Al-Monitor - The tough road ahead of President Hassan Rouhani in the upcoming closing year of his term is expected to be made even even bumpier by the new ultraconservative legislature.

Iran�s 11th parliament officially began its mandate May 27 following a ceremony attended by many of the country's most powerful men, including moderate President Hassan Rouhani, Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi and several high-ranking military commanders.

In a message read by his representative, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei envisioned the pathway ahead of the new lawmakers, urging them to refrain from �sideshows� and instead unite to uproot corruption and pursue the �resistance economy,� a strategy Ayatollah Khamenei has been promoting in recent years to fight off the US �maximum pressure� policy.

Ayatollah Khamenei�s message also stressed the parliament�s independence as the top decision-making body where lawmakers should enjoy �the right to impeach.� The supreme leader, however, has been accused of last-minute interference in matters of high sensitivity, nipping in the bud legislation taken up by lawmakers in various parliaments. In November, Iranian parliamentarians began a push to effectively cancel the government�s contentious fuel subsidy plan that triggered days of unprecedented, deadly unrest nationwide.

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