Bijan Zanganeh Calls for Criminal Prosecution of Jalili and Zakani for 'Defamation' in Debates

Bijan Zanganeh, former Iranian oil minister, announced his complaint against Saeed Jalili and Alireza Zakani for 'defamation, insult, dissemination of falsehoods, and slander' during election debates and called for their criminal prosecution. Saeed Jalili, a conservative candidate, was introduced alongside Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday as one of the main candidates for the second round of elections. In the fourth debate of the candidates for the 14th presidential election of Iran, held on Monday, July 4, the topics of sanctions, the nuclear agreement, and contracts like 'Crescent' became hotly debated among the candidates. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, who has previously served multiple terms as Iran's oil minister, wrote in a letter to the Tehran public prosecutor on Sunday, July 10, that Saeed Jalili accused him in this debate of 'obvious corruption and embezzling billions of dollars' regarding the 'Crescent' contract, while Alireza Zakani also accused him of 'the greatest oil betrayal and committing a crime.' In his letter, Zanganeh refuted these accusations and stated, 'I request the criminal prosecution of the mentioned individuals.' Saeed Jalili, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and a hardline conservative candidate, and Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, both debated in hopes of their chances in the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, has advanced to the next stage of the elections, with Jalili following in second place to continue competing against Pezeshkian. Alireza Zakani claimed on Sunday in response to the announcement of this complaint that Bijan Zanganeh had previously filed '100 complaints' against him, all of which failed. He added, 'I have always responded to him with 100 documents.' Saeed Jalili has not yet reacted to this news. The 'Crescent' contract was an agreement made in 2001 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Emirati company 'Crescent,' but the Emirati company filed a lawsuit in The Hague after several years due to Iran's failure to adhere to the agreement. The International Arbitration Tribunal ruled in October 2021 that Iran must pay $2.43 billion in damages. In the fourth debate of the early presidential elections of 2024, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, one of the candidates, raised the issue of Crescent and claimed that the obstruction by these individuals in executing this contract cost Iran $18 billion. Pourmohammadi, who had previously been accused by some candidates of negligence regarding the 'Crescent' contract, defended the contract made during Mohammad Khatami's presidency and accused Saeed Jalili and Alireza Zakani of causing significant damage to Iran by their involvement in its cancellation. He also called for a debate between opponents of this contract and Bijan Zanganeh, the oil minister of Khatami and Rouhani's governments. In response, Saeed Jalili accused Pourmohammadi of knowing nothing about this contract, while Alireza Zakani stated that he is knowledgeable about it and welcomed the idea of a debate. Concurrently with the airing of the candidates' debate, a video of Bijan Zanganeh was released on social media in which he stated: Saeed Jalili and his 'pupil' Alireza Zakani are talking about the Crescent contract, and he addressed them saying, 'Brother, I am your match.' He further stated that in November 2021, he asked Jalili to debate about this contract and accused him of 'running away' from accountability. Previously, in 2012, Saeed Jalili, then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, had stated in a meeting that the Islamic Republic should not execute the Crescent contract and that if the Emirati side filed a complaint, 'Iran would not incur significant damages or penalties.' The Islamic Republic's governments have severely weakened Iran's gas production sector by losing investment opportunities in the gas sector and mismanaging international contracts like Crescent, leading to difficulties in supplying gas in winter and electricity in summer for domestic consumption.