Iranian president’s popularity waning, warns commentator

Ahmad Zeidabadi, prominent commentator close to the Reformist camp in Tehran, has raised the alarm that President Masoud Pezeshkian's popularity is declining and that is dangerous for the country.

Zeidabadi's remarks came after Pezeshkian reaffirmed his commitment to the promises he made during his June 2024 election campaign. Pezeshkian frequently repeats this claim when confronted with accusations of breaking or neglecting his promises.

The commentator remarked, “Pezeshkian explicitly promised to lift sanctions on Iran, guarantee social liberties, and end the ban on social media. He now needs to clarify which of these promises he still stands by.”

Although Pezeshkian has consistently advocated for negotiations with President Donald Trump’s administration, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei prohibited such talks in early February. As a result, Pezeshkian aligned with this stance, stating that negotiating with Trump is not a realistic option.

He added: "When I talk with the people, I realize that Pezeshkian's popularity is declining and those who had voted for him feel frustrated. We have not seen any initiative from him for a long time now, and this is dangerous for him and the country."

Earlier, Iranian media on both ends of the country's political spectrum had summed up what Pezeshkian had promised to voters.

Mehr News Agency, affiliated with conservative clerics, highlighted that Pezeshkian made 10 promises to revive Iran's struggling economy. These included preventing gasoline price hikes, stabilizing the stock exchange, reducing inflation, addressing deteriorating living standards, establishing a unified exchange rate, permitting the import of foreign vehicles, and promoting social justice.

Mehr also highlighted Pezeshkian’s promise to guarantee freedom and dignity for Iranian women. He had stated, “Just as pre-1979 governments failed to eliminate the hijab, we cannot impose it on women.” However, mandatory hijab remains a deeply contentious social and political issue in Iran.

Even Reformist newspaper Etemad, which backs the president, drew attention to Pezeshkian’s economic promises under six key areas: dismantling the centralized government-controlled economy, opening up to international trade and diversifying trading partners, combating economic cronyism and ending special privileges for the well-connected, fostering a competitive market, enhancing living standards, and supporting the stock exchange to encourage public participation in the economy.

Other media outlets also highlighted Pezeshkian’s civil rights promises, including protecting women from harassment by hijab enforcers, promoting women to key government positions, ending government censorship of the internet and social media, safeguarding university students and professors from dismissal, allowing Sunni Muslims to hold top positions, encouraging political participation by ethnic minorities, lifting censorship on books and the press, and combating discrimination and injustice.

Critics have increasingly pointed out that most of Pezeshkian's promises remain unfulfilled, with minimal progress on key issues such as the hijab and internet censorship.

For example, Zeidabadi noted that while the controversial Hijab Enforcement Bill has been suspended, it has not been fully abolished.

Meanwhile, addressing remarks from both critics and supporters who argue that resolving Iran’s nuclear and other disputes with the United States is essential for tackling the economic crisis, Zeidabadi urged Pezeshkian to clarify his stance. He asked, “If negotiating and reaching a deal with Trump is impossible, then what is your alternative solution?”

The commentator also criticized Pezeshkian’s administration for its lack of strategy and decisiveness, questioning, “If the government lacks the authority to address these issues, why should it continue to exist?”