Denial of Arrests of Several IRGC Members Due to 'Economic Corruption'

Hosseini Najat, the deputy director of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, has denied rumors regarding the 'involvement of some members of this organization in economic corruption and their arrests', describing it as 'fabrication by certain enemy-affiliated media'. According to Fars News Agency, Hosseini Najat made this statement on Sunday, January 26, during a visit to an exhibition showcasing the intelligence capabilities of the IRGC's Center for Combating Organized Economic Crimes. The deputy of the IRGC Intelligence Organization added: 'The fabrications by certain well-known media in recent days are an effort by elements linked to the arrested suspects to obstruct the judicial process.' Earlier, the website 'Amad News' reported on Friday, January 24, the arrest of 'Mehrab', 'Azim', and 'Afshari', three senior assistants to Hossein Taeb, the head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, due to 'smuggling raw materials for vegetable oil'. Amad News cited 'a senior security official' stating that these three were arrested in October of this year for 'large-scale economic corruption, facilitating illegal activities, extorting the wealthy and capitalists, and money laundering'. According to this report, 'Mehrab' has been released on bail, but 'Azim' and 'Afshari' remain imprisoned. Amad News also noted that the newspaper 'Asharq Al-Awsat' published a report on this matter. Meanwhile, according to Fars, General Hosseini Najat stated: 'The media campaign by hostile elements and some anti-revolutionary media, affiliated with foreign intelligence services against the IRGC Intelligence Organization, stems from this organization’s decisive confrontation with infiltrators and the main rings of economic corruption in the country.' He added: 'Since confronting espionage networks that aim to infiltrate the power structures of the Islamic Republic and dealing with terrorist groups seeking to create insecurity in the country are among the main priorities of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, the recent actions taken against economic corruption networks and certain espionage elements in the cultural and social domains have endangered and caused distress to the corrupt and spies, leading to media campaigns against this organization.' This IRGC official, without elaborating on 'these actions', stated: 'In the coming days, important news regarding confrontations with large economic criminal gangs and infiltrating networks linked to foreign services will be communicated to the public.' Hosseini Najat was appointed as the deputy of the IRGC Intelligence Organization by Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, on December 27. He previously served as the cultural and social deputy of the IRGC commander.