Implicit Attack by Basij Commander on Mehdi and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Continuing the warnings from close associates of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding "America's efforts to infiltrate Iran," the head of the Basij organization implicitly attacked Mehdi Hashemi and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, stating that "plunderers" are seeking to "open the door for America" to Iran to stand against the "people's force." According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the head of Basij, emphasized in a speech on Saturday, September 21, that "as long as the system has popular support, it does not fear confronting the plunderers of public assets, even if they are well-known figures. Therefore, plunderers are seeking to bring in a force to stand against the people's force, and that desired force is America." He added, "If America enters Iran, corrupt 'aagha-zadeh' (children of influential figures) will rule over the people instead of going to prison and being punished." Naqdi stressed that these individuals are eager for "signing oil contracts with European companies and receiving large commissions and bribes similar to the Karsant contract" and "using their villas in Europe and America." Without naming them, he accused newspapers he described as "colorful" and close to these individuals, internet sites, and "social" networks inside Iran and satellite channels abroad of attempting to "beautify the face of America" and "restore colonialism and American dominance over Iran." Naqdi's reference to "aagha-zadehs" and the Karsant contract may refer to Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Previously, some members of parliament, including Alireza Zakani, have accused Mehdi Hashemi of being involved in the Karsant contract. The so-called Karsant contract was signed at the end of Mohammad Khatami's second presidential term, committing Iran to export gas to the UAE, but in 2005, the Islamic Consultative Assembly prevented its continuation. Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade, announced on June 12, 2014, that the Hague court had ordered Iran to pay a $18 billion fine related to this case. Before Naqdi's remarks, some appointees of the Supreme Leader and hardline conservatives had repeatedly criticized those who, according to them, were seeking to "beautify America" and "open the door for America" into Iran. For instance, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, stated in his sermon on September 20 that America wants to "infiltrate" the country and the region "under the guise of normalizing" relations with Iran, and, according to him, to impose "its vulgar culture and desired economy and hostile policies against Iran and Islam under the guise of smiles." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, had previously stated in a meeting with the members of the 11th cabinet that America is seeking "a way to infiltrate the country through the nuclear agreement, and the Islamic Republic will not allow this infiltration." Meanwhile, while Hassan Rouhani's government welcomed the visits of European delegations to Iran after the Vienna nuclear agreement, several conservative figures protested some of these visits, including that of Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, and the reopening of the British embassy in Tehran. Among them, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, considered the "traffic" of European officials visiting Iran to be "very dangerous" and aimed at eliminating "anti-imperialism" in the country, stating that "this issue causes us anxiety." The head of the Basij organization further stated that, according to him, "corrupt individuals" shed "crocodile tears" for the people and claim that sanctions have bent the backs of the people, believing that the key to solving problems lies in lifting sanctions. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, stated in June that Western sanctions against Iran have "broken the backs of the people" and are "rotting the bones of the working class, which constitutes the majority of the country."