The Mystery of Porsche Imports in the 'Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation'

Iranian newspapers Iran and Shahrvand highlighted the remarks of President Hassan Rouhani during his visit to North Khorasan province, quoting him as saying, 'Those who say sanctions are not important are unaware of the people's situation.' According to Iran newspaper, Rouhani stated on Sunday, the second anniversary of the June 24, 2013 elections, in Bojnurd: 'The Iranian nation wants joy, economic prosperity, and centrifuges.' The newspaper Etemad also reported on its front page that the President said, 'We want the people's happiness.' In his speech at Bojnurd Stadium, Rouhani said, 'We want a nation that honors the values of Islam, faith, spirituality, and ethics. We are a joyful and lively nation. Is there any harm in you people feeling uplifted when the name of the eighth Imam is mentioned, and feeling happy when local music is played? Are we against the joy and vitality of the people? We rejoice on the 15th of Ramadan and we weep for the 19th and 21st of Ramadan.' However, the newspaper Javan assessed Rouhani's remarks at the North Khorasan Administrative Council as more significant, stating that Rouhani 'drew red lines.' According to this newspaper, Rouhani declared the preservation of enrichment, the continuation of research and development, and the lifting of resolutions and economic sanctions as Iran's red lines in negotiations. Simultaneously, the Resalat newspaper quoted Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, stating: 'The Additional Protocol requires parliamentary approval.' The Shargh newspaper, under the headline 'Ejei's Response,' reported that one day after President Rouhani labeled the ban on Mohammad Khatami's media appearances as 'lies,' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, spokesman for the judiciary, stated: 'The ban on the former reformist president is based on the prosecutor's order, not the Supreme National Security Council,' and 'as long as this prosecutor's order remains in effect, anyone who opposes it will face consequences.' The Aftab Yazd newspaper published a report about 'delays in cash subsidy payments,' stating: 'The reason for the delay in payments is still unknown, but it seems the government has scenarios for the June subsidy payments.' The Shargh newspaper reported on the 'mystery of Porsche imports in the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation,' focusing on officials' positions regarding the violations that occurred in the foundation, stating: 'The importation of 27,000 luxury vehicles by the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation caused a wave of astonishment but got lost amid the uproar of dirty money.' Shargh also reported on the increase of 'three billion tomans in bail for Saeed Mortazavi.' Mahsa Jazini wrote in the Shargh newspaper that the investigator of the 15th branch of the Government Employees Court issued an indictment for Mortazavi and added three billion tomans to his previous bail in the social security case, while previously a bail of two billion tomans had been issued for the former Tehran prosecutor and head of the previous government's social security. Additionally, about the Kahrizak case, 'approximately three billion tomans had been issued, bringing the total bail amounts for Mortazavi to eight billion tomans.' The Jahan San'at newspaper reported on the communications minister's statements regarding the potential filtering of 'Telegram' due to the ease of creating 'offensive stickers of officials.' Abbas Shaeri Moghadam, deputy oil minister and CEO of the National Petrochemical Company, told Zahra Ali Akbari of Etemad newspaper: 'We sold 39 trillion tomans worth of shares, but we gained nothing.' The CEO of the National Petrochemical Company stated that the company's receivables amount to '7.7 trillion tomans' and said: 'All our assets have been sold to the private sector or transferred to settle debts. According to law, 70% of the proceeds from their sale should have been allocated to the National Petrochemical Company for new project infrastructure, but unfortunately, it has been spent on cash subsidies for the people,' and 'the government currently cannot meet our receivables.' Amir Abbas Kalhor, in a report titled 'The Mission of Moderates' in Farhikhtegan newspaper, emphasized that moderates in Parliament are taking action to defend the government, stating: 'The faction of the followers of the Wilayat decided on Sunday to first prevent the reintroduction and processing of the impeachment proposal for the Minister of Education and then delay the review of the 'obligation of the government to preserve nuclear achievements' proposal. Mohammad Emami, in an editorial for Kayhan newspaper titled 'Rouhani and the Arrogant Liberals,' criticized the eleventh government president, stating: 'Mr. Rouhani recently said he is not worried about negotiations and is hopeful. He accuses critics of being unaware of the people's situation and benefiting from sanctions.' The editorial writer of Kayhan wrote: 'When might Mr. Rouhani become worried and concerned about the negotiation process? Should the U.S. and the West demand an interrogation of the President based on his previous role as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and knowledge of the nuclear program for him to become worried and concerned?' Mohammad Emami also wrote: 'Mr. Rouhani can become a veil for neglect and not seeing the corrupt, revisionist, and opportunistic circles that act against the principles of the revolution, just as Hashemi Rafsanjani, Khatami, and Ahmadinejad did,' although 'Rouhani still has the opportunity to make amends if he can protect himself from the harm of arrogance, unaccountability, and misplaced trust in foreigners.' The Iran newspaper dedicated its front page to the victory of the Iranian national volleyball team over Russia, stating: 'The Iranian national volleyball team managed to defeat Russia at their home with a decisive 3-0 victory.' The Arman newspaper featured Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on its front page, quoting him as saying: 'In Esfand, we have two elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts, both of which are important for the country; I have always felt that wherever I feel my duty is to intervene, I will come. If I feel I should not intervene, I will not come based on my own judgment.' The Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper featured Mohsen Jalalpour, the new head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, on its front page. This newspaper reported under the headline 'Spring Cleaning in the Economic Parliament' that 'the elections for the board of directors and the president of the Iran Chamber of Commerce were held on Sunday, with 424 representatives present to determine the selected individuals in the Iran Chamber. The presidency of the Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture was decisively won by Mohsen Jalalpour, while Pedram Soltani, Masoud Khansari, Mohammad Reza Ansari, and Gholamhossein Shafiei were also elected as vice presidents with a majority of votes, and Hossein Pir-Mohsen was elected as treasurer, with Keyvan Kashafi serving as secretary alongside other board members.' 