Announcement from the Governor's Office: The Governor of Tehran Receives a Monthly Salary of 17 Million Tomans

The salary received by Hossein Hashemi, the Governor of Tehran, excluding benefits, travel allowances, and other items, has been announced as 17 million tomans per month. According to the news agency Mizan, the public relations office of the Tehran Governorate reacted on Thursday, July 3, to reports regarding Mr. Hashemi's salary by issuing a statement that provided the exact amount of this salary. The statement mentioned that reports about the salary of the Governor of Tehran are 'completely incorrect,' 'false,' and 'exaggerated.' The Tehran Governorate also stated that Hossein Hashemi has not received any other salary or benefits from the Ministry of Interior over the past three years besides the monthly 17 million tomans. Hamid Rasai, a hardline former parliament member, had previously written on his Telegram channel that the Governor of Tehran receives a monthly salary of 65 million tomans. Mr. Rasai also stated that this amount is paid to Hossein Hashemi under the title of a mission from the AscoTech company (a subsidiary of IMIDRO based in Germany). He further urged the Governor of Tehran to publish his payslip 'in respect for public opinion.' The issue of high salaries for some officials in Hassan Rouhani's government has turned into a political scandal in Iran over the past month, to the extent that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also called for addressing this issue yesterday. According to Ayatollah Khamenei, although 'this issue is an exception and most managers are honest people,' 'even this small number is very bad and must definitely be dealt with.' Hours after these remarks, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, also announced in a television program that 'in just one ministry, more than 50 people receive over 40 million tomans' in salary. The uproar over astronomical salaries paid to some managers continues while the eleventh government has announced that it is investigating this issue and part of the payments made has been returned to the government. In this context, the First Vice President announced this week that a special committee has been assigned to investigate this matter. Media and conservative figures critical of the government have continued to publish numerous reports on what has become known in Iran as the 'astronomical salaries' affair. In contrast, government supporters have accused these media and individuals of 'politicking' and attempting to pressure Rouhani's government.