Increase in Rouhani's support after his anti-Israeli words

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) – Iranian President Hbadan Rouhani, who is often the target of attacks by extremist figures, has benefited from the sudden support of his former detractors, after qualifying Israel as a leader. illegitimate during his European tour.

The apparent change in conservative rhetoric followed the warmongering comments of the president himself, following Washington's unilateral withdrawal in May of a major nuclear deal of 2015.

Visiting Europe for economic guarantees, Rouhani on Tuesday lashed out at Israel in the Swiss capital Bern, saying that Iran "sees the Zionist regime as an illegitimate regime".

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He questions the ability of the US government to counter threats to prevent other countries from buying Tehran's oil.

The latest evidence of domestic change came Wednesday, in a letter from the famous general Qbadem Soleimani to the moderately conservative president.

Soleimani – Chief of Foreign Operations of the Guardians of the Revolution Elite – thanked the President for his "wise and appropriate" words about Israel and the United States, in a letter published by the Fars News Agency

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" Meeting in the Strait "

Rouhani is the leading Iranian architect of the July 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers, under which his country has agreed to curb its nuclear development. In 1965, some Iranians interpreted Rumhani's recent hawkish comments as meaning that he might be open to blocking the Strait of Hormuz – a threat Tehran has brandished during previous episodes of regional tension. 19659003] Some 30% of world exports of sea oil pbad through the strait, which runs from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean.

Iranian conservative media launch Rouhani

"Rendez-vous dans la strait" reads a title in Javan – a newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards – with a photo of the president and Soleimani shaking hands in front of a map of the Strait of Ormuz. 19659017] Amid the threats of #Iran blocking the Straits of Ormuz, the hardline newspaper Javan publishes a kind image of Soleimani & Rouhani with the title: "Rendez-vous au stroit". With a quote from Soleimani: "That's how Rouhani should be." pic.twitter.com/qiYYRHvG7l

– Reza H. Akbari (@rezahakbari) July 5, 2018

A photo of Soleimani was splashed on the front page of the newspaper Sazandegi with the title: "Sepah-Government Unit" (Sepah is the Farsi acronym of the Guardians of the Revolution)

Rouhani, who sought to open various economic sectors to private enterprise, repeatedly criticized Guardians of the Revolution for having too tight the Iranian economy

Since coming to power in 2013, Rouhani has been regularly attacked by ultra-conservatives.

He was elected for a second four-year term in May 2017, with the support of the reformers.

After protests around the New Year in many Iranian cities against economic difficulties, they accuse Rouhani of abandoning the weakest citizens of the country.

Some have held back America's withdrawal from the nuclear deal as evidence of the president's naivety to trust the West

& # 39; Survival of the Nation & # 39; ;

As the Iranian rial fell and protests resumed, some lawmakers called at the end of June for Rouhani to be deposed.

But things changed sharply after June 27 when he called his opponents for help.

Kayhan is another ultra-conservative newspaper now supporting the president. put aside our differences because, at the present time, the national interest and the survival of the nation are at stake, "said an editorial.

But Javan pointed out that the truce could be n & rsquo; Only to be temporary

"Resisting the enemy and preserving the independence of the nation requires us to be together and put our differences aside until a later date", writes editor Abdollah Ganji