Hassan Rouhani was excluded from running for membership in the Iranian Assembly of Experts. It is the same red seal that was previously placed on the file of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, former Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, and Hassan Khomeini.
Some criticized the Guardian Council, which is responsible for approving or rejecting the eligibility of applicants for candidacy in the country's four elections, and believed that with the exclusion of Rouhani, the ruling minority seeks to remove important figures such as Rouhani from the revolution.