The $30 Billion Income of Sanctions Profiteers

The newspaper Etemad has a report on the sidelines of the 'non-public' court regarding the assailants of Ali Motahari in Shiraz, quoting the representative's lawyer, who stated that there are 11 defendants in this case, noting that 'some of the defendants held positions.' The newspaper Shargh published an image of a document implicating Saeed Mortazavi in the national corruption case of Babak Zanjani in its Wednesday issue. The newspaper Javan reported on 'a meeting about the future of Syria in Tehran,' stating that 'one day after the trilateral negotiations of the foreign ministers of the USA, Russia, and Saudi Arabia in Doha, the Syrian foreign minister came to Tehran, and apparently, a trilateral meeting between Iranian, Syrian, and Russian officials is to be held in Tehran.' The newspaper Teadval highlighted in its front page the statement of the head of the Iran Chamber of Guilds regarding the '30 billion dollar income of sanctions profiteers.' The newspaper Khorasan reported on the execution of the second amputation sentence for the second defendant involved in bank robberies in Mashhad over two days. This newspaper noted the execution of the right hand and left foot of two prisoners on Monday and Tuesday, emphasizing that both sentences were carried out in Mashhad Central Prison in the presence of other prisoners for 'violent crimes.' The pressure group in Shiraz regarding the court case of the attack on Ali Motahari was also reported by Etemad, stating that Ali Motahari himself did not attend court on Tuesday, but his lawyer was present. Mustafa Turk Hamdani mentioned that 'not all defendants were present in court. Due to the extensive nature of the case and the large number of defendants, only the statements of three defendants and their lawyer were taken and addressed today, while the statements of the remaining attackers on Mr. Motahari were postponed to the next court session.' Regarding the presence of some 'military personnel' among the defendants in the court case of the attack on Ali Motahari, the lawyer stated, 'I will not comment on the identity of individuals for now, but I must say that there are individuals among the defendants who held positions, but I refrain from providing details since the court is held non-publicly, and details of the non-public court are considered confidential. However, it is a fact that some of the defendants in the case of the attack on Mr. Motahari hold positions.' The lawyer emphasized that the representative's request is to investigate the charges against 'the instigators and perpetrators of the attack,' and he expressed satisfaction with the court proceedings, stating, 'Both the court's handling of the case and the preliminary investigations and the procedures of the criminal procedure in this case were satisfactory for me as Mr. Motahari's lawyer, who is the plaintiff in this case. Overall, I must say that the case against the attackers on Mr. Motahari has been well closed in Shiraz and referred to the court.' Ehsan Akbarpour, a reporter for Etemad who attended the court session regarding the attackers on Ali Motahari in Shiraz, wrote in his report: 'It is strange, perhaps, that just a few days before the court of the attackers on Ali Motahari, the court location was moved to a new building 20 meters from Police Station 20 Gol-Sarakh, and the first session to address the charges against the motorcyclists who attacked the son of Allameh Motahari with tomatoes, bricks, and pepper spray was held in the vicinity of the incident.' According to Etemad, during the court session, 'the noticeable presence of law enforcement officers at the entrance of the building aroused the curiosity of visitors. On the other hand, several conscripts had closed the branch 101 of the Criminal Court 2, where the court for Ali Motahari was held, and even did not allow lawyers to enter, and even the lawyer of Ali Motahari was given limited access to attend the court session.' The newspaper Shargh published an image of a document implicating Saeed Mortazavi in the national corruption case of Babak Zanjani. Ameneh Shirafkan, a parliamentary reporter for Shargh, wrote in the front page titled 'Mortazavi's Signature on Zanjani's Document': 'Mortazavi denies and the representatives insist. The former prosecutor of Tehran stated regarding his connection with Zanjani that he does not confirm this matter, claiming that his connection with Babak Zanjani is a lie and slander. However, members of parliament not only do not consider it slander but correctly refer to the official signatures of contracts between Mortazavi and Zanjani, jokingly suggesting that perhaps Mr. Mortazavi has early-onset Alzheimer's. Hossein Dehdashti, a representative from Abadan who has information about the Babak Zanjani case, referred to the documents in the 'Sun Special Issue,' which provided numerous documents from Mortazavi's management period, and according to some representatives, it was a significant blunder by Mortazavi. Dehdashti presented a document dated 'December 7, 2012,' to Shargh, stating that on this date 'an agreement was signed between the Social Security Organization and the Sorinet Qeshm Holding, according to which many companies outside the investment strategy of the Social Security Organization were assigned to this holding, and it was agreed that the funds related to this agreement would be deposited into the foreign currency account of the Social