PHOTO: Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ali Motahari


Iran’s judiciary has blocked a speech by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, in the latest sign of hardline tension with others within the regime.

The prosecutor in Iran’s second city Mashhad ordered security forces to cancel the address by Ali Motahari on Sunday, bringing a protest from President Rouhani.

Motahari is a prominent conservative who has long challenged the Iranian leadership, including the Supreme Leader, on a series of issues. He has called repeatedly for the release of political prisoners, including an end to the strict house arrest since February 2011 of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard.

Motahari has been harassed at his appearances, including in February during elections for Parliament. However, after the success of the centrist List of Hope bloc in the vote, the “maverick” MP because Deputy Speaker.

The judiciary is led by Sadegh Larijani, a hardliner who is an outspoken critic of the Government and the centrists.

President Rouhani called for an investigation into the cancellation, saying it is a “source of shame” and accusing those responsible of seeking “extremism and the polarization of society.”

Motahari wrote to Rouhani, asking the President to prevent “this type of tyranny”.