Indecision Surrounding the Investigation Report on Financial Corruption at the Martyrs Foundation

The newspaper Etemad reported on its front page on April 23 that the electoral activities of reformists have begun with the "establishment of electoral working groups in Tehran and provinces across Iran." According to this newspaper, "delegating the identification, introduction, and political advertising of reformist candidates in the provinces" is the focal point of the reformists' electoral strategy, and based on this strategy, "reformists from Tehran will not dictate terms to reformists from smaller towns." Saeed Hajarian, a prominent reformist figure, emphasized in an interview with the Arman newspaper about the upcoming parliamentary elections that "you should expect a transformation in the composition of the tenth parliament." The Shargh newspaper, while publishing a report about the "strange twists of the Martyrs Foundation report at the last minute," wrote: "Conflicting news about the investigation file from the Martyrs Foundation is coming from the Majlis (Parliament)." This newspaper pointed out that "many are waiting for the Martyrs Foundation report to be presented in the open session of the Majlis," referring to the lack of reading this report after two years, and noted that "representatives have repeatedly emphasized that this report will stand above the cases of the Social Security Organization and the Saeed Mortazavi affair in terms of violations committed." The Aftab Yazd newspaper reported that after Ali Motahari, this time Behrouz Gharibpour and the artists of the "Saadi Puppet Opera" have been threatened by hardliners in Shiraz. This newspaper wrote: "The issue of vigilantes and attacks with sticks and clubs by some so-called residents of the city of poetry and literature, namely Shiraz, has not only not ended with the conclusion of the year 1393 but has also expanded its scope and reached culture and art," and this time the artists of the "Saadi Puppet Opera" have been threatened due to the presence of "a female singer" in this opera. The Iran newspaper reported on its front page about the "directive from the First Vice President for price control" and wrote: Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President, "in a directive, prohibited all government and non-governmental agencies and pricing authorities from raising prices in any way without coordination with the government and obligated them to announce any necessary actions and price changes with justifications for review to the specialized market regulation working group." The Shahrevand newspaper reported on "Tehran residents' protest against the disgrace at Jeddah airport," writing that protesters on Saturday in front of the Saudi embassy "sang the anthem 'Ey Iran' and chanted 'Haydar Haydar' and also demanded the closure of this embassy." The Etemad newspaper dedicated its front page photo to the gathering on Saturday in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, stating: "Coordination for this spontaneous gathering was carried out on social media, and the number of attendees at this gathering was estimated to be between 500 and 800 people." The Resalat newspaper quoted Mohammad Reza Mohseni Sani, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the ninth Majlis, stating: "The hostile political behavior and outlook of Saudi Arabia towards regional issues and the severe disagreements we have with them have caused this hostile political outlook to also affect the pilgrims." The Qanoon newspaper also published a report on the gathering in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, stating: "Iranian dignity should not be sacrificed for the interests of Umrah." The Shargh newspaper, in its front page headline "Prohibited Visits," wrote: "Nearly ten days after the 'Swiss statement,' a verbal war between Tehran and Washington has begun, and statements made on Friday evening by Ashton Carter, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, regarding visits to Iranian military sites, provoked reactions in Tehran. According to this newspaper, Massoud Jazayeri, the senior spokesman for the armed forces of Iran, and Abbas Araghchi, the senior negotiator of Iran's nuclear team, were two officials, one 'military' and one 'diplomatic,' who reacted to the remarks of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and the essence of both Iranian officials' statements was one word: 'Visits to military sites are prohibited.' This newspaper wrote that the U.S. Secretary of Defense stated: 'Any potential nuclear agreement with Iran must include provisions for inspections (of Iran's nuclear facilities).' The reformists' tactics for the tenth parliamentary elections; 'Elections begin from the provinces.' The Etemad newspaper reported on its front page on Sunday that the electoral activities of reformists have begun with the 'establishment of electoral working groups in Tehran and provinces across Iran.' According to this newspaper, 'On Saturday, Mohsen Rahami, the head of the election committee of the Coordination Council of Reformists, announced the formation of subcommittees under the election committee of the Coordination Council of