Commander of Kerman IRGC Calls on People to Protest Against 'Assets of the Construction Party'

The commander of the Tharallah Corps of Kerman stated that Mehdi Jahangiri, the brother of Iran's First Vice President, has been arrested by this organization, and he called for public protests against what he referred to as the 'assets of the Construction Party' in the province. Gholamali Abuhamzeh also announced that the IRGC in Kerman has demanded that economic companies linked to Hossein Marashi, the spokesperson for the Construction Party, be 'accountable' regarding their activities and financial transactions to this organization. According to the Tharallah Corps website, the commander mentioned in a meeting with the Friday prayer leader of Bardasir that 'the main problem in Kerman province is the Construction Party centered around Marashi, which has control over all the province's resources.' He emphasized that companies such as Mahan Air and Kerman Motor are 'under the control' of the Construction Party, adding, 'Why are these statements not made, and why do people not demand answers? Why is no one accountable for these questions?' Abuhamzeh added, 'We have also sent them a message and we say again, come be accountable and clarify your accounts, otherwise you will face the IRGC. We will return all illegal activities and properties that you have unlawfully seized to the public treasury.' The companies mentioned by the Kerman IRGC commander are private joint-stock companies, and the Construction Party does not own them. Hossein Marashi, a former governor and representative of Kerman in the parliament and spokesperson for the Construction Party, is the founder of several industrial and investment companies in this province. He stated in an interview on May 9, 2014, that the 'Mowlal-Mowahidin Non-Profit Institute' was established during his governorship, and Mahan Air, Kerman Khodro, and Kerman Urban Development Organization are among its subsidiaries. Marashi has announced that he is a member of the board of trustees of this institute and that 'the board of trustees has no right to withdraw or transact even one rial.' Mahan Air has been accused by the United States of assisting the IRGC in spreading terrorism and belligerence. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was previously the commander of the '41 Tharallah' division in Kerman. 'We did not seek permission from anyone to arrest Mehdi Jahangiri,' the Kerman IRGC commander also stated, referring to the arrest of Mehdi Jahangiri, the brother of the First Vice President, by this organization. Abuhamzeh emphasized that the Kerman IRGC did not seek 'permission from anyone' for the arrest of Mehdi Jahangiri. He also criticized the implicit statements of Eshaq Jahangiri regarding the political nature of his brother's arrest. Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Hassan Rouhani, confirmed the report about his brother's arrest on his Instagram page on October 6 and expressed hope that his arrest would not be a 'political misuse.' He also emphasized in a speech that political settling of scores should not be done under the pretext of fighting corruption. Mehdi Jahangiri is the head of the tourism financial group that was established during Hamid Baghaei's presidency of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. He was also the deputy of investment in this organization during Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei's presidency in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first government. The Kerman IRGC commander also described the signature of four representatives from this province regarding a warning about 'new restrictions' for Mohammad Khatami as 'pouring water on the enemy's mill.' He questioned, 'Do these parliament representatives not know that the Supreme Leader has not allowed Mohammad Khatami to attend the Imam's Hosseinieh even once in the past eight years and has not sent a condolence letter to him and his brother?' The Imam's Hosseinieh is the venue for meetings of the Supreme Leader. On October 8, 86 parliament representatives issued a warning to Hassan Rouhani, asking him to take action to prevent 'new restrictions' against Mohammad Khatami and to announce the results. Mohammad Anjam, Khatami's lawyer, and websites close to reformists have reported that according to the order of the Special Clerical Court, Mr. Khatami has been banned from attending 'political, cultural, and propaganda public events' for three months starting from October 1. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, announced that these restrictions are 'not new' and are merely an extension of the 'previous' restrictions based on a 'resolution of the Supreme National Security Council.' Ejei's reference to the Supreme National Security Council's resolution regarding Mohammad Khatami comes while Hassan Rouhani and his government officials have stated that no such resolution exists. The speech of the Kerman IRGC commander was removed from the Tasnim news agency affiliated with the IRGC a few hours after its publication, but it still exists on the Kerman IRGC's website.