Rouhani anti-corruption speech heckled by protesters
The Iranian president responded to the protesters, saying that "the voice of these young men is not the voice of the people."
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFIranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018(photo credit: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS)
Demonstrators protested against Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's government during a speech he gave in central Iran on Sunday, according to Radio Farda.The speech was interrupted multiple times by slogans being chanted among the crowd.Rouhani responded to the protesters, saying that "the voice of these young men is not the voice of the people," and calling on supporters "not to allow America's demands to be voiced by these individuals."The Iranian president claimed that only a "few individuals" were protesting, but Iranian state TV showed a fairly large group of people chanting slogans against Rouhani and his government.A group of clerical students in Qom held a gathering and chanted slogans against Rouhani last week. The students were described as "radicals" by the pro-administration daily newspaper Arman-e Melli.Rouhani traveled to the city of Yazd on Sunday to give a speech about Iran’s economy and the oil sector, and to express sympathy with earthquake victims. He also revealed massive allegations of corruption.In a rare rebuke, the president attacked the oil minister, demanding to know where $700 million in funds have gone, and slamming the judiciary and the Central Bank over a separate $2 billion corruption case.
