Economy Minister Apologizes to MP Following Release of Video Showing His Abusive Behavior

Following the release of a video showing a member of parliament verbally abusing a customs officer, Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance apologized to the MP for the events that led to his "anger." Meanwhile, on Tuesday, another MP spoke about gathering signatures for a motion to impeach the minister and even dismiss the head of customs. The news of the minister's apology to Mohammad Basteh Darazeh, the representative of Saravan, comes despite the fact that the released video on social media shows the MP verbally abusing the customs officer. In the video published yesterday, the Saravan representative asks the officer to open a door, which the officer refuses. The officer's statement that Darazeh cannot "order" him leads the Saravan representative to verbally abuse him. In the continuation of the video, another individual criticizes the representative's behavior, telling him: "Shame on the country that you represent in parliament," to which Darazeh responds, "Yes, shame on it," and then ejects him from the building. In reaction to this video, which has sparked significant responses on social media, Darazeh stated: "I was waiting in front of the door for about 40 to 45 minutes. The two employees present there, in response to my inquiries with the head of customs, insulted me, saying that everything we endure is due to people like you." He continued: "The discussion and challenge lasted about three minutes, and those who filmed it edited out parts where I was insulted." In the released video of the representative's abuse, it does not appear that any cuts or edits were made. The MP added: "The employee whose image is visible in the film, with very vulgar language, prevented me from meeting with the head of customs, which ultimately led to a confrontation and I was disrespectfully thrown out of the office." In this context, Behrouz Namati, spokesperson for the parliamentary board, announced on Tuesday that Farhad Dezhpasand, in a closed session of parliament, "apologized on his behalf as the Minister of Economy [to the Saravan representative]." According to Namati, it was mentioned in the closed session that the released video of this verbal altercation is "edited and related to the insults that were made." He also added that Darazeh stated in this session: "I was subjected to bad insults and curses, and this issue caused my anger, which ultimately led to this incident." The spokesperson for the parliamentary board also added that the results of the investigations into this matter by the Minister of Economy and Masoud Pezeshkian, head of the board overseeing the behavior of representatives, will be announced to parliament tomorrow. Ali Kord, another MP, also told reporters that a number of representatives have initiated the impeachment of the Minister of Economy due to "insulting the Saravan representative. We demand the dismissal of the head of customs and customs security." Mr. Kord, who represents Khash, stated that the number of signatures collected for Dezhpasand's impeachment is "40 signatures." Mohammad Basteh Darazeh, a representative in the tenth parliament from the Saravan, Sib and Suran, and Zabol constituency in Sistan and Baluchestan province, entered parliament with 60,347 votes out of a total of 122,144 votes. He was supported by the "Moderation and Development" party in the parliamentary elections, and the reformist council of Sistan and Baluchestan province also expressed support for his candidacy in the parliamentary elections.