Iranian politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, former acting Interior Minister, criticized the foreign policy of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime in an interview that aired on Didar News on November 14. In the interview, which was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Tajzadeh said that the lifting of sanctions against Iran is imperative, and if they are not removed Iran will head towards disaster. However, he said, Khamenei has a "sensitivity" on this issue, which everyone knows is "crucial" to solving Iran's problems. Tajzadeh said that "everyone knows" that Iran will face "serious problems" if it does not make peace with the world. He further said that the involvement of the military and particularly the IRGC in all aspects of running the country is detrimental and detracts from people's identification with it. Tajzadeh added that all the countries that have had "economic development in the past 40 years" have based their relations on "productive interactions" with the world, even if they had "bigger conflicts" with the US than Iran in the past. He went on to say that investors only choose countries in which there is a consistent and transparent rule of law, even if these are undemocratic countries. Tajzadeh then said that the majority of Iranians support freedom of choice regarding wearing the hijab. He added that the regime is trying to block access to satellite channels, so Iranians will not see what is happening in the world and compare it to their reality. Criticism of Khamenei in Iranian media often results in censorship on the part of the Iranian government. In 2019, Iranian authorities shut down a reformist magazine that had urged negotiations with the United States. A year ago, Iran shut down a newspaper after it quoted a former member of the national coronavirus taskforce as saying the country's tolls from the epidemic could be 20 times higher than official figures. Earlier this year, Iran’s judicial authorities banned a newspaper which published a front-page graphic that criticized Khamenei. In addition to shutting down media outlets that are deemed to be undermining the regime, the country also blocks access to numerous websites, including Facebook and Twitter. Related articles: Upcoming talks with the US will be indirect Messages that prove Iran's support for 10.7 Massacre Iran threatens Middle Eastern countries over potential US strikes Iran pulling forces from Yemen amid heightened US pressure
