Fact Sheet on Rouhani's Record in Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 22, 2014
Contact: Gabriel Pedreira, [email protected] 
Phone: (212) 554-3296

Fact Sheet on Rouhani's Record in Office
As Rouhani Arrives in New York for the UN General Assembly, UANI Releases Fact Sheet Detailing his Radical Record

New York, NY - Today, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) issued updated resources highlighting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's radical record in office.

The facts of Rouhani's record clearly belie assertions that Rouhani has ushered in an era of "moderation" or real reform.

During Rouhani's visit to New York last year for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), there was hope in some circles that the regime would pursue more moderate policies at home and abroad. Unfortunately, Rouhani has instead continued the regime's extremist policies, including: its violent oppression of Iranian citizens, financing of terrorist militias and proxies, support for the brutal Assad regime in Syria while refusing to roll back its illicit nuclear program. This extremist record, particularly when viewed in combination with Rouhani's decades-long and well-documented tenure as a regime insider, underscores the hostile nature of the Iranian regime and the need to ensure that Iran is never allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.

UANI has been meticulously tracking Rouhani's behavior in office by compiling a list of resources that provide a detailed account of the nefarious activities that continue to take place under his tenure.

Rouhani's Record

Resources:"Rouhani's Record in Office", "Rouhani Accountability Tracker" 

Nuclear Program

• Under Rouhani, Iran continues to develop its nuclear program, hold a hard line in negotiations, and stonewall nuclear inspectors. Iran failed to address concerns about the possible military dimensions of its nuclear program by an agreed August 25 deadline as part of an IAEA probe.

Human Rights

• Since Rouhani assumed office, there have been at least 900 executions, leading the rate of executions in Iran to spike, to an average of more than two per day.
   
• Released this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's annual report to the General Assembly on human rights in Iran states: "President Rouhani has pledged to decrease restrictions on freedom of expression and to ensure security for the press. Unfortunately, those promises have not yet led to significant improvements, and restrictions on freedom of expression continue to affect many areas of life."
   
• Rouhani has not fulfilled his promise to ease Internet restrictions, with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube remaining blocked for Iranian citizens. This month:
  • Six young men and women who were arrested in May for appearing in a tribute video to Pharrell Williams' hit song "Happy" and posting it to YouTube received suspended sentences of six months in prison and 91 lashes.
  • An Iranian man found guilty of insulting the Prophet Mohammad in a Facebook post was sentenced to death.
     
• Four American citizens are unjustly incarcerated in Iran and have been subject to forced confessions, extended solitary confinement, beatings, and psychological pressure:
  • Robert Levinson - private investigator and retired FBI agent, considered longest-held hostage in U.S. history (7+ years in detention)
  • Amir Hekmati - former U.S. marine (3+ years)
  • Saeed Abedini - a Christian pastor, Muslim convert to Christianity (2+ years)
  • Jason Rezaian - Washington Post reporter (3 months)

Syria Conflict

• In a meeting with the Syrian Prime Minister following his inauguration, Rouhani vowed that relations between Iran and Syria "will not be shaken by any force in the world."
   
• Iran has stepped up support on the ground for President Bashar al-Assad, "providing elite teams to gather intelligence and train troops."

Rouhani: No Moderate

Resource: "Rouhani: The Ultimate Regime Insider"

• Some have inaccurately tagged Rouhani as a "reformist" and "moderate." On the contrary, he has been more correctly described as the "ultimate regime insider," who "has never been out of power or [Supreme Leader Ayatollah] Khamenei's good graces."
   
• Between 2003 and 2005, Rouhani served as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. Some pundits and analysts highlight this period as evidence of Rouhani's "moderate" character. Rouhani's actions and statements in Iran convey a much different story. In a seminal speech delivered in 2004 to the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, Rouhani boasted of the progress Iran made in its nuclear portfolio under his stewardship, including during Iran's temporary suspension of enrichment activities.

Rouhani's Rhetoric

Resource: "Rouhani: In His Own Words"

• "Do you know what the Geneva agreement means? It means the surrender of the big powers before the great Iranian nation. The Geneva agreement means the wall of sanctions has broken..."
• "One hundred per cent [no]" that Iran will dismantle any of its nuclear facilities.
• "No matter what interpretations are given, Iran's right to enrichment has been recognized."

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