Attorney General: Some Officials and Their Relatives Are Involved in Smuggling

The Attorney General of Iran stated that the Anti-Smuggling Headquarters has been "unsuccessful" and that "some officials and their children and relatives are involved in smuggling." However, he did not name these individuals or provide further details. According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said on Tuesday, December 18, "When we see that some officials and those who should be sincerely active in the fight against smuggling are themselves or their children or those dependent on them involved, how can we expect the fight to be effective?" Montazeri also mentioned that one responsible official stated that "some government insiders do not want a serious fight against smuggling, and the Anti-Smuggling Headquarters has effectively been shut down." He criticized the lack of a representative from the President in this headquarters. During the 2017 presidential election, following reports from conservative media about the discovery of a shipment of clothing in the home of Fakhruddin Ahmad Danesh Ashteyani, the then Minister of Education, the spokesperson for the judiciary and rivals of Hassan Rouhani accused Ahmad Danesh Ashteyani's daughter of being involved in "smuggling" clothing. This accusation was denied by the Minister of Education, and Branch 27 of the Governmental Disciplinary Court acquitted Zahra Ahmad Danesh. Previously, some political figures in Iran have spoken about the involvement of the Revolutionary Guards and the police in smuggling, pointing to their management of ports. For instance, in 2011, after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then President, used the term "our smuggler brothers" in a speech, some experts speculated that this referred to the Revolutionary Guards, but Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the force, called those remarks a "diversionary issue." Hassan Rouhani also mentioned in February 2016, without naming any specific agency or institution, that "a corrupt entity that... can bring in smuggled goods does not allow the country to grow." However, it was unclear which agency, institution, or organization Rouhani was referring to. The Attorney General also stated that the maritime, land, and air borders have "various problems" regarding the fight against smuggling. He emphasized that Shahid Rajaei Port is "almost abandoned in terms of controlling and entering smuggled goods." Various institutions in the Islamic Republic accuse each other of negligence in combating smuggling. For example, in recent weeks, the Secretariat of the Economic Corruption Combatants' faction pointed to the discovery of 1,128 "smuggled containers" by the Ministry of Intelligence, accusing senior managers of Iran's customs of being "not very aware of this widespread smuggling and its consequences for the country." However, Masoud Karbasian, the Minister of Economy, stated that "there is no reality regarding the 1,128 containers, and the authority that announced this has officially written a letter admitting a mistake." Officials in Hassan Rouhani's government have claimed that the volume of smuggling was $25 billion annually before this government, which has been reduced by half during this government. However, some government officials have expressed doubts about the accuracy of these figures. For instance, Akbar Turkan, the head of the Free Zones Organization of Iran, previously said that the Anti-Smuggling Headquarters "claimed that $25 billion worth of smuggling enters the country to emphasize its importance, while these numbers are not based on accurate foundations." Smuggling has become one of the most significant economic problems and symbols of "corruption" in Iran, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has called for smuggled goods to be "burned" in response to the continuation of this situation.