Critics say policy deadlocks have stalled Iran’s government

A prominent centrist figure in Iran says that the ongoing deadlock over enforcing the new hijab law and lifting censorship on the Internet has effectively paralyzed the Pezeshkian administration.

Meanwhile, Reformist commentator Abbas Abdi argues that these issues highlight the hard-liners’ resistance to Masoud Pezeshkian's efforts to bridge the gap between the people and the government.

Abdi also criticized the President, holding him personally accountable for the continued censorship of social media in Iran.

Ali Rajaei, a centrist figure within Iran's Islamic political establishment, stated in an interview with the Khabar Online website in Tehran that no significant progress has been made in Iran's foreign relations or the government's cultural and economic policies since Pezeshkian assumed office four months ago. However, he emphasized that all Iranians should work together to strengthen the government and help it preserve its social capital.

"People measure the government's success by seeing how it tackles the problems of hijab and filtering [of the Internet]. At the same time, the government's opponents do not allow it to solve the problems," Rajaei said, adding that "the President cannot do much about other problems if he cannot stand by his promises to lift the filtering and prevent violent hijab enforcement."

He also argued that Iranians see no change in the situation of their livelihood and the government, and the parliament have done very little to improve the situation.

Rajaei said that he does not see any bright prospect for the hijab problem as the President appears to be lacking the bargaining power to convince the hardliners to step back from the new hijab enforcement law.

Meanwhile, Khabar Online website quoted Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah as saying that at least 60 percent of Iranians oppose internet restrictions and collectively spend approximately 200 trillion rials (around $300 million) annually on VPNs to bypass the filtering. Ghaempanah also told the Reformist daily Arman Melli that all 15 members of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace are opposed to lifting the restrictions.

According to Reformist commentator Abbas Abdi, the statements by the vice president indicate that there is no short-term solution for the problem of filtering. Abdi added that President Pezeshkian and his administration should be hold accountable. "If there are individuals who can continue to enforce the filtering against the calls made by the President and his aides to lift the censorship, this means that other promises made by Pezeshkian are unlikely to be met," Abdi said.

Abdi further argued, "If a government backed by the people's vote cannot fulfill its promises, it might as well step aside and allow the hardliners to implement their policies." He questioned, "Did Pezeshkian not realize he couldn't uphold his promises when he made them? His excuses now are unacceptable." Abdi added, "It is not enough for the President and his aides to merely oppose internet filtering. People voted for them with the expectation that they would bring about meaningful change."

Motahaeh Shafiei, the lead columnist for Arman Melli newspaper, wrote that based on the Vice President's remarks and Pezeshkian's track record, lifting internet censorship is likely to become increasingly challenging.

Meanwhile, hardline commentator Abbas Nalimi-Namin suggested that the executive and legislative branches should postpone implementing the new hijab enforcement law, as both have acknowledged ambiguities in its enforcement. He further argued that hardliners like Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday Prayers Imam of Mashhad, who demand the law's immediate implementation, do so from within an insular circle disconnected from Iranian society and public sentiment.