Legal Deputy of the IRGC: Construction in Eshratabad is Coordinated

The legal deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded to criticisms regarding construction at the Vali Asr military base adjacent to the historical Kolah Farangi building in Eshratabad, stating that halting or modifying this project "requires" an order from the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Mohammad Reza Yazdi emphasized in an interview with the House of Parliament news agency on Tuesday, July 15, that the IRGC's construction activities are carried out "in coordination" with the General Staff, and that judicial authorities can only issue a stop order to this staff. He also referred to a letter from the Tehran municipality, stressing that the "procedures for obtaining permits" for construction on this project have been "observed." Despite opposition from members of the Tehran City Council, some senior officials from the municipality, the Cultural Heritage Organization, and even the head of the Administrative Justice Court, the construction project at the IRGC's Vali Asr base, which began in September 2014, continues, with the metal skeleton of the structure having risen to 14 floors. Wajieh Ghasemi, the public relations manager of the Tehran Cultural Heritage Organization, announced on Saturday that the project must be halted by a ruling from the investigator of Branch 3 of the Military Prosecutor's Office by Sunday, July 14. Ghasemi reported on Sunday that this order has not been "executed." However, the legal deputy of the IRGC stated that the Military Prosecutor's Office has not issued a ruling to stop this project, but only an investigator from Branch 3 has issued a "decision" regarding it. According to Yazdi, the final outcome regarding this project will be announced after a meeting today involving a representative from the General Staff, the Tehran prosecutor, and the investigator from Branch 3 of the Military Prosecutor's Office, and if "violations" in this project are "established" for the General Staff, the project will be halted. The Supreme Council of Urbanism and Architecture of Iran had emphasized on April 6, 2015, that the historical building of "Eshratabad" must be prepared for public use, and it was decided that construction operations in the vicinity of the building must be halted and modified. Nevertheless, the legal deputy of the IRGC stated in his interview that this project is "approved" by the General Staff, and the municipality must "negotiate with them" for any modifications. According to Yazdi, the director of the follow-up affairs of institutions and organizations in the Tehran municipality's regional affairs department, in a letter dated September 4, 2013, it was announced that the IRGC is "authorized to take necessary actions" in this project. Yazdi stated that the IRGC has undertaken construction while maintaining a distance of 130 meters from the Kolah Farangi building, while the Kolah Farangi building is only 50 meters away from the Seyyed Shirazi Highway. The Kolah Farangi building in Eshratabad was registered as one of Iran's national heritage sites on April 12, 1967. This building was constructed at the order of Muzaffar al-Din Shah Qajar, following Iranian architectural patterns, and consists of four floors. At one time, it served as a dormitory for Anis al-Dawlah, one of the wives of Naser al-Din Shah, and a large circular pool was located to the southeast of this building, supplied with water from a qanat. However, after the fall of the Qajar dynasty and the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty, this garden and palace, along with the houses around the pool, were allocated for military use to the police, hence it was named the "Police Barracks" or "Eshratabad." After the revolution, this barracks was confiscated by the IRGC and renamed the "Vali Asr Barracks." An IRGC prison is located in this barracks, where several national-religious forces detained in 2000 were held. In the same context, the prosecutor's office has given the IRGC a deadline to stop construction in Eshratabad.