Iran's ex-president Rouhani urges public say on ending war, prompting calls for arrest - Danielle Greyman-Kennard

 

by Danielle Greyman-Kennard

“We must, in accordance with the overwhelming majority of the people, end the war with honor so that we can rebuild the country, so that we can compensate for the damage done,” Hassan Rouhani said.

 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani walks to deliver a speech during the Conference of Government’s Achievements in Developing Rural Infrastructure in Tehran, Iran, August 26, 2019.

(photo credit: PRESIDENT.IR/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

 

Former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called for the Iranian regime to allow the public to decide whether to end the war if a ceasefire agreement met Iranian demands, according to footage of the speech shared by Rouhani, criticizing the small minority “who now hold the megaphones and are making noise,” in an apparent reference to hardliners who opposed concessions aimed at ending the war. He reportedly made the comments over the weekend at a gathering of former provincial governors

“It is very important that the framework of our national goals is clear to ourselves first, and then we present it to the people,” he said.

“We say to the people: Our plan is to fight the world’s big powers for another 20 years.

دکتر حسن روحانی:
باید با مردم مشورت کنیم
باید سیرهٔ پیامبر اسلام را به کار بگیریم
ظاهراً بعضی‌ها از پیمان و مذاکره بدشان می‌آید https://t.co/mXQZiS0KfH pic.twitter.com/ZR9X6B1zHR

— Rouhani Office (@rouhanioffice) September 6, 2026

“If the people say they accept it, very good, let’s continue. But if the people do not accept it and show us another way, do we not want to accept that?”

Rouhani called for the war to end “honorably” and in accordance with “the overwhelming majority of the people.”

Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani (credit: Reuters)

“We must, in accordance with the overwhelming majority of the people, end the war with honor so that we can rebuild the country, so that we can compensate for the damage done,” he said.

The former president also criticized Iran’s state broadcasters, saying that the media stations had become a “center for division.”

Backlash over Rouhani’s remarks

Ben Sabti, an Iran expert with the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), told The Jerusalem Post that such a referendum would be unlikely to take place, especially given that Iran is now being run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and not politicians.

Though Rouhani’s remarks left open the possibility that the Iranian public could choose to continue the war, his comments were met with criticism from hardliners.

Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of the Kayhan newspaper, called on Iran’s judicial and security authorities to investigate Rouhani, accusing him of advocating surrender to the United States and Israel.

“The real meaning of Mr. Rouhani’s position is abandoning the defense and surrendering the country to the United States and Israel,” he wrote.

The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency also accused Rouhani of fueling polarization after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly called for national unity.

“Mr. Rouhani’s recent remarks are a clear example of ‘pouring water into the enemy’s mill’ and an obvious assist to those hostile to the system and the Iranian people,” the agency published, accusing him of failing to respect the dignity of the Iranian people.

Some Iranian media sites have also reported on public calls at pro-regime rallies for Rouhani to be executed, though The Jerusalem Post was unable to locate footage of said demands.

Notably, Rouhani’s comments came only weeks after former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, who served from 1997 to 2005, voiced his support for the expired Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed by Washington and Tehran.

“Since World War II, no document signed by a US president has given this many advantages to the other side and imposed this many commitments on itself,” Khatami said. “If we lose the opportunity created by the memorandum, we will face extraordinary problems… This memorandum has no parallel.”

Sabti said that the anger was unsurprising, especially given that many of those making the charged comments now had always been against Rouhani and Khatami, even during their presidencies.

“I don’t think that there is some kind of new dawn for the Iranian regime because there are two different kinds of people. There are the presidents and politicians, and then there are the generals. The regime’s generals never compromise and never understand how to negotiate,” Sabti said. “So this actually shows us that there is no hope of reaching some kind of agreement with the Iranian regime.”

Danielle Greyman-Kennard

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-907940

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