Iran’s Senior Clerics Stay Silent Amid War as Former President Seeks Compromise

Iran’s most powerful Shia clerics have remained largely silent amid Israeli military strikes, while former President Hassan Rouhani has privately urged religious authorities to pressure the Islamic Republic toward compromise with the West.

State media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that “several discredited elements are attempting to bring a number of Qom clerics into the field and request some kind of surrender and compromise.”

Shortly after, Mohsen Rezaei, former commander-in-chief of the IRGC, warned during a state television news program that “those who speak of ceasefire have forgotten that any ceasefire conducted now will lead to renewed war.”

He added, “We must not allow the enemy, who is now in a position of weakness, to revive itself through a ceasefire.”

The international internet blackout, users’ lack of free access to news, and Iran’s wartime atmosphere have prevented this news from gaining significant public attention. 

However, according to information obtained by IranWire, at least through the first week of war, the traditional Shia clerical establishment has not been particularly supportive of the Islamic Republic’s positions in this conflict.

Neither Tasnim’s report nor Rezaei’s remarks identified the individual or individuals seeking “surrender and compromise.” 

But from Qom come reports of former President Hassan Rouhani’s presence in the offices of several grand ayatollahs, inviting them to pressure the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader to retreat from his positions.

During the fourth through sixth days of war, Rouhani visited or contacted several Shia grand ayatollahs in Qom, asking them to save the “Islamic system” from collapse by supporting acceptance of American and Israeli proposals.

According to IranWire’s information, the former president has been in contact with Grand Ayatollahs Mousa Shobeiri Zanjani, Hussein Vahid Khorasani, and Nasser Makarem Shirazi.

In these meetings, Rouhani warned against endangering the survival of Shia rule and the clerical establishment by insisting on the Islamic Republic’s security and regional policies.

He has also asked the Shia authorities to request that the system’s “elders” guarantee the security and continuity of the “Islamic system” by accepting uranium enrichment suspension and reconciliation with the West.

It remains unclear what response the authorities gave to Rouhani’s request, but the grand ayatollahs have not yet taken official public positions.

Through the eighth day since Israel’s strikes on Iran began, the most significant clerical objection has come from outside Iran.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the leading Shia authority in Iraq, has issued two statements regarding Israel’s attack on Iran.

The day after the attack, he wrote that Israel’s action - killing scientists, military commanders, and civilians including women and children, and attacking scientific institutions - demonstrates the “dangerous and aggressive nature” of Israel. 

He also called on the international community to prevent attacks by pressuring Israel and its supporters.

The head of Najaf’s seminary issued a second statement on June 18, again condemning Israel’s attack on Iran and warning about the possible targeting of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by Israel and America. 

He warned that it could lead to “widespread chaos” and dire consequences in the region.

The second statement from Sistani’s office since the Iran-Israel war began reads, “The supreme religious authority in Najaf… once again declares its strong condemnation of the continuation of hostile military action” against Iran and “any threat to target its high-ranking religious and political leadership.”

Grand Ayatollahs Shobeiri Zanjani and Abdullah Javadi Amoli also issued statements on June 15 condemning Israel’s attack on Iran.

They said, “It is upon all writers and international institutions to prevent this oppressive aggression and irreparable damage through decisive action.”

Grand Ayatollah Hussein Nouri Hamedani issued a similar condemnation. 

Institutions such as the Supreme Council of Seminaries and the Assembly of Seminary Teachers and Researchers in Qom also condemned Israel’s attack on Iran only on June 14. Qom has been silent since then.

Seminaries in other cities, especially Mashhad and Isfahan, have not issued statements condemning Israel’s attack on Iran. 

Only reports about “gatherings of seminary students” emerged from a few cities, except for the Mazandaran Women’s Seminary, Fars Women’s Seminary, and Banab Vali-Asr Seminary, which separately condemned Israel’s attack on Iran.