[caption id="attachment_152474" align="alignright" width="188"] Iran's president Rouhani attends a conference on Resistance Economy on February 23, in Tehran.[/caption]

Tehran, Feb 23, The Iran Project - The fourteenth Rouhani's administration provincial trip was scheduled to take place on February 25 and 26 in Qom not Khorasan Shomali (Northern Khorasan). The news officially announced last week and led to many speculations over the purpose of the trip and the potential reasons of this sudden change in the plan. The provincial trips in President Rouhani's administration stretch back to the tradition of holding the administration's meeting sessions in different provinces among the Iran's heads of state for many years. 

Qom, mostly known as the major focal point of Iran's Shia clerical establishment, is highly significant due to the residence of high-profile clerics and the conservative and hardline elements such as Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi. This is the reason why ever since he took the office, efforts have been made to communicate with the senior clerics in Qom and the administration's members have met them occasionally. Although this is the second president's visit, the first was only few days after his election, when he hadn't taken the responsibility officially.

The scheduled trip aims to attract the religious figures' support in the cultural policies and the nuclear negotiations as well, since the main objections and criticisms have been mainly revolved around them.

 

Reducing Dissatisfactions with Cultural Policies

Qom had been planned earlier this year as the next venue of the president's provincial trip which was subsequently cancelled. This fueled the rumors that the senior clerics are dissatisfied with the cultural policies of the current administration and the reason for the cancellation of the trip was reportedly because of their evasion to meet Rouhani.

The president’s cultural advisor recent trip to Qom was claimed to be a half accomplished mission, according to some hardline media. They alleged that Hesamodin Ashna failed to meet the majority of Ulamas, a claim which later rejected by the president's advisor, stating that no voice of criticism was brought up.

Furthermore,  Rouahni's chief of staff Mohammad Nahavandian's recent meetings with Grand Ayatollahs such as Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili, Abdollah Javadi Amoli and Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani  is another indication of the administration's attempt to reduce the cultural dissatisfactions.

Permitting women's solo singing, issuing license for books with improper content and insulting the sacred by some newspapers are among the grounds on which these public criticisms are mainly based. Although the president has received the warning messages indirectly but to meet them directly and to receive their critical comments personally would appease their infuriation.

During the planned meeting with clerics, Muhammad (PBUH) movie directed by Majid Majidi, is expected to be underlined by the president as an outstanding cinematic, spiritual and cultural project of the government to prove loyalty to promote Islam and Islamic values.

 

Persuading the Cleric's Support for the Nuclear Negotiations

This trip comes at a time when nuclear talks are approaching a critical stage and this is highly important for the government to persuade the religious figures to support them.

This might have two subsequent outcomes for the Rouhani's administration:  first, it makes them avoid adopting any radical position over the nuclear talks and second, the wide networks of the followers of the senior clerics may serve to extend the popular support for the administration's nuclear initiatives.

This is particularly considered worthwhile at the time when a group of conservatives calling themselves "Delvapasan" (the concerned) and other hardline groups have publicly stepped up attacks on the government’s nuclear policies.

Consequently, the advocacy in Qom can be highly crucial to Rouhani’s current stance and will delineate the future of the administration.

The synthesis of the above observations suggests t that unlike the previous provincial trip, the upcoming one to Qom is thought to be a plan intended to solve the current challenges ahead of the Rouhani's administration.

 

 

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[1] Tehran Times