Moslehi: Mahdi Hashemi's Group Will Release Another Audio Tape in the Coming Month

The Minister of Intelligence during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term has attributed the release of an audio tape by Ayatollah Montazeri regarding the executions of summer 1988 to the 'Mahdi Hashemi gang' and claimed that 'according to obtained information', this group will release another audio tape 'within a month'. According to a report by Mehr News Agency, Haidar Moslehi claimed on Saturday at a conference organized by the IRGC in Shiraz that Mahdi Hashemi and his 'spy team' became active in the country 'under the guidance of the CIA' and 'stood alongside [Ayatollah] Montazeri'. He asserted that 'according to obtained information, another tape from Mahdi Hashemi and his team will be released in the coming month, and various plans have certainly been made for it'. However, Mr. Moslehi did not provide further details on this matter. Mahdi Hashemi, a prominent figure in the early years of the Islamic Republic and one of the founders of the IRGC, was arrested after the revelation of the connection between Islamic Republic officials and Robert McFarlane, the then National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan, known as Iran-Contra, and was sentenced to death after his televised confessions. He was the brother-in-law of Ayatollah Montazeri and various quotes from Ayatollah Khomeini were published during his trial and after his execution, warning from the beginning about his presence in the office of the then deputy leader. In this context, Haidar Moslehi claimed that Ayatollah Montazeri 'stood against the revolution due to the presence of such individuals beside him during his vice leadership'. The audio file of Ayatollah Montazeri's meeting with the four-member decision-making committee regarding the summer 1988 executions was released a few months ago by Ahmad Montazeri, the son of Ayatollah Montazeri, and although Ayatollah Montazeri's website deleted the file under pressure from the Ministry of Intelligence within 24 hours, it received widespread attention in both domestic and foreign media. Domestic media, which have refrained from addressing the summer 1988 executions for nearly three decades, this time only reported reactions to the release of the audio tape related to these executions, but nonetheless, for the first time since these executions, the subject was mentioned in domestic media. During this incident, Ahmad Montazeri, who was sentenced to 21 years in prison for releasing this audio file, reported that there are other files from the time of Ayatollah Montazeri's vice leadership available for release, but after the court ruling, he stated that there is currently no possibility for the release of new files. Of the ruling issued for Ahmad Montazeri, only 6 years are set to be enforced. 'Enemies' Planning for Marriages of Prominent Figures' Children' The Minister of Intelligence during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term also warned on Saturday that 'many marriages between the children of prominent figures have been planned by enemy intelligence services'. He did not provide further details on this matter but stated that the goal of the 'enemies' planning for such marriages is to 'gain influence and impose their goals and plans on the figures'. This former security official had also stated in January 2016 that in the years following the revolution, 'we have witnessed the infiltration of a current in the form of influence in decision-making'. He claimed that the arrogance succeeded in the assassination of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's personality through 'massive investment' and that in the last two years of his presidency, decisions made due to 'the influence of individuals in the President's office' were entirely directed towards the assassination of his character. Although he did not provide further explanations regarding the alleged decision-making in Ahmadinejad's office at that time, the period he referred to, namely the last two years of the tenth government, was when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attempted to change the management of the Ministry of Intelligence by deciding to dismiss Mr. Moslehi. This effort was thwarted by the Supreme Leader's decree for Haidar Moslehi's return to work. Additionally, the composition of the presidency office during Ahmadinejad's second term was criticized by conservatives to the extent that they referred to Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the then head of Ahmadinejad's office, and his surrounding circle as a deviant current.