Hassan Firouzabadi Evacuates His Villa in Lavasan

Following criticism from several figures close to Ayatollah Khamenei regarding Hassan Firouzabadi, the former head of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, residing in a 10,000 square meter villa in Lavasan, Iranian media reported that this villa was handed over to the 'Imam's Executive Headquarters' on Wednesday morning, June 30. According to Fars News Agency, Hassan Firouzabadi evacuated the villa on Tuesday night and handed it over at 8:30 AM on Wednesday. Firouzabadi himself tweeted on Tuesday night that he received the 'evacuation order' in a call with the military office of Ayatollah Khamenei and immediately announced his readiness to hand over the property to the entity known as the 'Imam's Executive Headquarters.' Major General Firouzabadi, who held the position for 28 years before being succeeded by Mohammad Bagheri about two years ago, was considered one of the close associates of the Supreme Leader. However, a few days ago, a conservative-affiliated organization known as the 'Justice-Seeking Student Movement' publicly released a letter addressed to the Tehran prosecutor demanding the return of a confiscated villa '10,000 square meters' from Firouzabadi, stating that the Supreme Leader had 'issued evacuation orders for this villa twice.' In response to the publication of this letter, the former head of the Armed Forces General Staff stated that this 10,000 square meter villa was 'a dilapidated building with about four ordinary rooms and without any facilities' that had been used as the 'top-secret office of the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff' at the directive of Ayatollah Khamenei for the past 22 years. Nevertheless, several figures known as principlists simultaneously published criticisms against this former military official, vaguely referring to Firouzabadi's support for the JCPOA and Rouhani's government, or even suggesting that he had 'rebelled' against Ayatollah Khamenei. Ezzatollah Zarghami, the former head of Iran's state radio and television, criticized those he described as 'the closest individuals' to the Supreme Leader who 'effectively rebel against their leader' and 'if they do any service to the regime, they first set aside their share.' Hamid Rasai, a prominent representative of the 'Steadfast Front' in the ninth parliament, also tweeted that Firouzabadi's support for Rouhani's presidency, his congratulations for the JCPOA, and his 'military salute to Rafsanjani' should be seen in the context of '25 years of free use of the confiscated villa.' Additionally, Alireza Zakani, a former principlist representative and head of the special commission investigating the JCPOA, expressed regret over Firouzabadi's actions, calling his residence in the Lavasan villa 'an injustice to public funds.' While some supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei have launched fierce attacks against Firouzabadi on social media, others have viewed the recent events with skepticism, speaking of 'behind-the-scenes deals among power-seeking factions.' A number of Twitter users have also considered the recent revelations against Firouzabadi as a political issue. The state news agency IRNA had also reported a few days ago: 'Is Firouzabadi the only official using these properties, and does his criticism have no connection to his political positions?' Following the crackdown on protesters against the results of the 2009 presidential election, the European Union imposed human rights sanctions against several Iranian officials, including Hassan Firouzabadi. These sanctions have been regularly extended over the past eight years. The entity known as the 'Imam's Executive Headquarters,' which took over the Lavasan villa on Wednesday morning, was placed on the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions list in 2013. The European Union also included Mohammad Mokhber, the then-head of this headquarters, on its sanctions list for two years in 2010 due to Iran's nuclear and missile programs.