Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 31
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says some people think there is a gap between his government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but this opinion is “naive”.
“The Government stands by the supreme leader and is subordinate to him,” Rouhani said, IRNA reported Mar. 31.
Rouhani’s statement comes as Iran is preparing for the next presidential election on May 19.
President Rouhani’s rivals criticize him for striking a “bad” nuclear agreement, which restricted the country’s atomic activities, while the expected economic results haven’t been achieved yet.
Rouhani also said that during his presidency the inflation rate decreased from above 40 percent to 7 percent.
“Salaries of government employees and laborers increased 17 percent under the previous government [headed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad], while the inflation rate was 40 percent. But during my administration, the salaries increased more than the inflation rate,” he added.
On March 30, Rouhani lashed out at media outlets affiliated with his rivals, accusing them of distorting news.
Rouhani explained that his rivals tend to distort the truth as they are “conspiring” in a bid to make the nation disappointed about the future, instilling the idea among voters that those who cast ballots in his favor during the 2013 presidential election, made a wrong choice.