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Green Movement leader Mehdi Karroubi and former President Hassan Rouhani warned that Iran could be pushed back toward war unless the state changes course, openly criticizing current policies, including the nuclear program. Karroubi called for a “return to the people and structural reforms,” while Rouhani said de-escalation with the United States is “necessary and obligatory” and urged a new national strategy.
According to a report published in Persian by Iran International, Karroubi stated that the current path has led the country to “the bottom of the ravine” and urged authorities to “return to the people and enable structural reforms based on the nation’s vote” before it is too late. Rouhani, speaking to his advisers on Aug. 13, warned that failing to pursue de-escalation and a refreshed national strategy could place Iran “again at risk of war.”
Karroubi’s remarks marked a rare, direct rebuke of the nuclear trajectory alongside broader criticism of the governing approach. He pressed for reforms that reflect popular will as the basis for national recovery.
Rouhani, who helped steer past nuclear diplomacy, outlined steps he said are vital for national cohesion: building a “people-based intelligence apparatus” with citizen participation; strengthening political parties; privatizing the economy; and allowing private media alongside the state broadcaster. He argued Iran needs a comprehensive, publicly grounded strategy focused on development and national stature.
He also said the armed forces should return to their core missions and avoid involvement in the economy and domestic or foreign politics—comments that came amid fresh U.S. sanctions on Aug. 8 targeting dozens of international firms linked to Iranian petrochemicals, with Washington noting many had previous ties to the IRGC and Iran’s security structure. In parallel, an IRGC political deputy publicly criticized President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent statements as harmful to national security.
Rouhani’s emphasis on reform followed weeks of scrutiny of Iran’s security establishment after Israeli special operations inside Iran reportedly killed senior military figures and exposed contradictions among domestic security agencies’ accounts during a recent 12-day conflict. The Telegraph reported on Aug. 8 that Israel had eliminated around 30 personnel tied to Iran’s nuclear program, prompting Tehran to move remaining specialists to “secure hideouts.” Former U.S. State Department official Len Khodorkovsky told Iran International on Aug. 10 that leadership changes at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council reflected a declining system, likening them to “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”
Adding to the tensions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Aug. 13 (22 Mordad) that Israel is “fighting on eight fronts,” seven against Iran and its proxies and an eighth against “fake media,” accusing Tehran’s axis of seeking Israel’s destruction and calling for “Death to America.”
Both Karroubi and Rouhani tied their warnings to a broader call for national resilience: strengthening defensive capabilities, reintegrating Iranian scientists at home and abroad—particularly in advanced technology and electronic warfare—and anchoring policy in public consent to steer the country away from escalation and toward stability.
Photo: The Source