Reformists.' Mohsen Rahami pointed out that 'the student and youth committee is headed by Mohammad Khonchaman, the information and advertising committee is headed by Mostafa Kavekbiyan, the planning committee is headed by Zahra Faramarzian, the ethnic and religious committee is headed by Hadi Khamenei, the classes and guilds committee is headed by Hossein Kamali, and the parties and organizations committee is headed by Farajollah Kamijani, which have now been formed under the election committee of the Coordination Council of Reformists.' He stated that 'the special women's department will work with the cooperation of reformist individuals and parties such as Shojaei, Zahra Faramarzian, Fatemeh Rakeei, Zahra Mostafavi, and Faezah Hashemi as a subcommittee of the election committee of the Coordination Council of Reformists.' Mojtaba Hosseini, a reporter for the Etemad newspaper, wrote: 'Reformists know that the path to victory in the important parliamentary elections passes through the ballot box, and based on this, relying on the formula of 'collective wisdom and organizational cohesion' proven in the presidential election of 2013, they can once again gift the taste of success to supporters and lovers of the reformist discourse.' Over the past year, political reformist forces have evaluated and examined various strategies and tactics to reach the desired point, including the establishment of a party, a cohesive broad front, holding a congress, establishing a Supreme Council for Reformist Policy, and forming a National Assembly of Reformists.' According to this newspaper, 'The Reformist Cooperation Council, as the main decision-making body for reformists along with other reformist parties and groups, has increased the speed and quality of its decision-making in recent months and has developed and designed a multi-layered strategy for the tenth parliamentary elections; a strategy that bears little resemblance to the policymaking of reformists in previous parliamentary elections.' 'Delegating the identification, introduction, and political advertising of reformist candidates in the provinces' is the focal point of the reformists' electoral strategy, and based on this strategy, 'reformists from Tehran will not dictate terms to reformists from smaller towns.' Etemad emphasized that this strategy 'does not mean a weakening of consensus and agreement among reformists,' stating: 'There is a continuous and organizational relationship between the policy-making council of reformists from smaller towns and the leadership cadre of reformists in Tehran, and on the other hand, all political forces of this movement are aware of the existing hardships and difficulties ahead; an understanding that has caused the mental characteristics and specifications of reformists across the country for the tenth parliamentary elections to be similar to each other, and the horizon of all of them is based on the specific goal set in this mission: 'victory in the parliamentary elections.' This newspaper wrote: 'The Supreme Council for Reformist Policy, by delegating the selection of candidates to reformists from smaller towns, can further enhance the strategy of 'national consensus and unity' among reformists and somewhat alleviate the lack of effective parties in their political camp.' Etemad noted that 'increasing the connection of reformists from Tehran, as the think tank of reforms, with reformists from smaller towns as the diverse operational forces across Iran and organizing 'three-layer electoral lists' throughout the country can align the composition of the parliament with the demands of the people,' stating: 'There is no doubt that the key to the success of reformists in the parliamentary elections lies not in Tehran, but in the provinces.' This newspaper also pointed out the 'major obstacle known as the Guardian Council's supervisory oversight,' stating that this obstacle 'makes reformists less hopeful about the possibility of prominent figures participating,' but Hamid Reza Jalai Pour, a member of the last central council of the Participation Front and a member of the advisory council of reformists, told Etemad: 'The solution to prevent the impact of this problem is to seek committed figures in the provinces who are not necessarily reformists but align with reformist thinking.' Hamid Reza Jalai Pour emphasized that 'these figures can be selected from various segments of the population. In this regard, it is necessary to attract individuals such as doctors, engineers, and educators who are acceptable to the people.' Saeed Hajarian: Expect a transformation in the composition of the tenth parliament. Saeed Hajarian, a reformist figure, emphasized in an interview with the Arman newspaper about the upcoming parliamentary elections that 'you should expect a transformation in the composition of the tenth parliament.' In response to the Arman newspaper's question about the probable composition of the tenth parliament, he said: 'There are still several months until the election lists are presented and the tenth parliamentary elections are held, but evidence suggests that we should expect changes and transformations in the composition of this parliament,' and 'it is clear