Iran's Armed Forces General Staff Threatens Conservative Lawmaker with Legal Action

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran threatened a conservative member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly over his claim that the head of the General Staff gifted French perfume to several lawmakers. Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, representative of Shahin Shahr, stated in an open session on April 15 that Mohammad Bagheri, head of the General Staff, had given a bottle of French perfume and a certificate of appreciation as a Nowruz gift to some representatives. He questioned the financial sources of these gifts and then quoted the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding support for domestic products, asserting that gifting foreign products, including French perfume, is 'religiously forbidden.' However, the General Staff of the Armed Forces issued a statement on Thursday, April 17, requesting Mr. Haji Deligani to correct his statements and apologize. The statement indicated that the legal and parliamentary affairs department of the General Staff had given a 'regular perfume' as a token of appreciation to a few representatives who considered 'defensive and security considerations' while drafting the sixth five-year development plan. The General Staff further claimed that it has always refrained from purchasing foreign goods produced domestically and that Mr. Haji Deligani was unaware of the details of the matter. At the end of the statement, the Shahin Shahr representative was accused of making 'false and unmeasured statements' and warned that the General Staff reserves the right to pursue legal action through the parliamentary ethics committee and judicial authority. Hossein Ali Haji Deligani has a history of years of service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has held positions such as the commander of the IRGC in Isfahan.