PHOTO: President Rouhani and the head of Iran’s judiciary, Sadegh Larijani

Iran’s judiciary has hit back at Hassan Rouhani over the President’s challenge to a media ban on images and quotes of his predecessor, reformist Mohammad Khatami.

Boosted by February 26 election results with significant victories for a centrist-reformist List of Hope, Rouhani told a press conference and crowd on Monday that it was a “lie” to say that coverage of Khatami, who was President from 1997 to 2005, is forbidden. Instead, he implied that the judiciary had unilaterally declared the prohibition.

Praising Khatami as “my dear brother”, Rouhani said Iran “will never forget its servants….No one can erase the names and greatness of those who have served the people”. The crowd responded with loud chants of Khatami’s name, prompting State TV to turn down the volume on its broadcast.

See Iran Daily, March 8: Rouhani Challenges Media Ban on Ex-President Khatami

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the head of the Court of Administrative Justice, responded on Wednesday. He said that “unconstructive statements from individuals who have responsibilities in the Islamic Republic are unacceptable” and continued:

Unfortunately, standards for the friendships and feuds of some in society do not meet religious criteria. Today some of us look at which people are being partisan or are working in our interests. [Those who are partisan] are incompatible with religious standards and criteria.

Montazeri may also have been reacting to former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, a centrist ally of Rouhani, who put out the latest criticism of the Guardian Council on Tuesday.

Rafsanjani proclaimed a trimph over the Council’s attempt to define elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts by disqualifying thousands of candidates:

We have seen just how these people responded to the Guardian Council….The people have proven with their votes that they have avoided extremism and want moderation in all aspects of politics, culture, and the economy.

See Iran Daily, March 9: Boosted by Elections, Rafsanjani Challenges Guardian Council