed the “shadow of war” over Iran. “Sometimes we hear and have heard in the past that certain individuals say, ‘when we came along and assumed responsibility, we managed to take away the shadow of war over the country,’” Khamenei said at an event marking the International Workers’ Day. “No. These statements are not right. It is the presence of the people that has removed the shadow of war, and not the authorities,” he stressed. “When you see that the impertinent and bull-necked enemies are refraining from taking any harsh action against the Islamic Republic, it is because of the presence of the people. They fear the people. They are literally afraid.”  

Comment: Khamenei has stepped up his criticism of Rouhani ahead of the country’s presidential elections scheduled for May 19. The Iranian president, who is seeking a second term, is making the case to the voters that his reelection would help improve ties with the West, attract foreign investment in the country, and avoid an unnecessary escalation of hostilities with the United States. But Khamenei and hardliners argue that Iran’s growing conventional and asymmetrical military power deters Washington and its allies from launching a military attack against Iran - not a policy of detente with the U.S.

When the Rouhani government signed the nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, it hoped that the lifting of nuclear sanctions would end Iran’s economic isolation, encourage foreign investment and boost the country’s economy. But existing unilateral U.S. sanctions and the Trump administration tougher policy on Tehran have discouraged international banks and companies to do business with and invest in Iran. As a result, ordinary Iranians have not benefited from the deal the way they expected. Hardliners understand that and are trying to undermine Rouhani's reelection bid by questioning his economic record and describing his engagement with the West as futile.

Last month, Khamenei strongly criticized the Rouhani government for failing to effectively stimulate economic growth in the country and called on the president to focus more on self-sufficiency. “If all necessary measures regarding the resistance economy had been implemented, we would have witnessed a tangible difference in the country’s economic conditions and in people’s lives,” Khamenei was quoted in the Iranian media. “I have also told the honorable president that mentioning broad metrics [about economic growth in Iran] is good as long as the figures aren’t skewed; but they still do not have any impact on people’s lives in the short and immediate terms,” he told a gathering of Iran’s Assembly of Experts.