IRGC Intelligence Organization: We Have Disbanded 157 Obscene Telegram Channels

The deputy of the IRGC Intelligence Organization stated that the organization has "disbanded" 157 "obscene" channels on Telegram and "eliminated" three major "economic corruption" networks. According to the Basij News Agency, Hossein Nejat announced this news on Thursday, March 5, during a ceremony in Bushehr, introducing the IRGC intelligence forces as the "most skilled intelligence forces." Nejat praised the IRGC intelligence forces for their actions against economic corruptors. He mentioned the discovery of "three major economic debtor networks" in Iran and the arrest of some of their members as part of the IRGC Intelligence Organization's efforts. Nejat also stated that the organization arrested an individual who was "indebted to the bank for 6,500 billion and had given rents to everyone." This military official had previously announced on January 26 that important news regarding actions against large and corrupt gangs and infiltration networks linked to foreign services would be released in the future. The IRGC Intelligence Organization operates in political and security matters and has dealt with many critics of the Islamic Republic in recent years. The head of this organization is Hossein Taeb. Nejat also referred to the role of the IRGC Intelligence Organization in the arrest of Jason Rezaian, claiming he had formed a "spy network" in Iran. Nejat added that the U.S. had repeatedly asked Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, to hand over Rezaian to Washington during nuclear negotiations. He further stated that due to the "sacrificial efforts of the IRGC intelligence forces, the U.S. was forced to pay $1.4 billion in exchange for the handover of Jason Rezaian." Security agents of the Islamic Republic arrested Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American journalist for the Washington Post, along with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, in their apartment in Tehran on July 22, 2014, while wearing masks. Salehi was released after 71 days on bail of $32,000, but Rezaian was charged with espionage and actions against national security and was tried by Judge Salavati. He spent 18 months in prison in Iran and filed a lawsuit against the Iranian government in a federal court in the U.S. this October, claiming he was a hostage of the Islamic Republic and had been subjected to mental and physical abuse during his 18 months in prison. In another part of his speech, the deputy of the IRGC Intelligence Organization referred to the identification of 157 channels he described as "obscene" on Telegram in the last three months by IRGC intelligence forces. He stated that the IRGC Intelligence Organization arrested "eight individuals" in this regard, with "70 percent of them expressing regret." Nejat also added that "the IRGC and Ministry of Intelligence managed to arrest 15 terrorists who were supposed to cause disruptions during the February 11 rallies." In this context, the Ministry of Intelligence arrested the admins of the "Guard of the Immortal" and launched a "Cyber Basij" with the cooperation of "18,000 people," overseeing thousands of Telegram channels with at least five thousand members in Iran.