Imprisonment of hardline Iranian MP over Ghalibaf feud ignites fierce conservative backlash

Hardline Iranian lawmakers have expressed vehement opposition to the imprisonment of MP Hamid Rasaei for a 10-month term, following his complaint against parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf. State media and judicial outlets reported the sentencing of Rasaei, who was detained and sent to Evin Prison. Rasaei's article, published in 2024 while still a journalist, accused Ghalibaf of manipulating parliamentary documents and posting disparaging comments on his social media.

Additionally, Rasaei's comments in May about the drowning of a biblical figure's son were perceived as an insult to Mojtaba Khamenei, prompting calls for his supporters to emphasize social cohesion. Despite the newspaper he previously edited no longer operating, the court ordered Rasaei to publish a retraction and apologize to Ghalibaf, a demand he refused as "non-legal and political."

Ghalibaf, seen by some as more open to negotiations with Washington, faced criticism for the criminal complaint. The Iranian parliamentarian Seyyed Mahmoud Naboyan and cleric criticized the ruling, arguing that negotiating with those who killed a martyr leader holds no value. Rasaei's supporters, including Mohammad Manan Raeisi, also condemned the imprisonment, claiming that such actions would undermine respect for the speaker and alienate revolutionary representatives of parliament.