Security Organization at Bank Maskan.' The representative from Abadan in the ninth parliament, citing 'images of contracts,' stated to Shargh that 'there are three images of contracts between Saeed Mortazavi and Babak Zanjani' that 'indicate serious economic cooperation between the two,' but 'how these two reached each other in the Social Security Organization is one of the questions we hope further investigations and handling of Mortazavi's case will clarify.' Dehdashti emphasized that the agreement between Saeed Mortazavi and Babak Zanjani 'was not coincidental,' stating, 'The fact that the drafting and signing of the agreement was done so quickly indicates that there are issues at play, whether intermediaries are involved or they wanted to cover up the matter in some way. It is naive to consider this meeting between the two as coincidental.' According to Shargh, the representative from Abadan in the ninth parliament emphasized that 'the patronage network supporting Zanjani and Mortazavi is the same,' and 'my question to the authorities is which individuals benefited from these inter-institutional collaborations, which individuals and institutions brought these two closer together, and in fact, the more important question is who the hidden others are - not Zanjani and Mortazavi, but those others.' Amir Abbas Soltani, a representative from Boroujen in the ninth parliament, also emphasized that 'the cooperation between Mortazavi and Zanjani was directed,' referring to the multiple pressures he faced while pursuing this case, stating that right from the beginning, 'some of Zanjani's intermediaries' contacted him and 'asked him to leave Zanjani and his case alone,' but Amir Abbas Soltani stated: 'The water has passed over my head, and I will not back down from these threats. The money that Zanjani took is public funds.' The newspaper Shargh also reported that during the 'transfer of the Tabriz power plant,' 'Babak Zanjani and Saeed Mortazavi had a joint 150 billion tomans of violations.' This newspaper noted that 'Mortazavi's trial has ended,' stating: 'The former prosecutor of Tehran attended these sessions with reluctance and repeatedly denied, whether in the case of Kahrizak or in the matter of the Social Security Organization. The outcome of Mortazavi's trial will soon be determined. Not only the Kahrizak case but the reported accusations in the Social Security Organization have made his burden heavier than ever, yet Mortazavi continues to speak with the same spirit and confidence as always, as if nothing has changed and no trace of him has been recorded in the least of the violation cases.' The newspaper Javan reported on 'a meeting about the future of Syria in Tehran,' stating that 'one day after the trilateral negotiations of the foreign ministers of the USA, Russia, and Saudi Arabia in Doha, the Syrian foreign minister came to Tehran, and apparently, a trilateral meeting between Iranian, Syrian, and Russian officials is to be held in Tehran.' This newspaper noted that 'Walid al-Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister, arrived in Tehran amidst discussions about strengthening diplomatic processes surrounding the Syrian crisis on Tuesday evening,' reporting that Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran's deputy foreign minister, had recently announced 'a strategic shift in the perspectives of regional actors regarding Syria,' a topic that has become more prominent following the closed-door meeting of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the USA, and Russia in Doha. The newspaper Javan also mentioned that 'last week, it was reported that Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria's National Security Council, met with Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia; a meeting that is said to have taken place within the framework of a Russian plan.' The newspaper noted that 'under such circumstances, the almost simultaneous arrival of Walid al-Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister, and Sergey Bogdanov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, in Tehran could have a specific meaning and significance,' although 'diplomatic sources in Tehran say that Walid al-Muallem's trip to Tehran was pre-planned, but Bogdanov's trip to Tehran was not pre-planned and is likely related to the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the USA, and Russia in Qatar and developments related to it, which Amir Abdollahian referred to as a 'strategic shift in the perspectives of regional actors.' According to this newspaper, the Syrian foreign minister is expected to 'meet with Mohammad Javad Zarif and other Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani,' and Sergey Bogdanov also 'confirmed the holding of a meeting of the deputies of the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, and Syria after his meeting and talks with Hossein Amir Abdollahian.' The newspaper Javan also reported on 'details of Tehran's modified plan to resolve the Syrian crisis,' stating that 'according to this plan, the first clause calls for an immediate cessation of war and a ceasefire in this country. According to this source, the second clause calls for the formation of a national unity government in Syria. The third clause also includes constitutional reforms based on agreement and assurance to the sectarian groups in Syria. The fourth clause also includes a request for elections under international supervision in Syria.'