that with the change in the composition of the parliament and the presence of representatives from the reformist and moderate spectrum, hardline forces will not have the same access to the parliament as before.' Saeed Hajarian also stated that with the change in the composition of the tenth parliament, 'we will witness greater alignment between the government and the parliament,' while 'the ninth parliament did not have the expected interaction with the eleventh government, which is exemplified by the impeachment of Reza Faraji Dana (the Minister of Science) and the way other candidates were treated who were introduced to the parliament.' The Arman newspaper quoted Saeed Hajarian as saying: 'Given the activation of reformist and moderate groups after a weak presence in the last parliamentary elections, it does not seem that a parliament with a conservative majority, similar to the eighth and ninth parliaments, will be formed again, while 'the conservatives no longer have the chance to win in the field without competition, and it does not seem that the members of the Stability Front will be able to achieve their desired results in the elections,' and 'the majority of society has no inclination to vote for them.' Hajarian emphasized that 'if some individuals, including some members of the Stability Front, are not in the parliament, the composition of the parliament will be better,' stating that in the tenth parliament 'we will witness a more moderate parliament, and the benefit will accrue to the people.' Uncertainty Surrounding the Investigation Report on Financial Corruption at the Martyrs Foundation Approaching Two Years. The Shargh newspaper, while publishing a report about the 'strange twists of the Martyrs Foundation report at the last minute,' wrote: 'Conflicting news about the investigation file from the Martyrs Foundation is coming from the Majlis.' According to this newspaper, 'Recently, the head of the investigation committee announced the submission of the report to the board of directors, and now the Social Committee of the Majlis has just invited him to hear the last defense [of Masoud Zaribafan], and it is interesting that so far, the Social Committee of the Majlis has not been much involved in the investigation file from the Martyrs Foundation, and most of the work has been pursued by Amir Khajasteh, the head of the investigation committee.' Ameneh Shirafkan, a parliamentary reporter for the Shargh newspaper, pointed out that 'many are waiting for the Martyrs Foundation report to be presented in the open session of the Majlis,' reminding that 'representatives have repeatedly emphasized that this report will stand above the cases of the Social Security Organization and the Saeed Mortazavi affair in terms of violations committed.' The Shargh newspaper noted that in the investigation file from the Martyrs Foundation, the name of Masoud Zaribafan, 'a longtime friend of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,' is mentioned, describing him as someone who 'has been in the close circle of Ahmadinejad's allies for years.' This newspaper quoted Farajollah Arefi, the deputy chairman of the Social Committee, regarding the examination of the Martyrs Foundation report in this committee, stating: 'It is planned to soon invite members of the investigation committee from the Martyrs Foundation and some officials from the Martyrs Foundation to express their latest statements in this regard. We will certainly invite some officials from the Martyrs Foundation and Zaribafan, the former head of this foundation, to present their last defenses regarding this report.' In the financial corruption case at the Martyrs Foundation, according to the Shargh newspaper, it relates to 'major violations in the financial structure of the Martyrs Foundation' and also 'the discovery of a 170 billion tomans corruption and its transfer abroad,' but Masoud Zaribafan, the former head of the Martyrs Foundation, in a strange statement said that if other than insurance and banks are accused of something, why don't they reveal it? Masoud Zaribafan, the then head of the Martyrs Foundation, had said at that time that 'the embezzlement amount was not 15 billion but 6 billion, and the offending employee was dismissed from the organization,' but Amir Khajasteh, the head of the investigation committee from the Martyrs Foundation, told the Shargh newspaper: 'In many of the subsidiary companies of this organization, violations have been recorded, and all the documentation of this has been included in the final report.' This newspaper recalled that it was first reported in 2012 that 'the discovery of a 15 billion tomans embezzlement at the Martyrs Foundation' was published, and then in May 2013, Mostafa Afzali-Fard, the then spokesman for the 90th Majlis Commission, announced that the investigation of 'the Martyrs Foundation and the Affairs of the Martyrs' had been initiated with the signature of 90 representatives, and although it was supposed to be finalized by the fall of that year [2013] and presented in the open session, 'now, two years after that date, the reading of the report in the session remains shrouded in ambiguity, and the matter is constantly postponed.