Confirmation and Threat of Impeachment: Continued Reactions to Zarif's Statements on Money Laundering

As reactions continue to Mohammad Javad Zarif's statements regarding widespread money laundering in Iran, a member of parliament announced a request for the impeachment of the Iranian Foreign Minister, while another representative stated that the Attorney General of Iran has indirectly 'confirmed' Zarif's words. Zarif's recent remarks about the existence of extensive money laundering in Iran and the 'tens of thousands of billions in profits for certain individuals' have been cited as the reason for the backlash against anti-money laundering bills in the country, which has sparked significant criticism among conservatives. Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, compared Zarif's statements to a 'dagger in the heart of the system' and questioned why this issue has not been referred to the judiciary if it indeed exists. In the latest reactions to the Foreign Minister's statements, Hossein Ali Hajideligani, a member of the parliament's conservative faction, announced to IRNA that a request for impeachment of the Foreign Minister has been drafted. According to him, this request was made 'due to the lack of evidence' regarding money laundering, and 'signatures are being collected from today.' While Zarif stated yesterday that he is 'not responsible for the documentation' and that 'this documentation is publicly available and the relevant center in the Ministry of Economy and Finance has also announced cases of money laundering,' Hajideligani mentioned that Zarif was supposed to provide 'his documents to the representatives by today, which did not happen.' According to Zarif, 'the latest evidence related to this issue concerns individuals who have recently been punished for having extensive money laundering networks; in addition, other extensive money laundering networks have been documented, so I do not need to explain further.' The Mehr news agency also reported that Mohammad Reza Pourabrahimi, the head of the Economic Commission of the parliament, described Zarif's statements about money laundering as 'ill-considered,' which has 'cost the system' and called for 'evidence' from him. Pourabrahimi added that 'Mr. Zarif made a statement that questioned the government and the Islamic Republic more than anything else.' Meanwhile, according to the Shargh newspaper, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a member of the Money and Credit Council, stated that the Foreign Minister's expression of this issue was out of 'utmost goodwill' and he wanted to announce that 'the phenomenon of money laundering and corruption is prevalent in the country. Part of the instability and fluctuations we have witnessed in the currency and coin market has been influenced by this issue.' This member of the Planning and Budget Commission added that the extent of money laundering in Iran is such that 'foreign nationals and even Iranians have maximally utilized the opportunities provided for exchanging large sums of money.' He quoted Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of Iran, in a recent meeting of the national Money and Credit Council, stating that he reported 'in one province, an Afghan national without a passport was able to transfer several hundred billion tomans using a bank card, which indicates money laundering in the country.' This member of the Hope faction stated that 'money laundering on this scale and extent in the country is not without backing, and the system and governance must root out this issue.' He added: 'Individuals currently facing accusations or on trial are talking about several hundred billion tomans in accounts of relatives or unknown individuals, all of which indicate that money laundering is taking place in the country.' Tabesh's statements come as the Basij Student Organization of Imam Sadiq University recently requested the Attorney General to 'diligently take legal action as a public prosecutor and initiate the proceedings for this crime without leniency towards the mentioned individual and take revolutionary action without being influenced by pressures to eliminate such enemy-favored actions.' Meanwhile, Morteza Sarmadi, Deputy Foreign Minister, defended Zarif's statements, saying: 'Doesn't the announcement of fighting economic offenders and the large sums discovered from these individuals indicate large financial corruption networks in the country?' According to Rouydad 24, he described the figures of money laundering in Iran, referring to the income of smuggled goods sellers, fuel smuggling, and the financial turnover from drug trafficking as 'truly extensive.' Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor and political activist, also identified one reason for the recent attacks by hardliners on Zarif as the fact that 'they did not expect such a stance from him. Zarif's positions over the past five years have been conservative and cautious.' His reference was to the stance of Vahid Yaminpour, a television host close to the Stability Front, who tweeted in response to Zarif's statements: 'We are still waiting for the judiciary to respond to the Foreign Minister's claims in the media attributed to Ali Larijani. Either pursue the claims or prosecute the accuser; the widespread dissemination of falsehoods and public confusion is documented under Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code as a form of corruption on earth.'