Mahdi Hashemi Denies Tweet on Corruption Involving Khamenei's Son

Mahdi Hashemi, while implicitly denying a tweet attributed to him about Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated that this rumor was spread by 'agents' of individuals who have been trying to separate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through 'case-making' against him. According to the state news agency IRNA, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, who is currently imprisoned, emphasized in a Facebook message published by 'one of the family members' that he has 'never' had a Twitter account. On Sunday, August 18, Mahdi Hashemi reported to Evin Prison to serve his sentence and stated before entering that he does not consider the court's ruling 'fair and legal' and believes 'political motives are the main factor' behind it. Last week, a report circulated on social media claiming that Mahdi Hashemi had tweeted to the head of the judiciary demanding an investigation into the economic corruption of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the Supreme Leader. The tweet attributed to Mahdi Hashemi mentioned various economic corruptions involving Mojtaba Khamenei, including 'the Irancell license, selling oil at low prices to the British royal family, accumulating over six billion pounds in British banks and large amounts in Asian and European banks including Switzerland, and smuggling five tons and 800 kilograms of gold bullion to Turkey.' The tweet also claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei owns 'close to two million and four hundred thousand dollars in cash in Moscow, Armenia, and Georgia, numerous properties such as five-star hotels and luxurious homes in Moscow, Yerevan, Ashgabat, and Dubai, a food factory in Moscow, and an industrial factory in Yerevan.' On Friday evening, a message was published by 'one of the members of the Hashemi Rafsanjani family' on Mahdi Hashemi's Facebook page, emphasizing that he has 'never' had a Twitter account. The son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in this message, pointed out that he does not have internet access in prison, describing the rumor of tweeting from the prison yard as 'a source of amusement' and, on the other hand, 'a contemplation of an important issue.' Mahdi Hashemi accused those who, according to him, have been 'trying to fabricate a case' against him of seeking to separate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but they have 'historically and bitterly failed in public opinion.' He added, 'These rumors have also been spread by their agents, and I asked family members to request the esteemed Ministry of Intelligence to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the locations of the psychological operation rooms of this group.' In recent years, especially after the 2009 presidential elections, reports have emerged regarding the economic activities of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei, as well as his interference in government institutions. Mehdi Karroubi, a candidate in the 2005 presidential elections, had also implicitly accused Mojtaba Khamenei of interfering in that election in a letter to the Supreme Leader. After the 2009 presidential elections, reports of Mojtaba Khamenei's involvement in suppressing protesters and his economic activities were also published. Meanwhile, one of the reports cited by the U.S. Embassy in London on the WikiLeaks website mentioned that Mojtaba Khamenei traveled to London four times for infertility treatment. Opposition media to the Supreme Leader also reported that one million pounds were spent for the birth of Mojtaba Khamenei's child. Following reports about a truck carrying gold and currency worth eighteen and a half billion dollars leaving Iran for Turkey in 2009, some opposition websites attributed this incident to Mojtaba Khamenei. Gholamali Haddad Adel, a representative from Tehran in the parliament and Mojtaba Khamenei's father-in-law, denied these accusations in a speech in 2012, stating that these reports were published to 'create distance' between the people and the Supreme Leader.