'New scenarios for targeted subsidies' were cited as the reason for the delay in cash subsidy payments. The Aftab Yazd newspaper, while publishing a report about 'delays in cash subsidy payments,' stated: 'The reason for the delay in payments is still unknown, but it seems the government has scenarios for the June subsidy payments.' This newspaper noted that 'the government cannot sustain cash subsidies in the current manner due to revenue shortfalls,' emphasizing that 'after the single pricing of gasoline and the increase in gas prices, it may now be the turn of cash subsidies to potentially fill the empty pockets of the government by eliminating certain income brackets.' Aftab Yazd pointed out that 'the third phase of targeted subsidies has begun away from the media and in ignorance, while its details have not been revealed in a press conference or even in a notice, but rather through unprecedented delays.' The economic losses of providing subsidies to everyone outweigh the social benefits, and the government has accepted the social costs of eliminating subsidies for the wealthy and has examined the adverse economic effects on social benefits, which is why it is pursuing delayed and adjusted payments, ultimately aiming for elimination. According to this newspaper, following the delay in the June cash subsidy payments, the government's information base announced in a statement without detailing the cause of the delay: 'The fifty-second cash subsidy related to June of this year will be deposited into the accounts of household heads at 24:00 on Tuesday, June 26, at the rate of 45,500 tomans per person and will be available for withdrawal.' Aftab Yazd emphasized that 'if the cash subsidy is paid on Tuesday, it will have a five-day delay.' Ibrahim Neko, a representative of the ninth parliament, confirmed the possible elimination of some subsidy recipients, telling this newspaper: 'The government has certainly put this on its agenda, as a number of cash subsidy recipients have been eliminated, but the subsidies will be paid soon.' This parliament representative noted that 'the government has multiple reasons for the delay, one of which may be the policy of elimination; for example, it could be related to the government's difficulty in securing funding, which I believe the government has certainly faced.' He stated: 'The government will not eliminate subsidies entirely because it would politically harm it. We must always remember that since the government inherited the subsidies from the previous administration, if an elimination occurs, it will be compared by the people with the previous government,' adding that 'the upcoming tenth parliamentary elections are very important for the government to not lose its supporters, although the government may have other long-term plans.' Aftab Yazd also quoted Ibrahim Neko as saying: 'Eliminating some subsidy recipients, provided it is correctly identified, is appropriate and logical. In this regard, the government will soon eliminate a portion that likely includes individuals who are not sensitive and will not show concern.' The mystery of Porsche imports in the 'Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation' was reported by the Shargh newspaper, which focused on officials' positions regarding the violations that occurred in the foundation, stating: 'The importation of 27,000 luxury vehicles by the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation caused a wave of astonishment but got lost amid the uproar of dirty money.' Ameneh Shirafkan, a parliamentary reporter for Shargh, reviewed the statements of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, during his attendance to provide explanations about 'dirty money,' writing that the Minister 'retreated from previous positions on that specific issue [dirty money], but at one point mentioned the importation of luxury vehicles, including BMW and Porsche,' stating that 'over 100 individuals imported 27,000 luxury vehicles into the country through the Relief Foundation, and unfortunately, the rights of the underprivileged were exploited.' The Shargh newspaper noted that these statements by Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli were 'met with silence and, of course, denials,' writing that 'Parviz Fattah, the Minister of Power in Ahmadinejad's government, who has recently become the head of the Relief Foundation, denied what the Minister of Interior attributed to this institution, stating: 'The Relief Foundation has not imported any vehicles of any kind or from any customs.' Parviz Fattah also referred to a decree from the tenth government, stating that based on that decree, 'residents of southern regions could import vehicles with their residency cards, but it should be emphasized that Relief Foundation beneficiaries also live in border areas, and some individuals who had sufficient funds took the cards of these individuals and paid a small amount of about one hundred thousand tomans to these individuals and imported vehicles using their cards, and the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation did not import any vehicles at all.' Abad Fattahi, a representative from Urmia in the ninth parliament, commented on the explanations of the new head of the Relief Foundation to Shargh newspaper, saying: 'In fact, Mr. Fattah and other officials should be asked why they remained silent regarding that decree, why the parliament did not take action to revoke that decree, and ultimately, someone should confirm whether these 27,000 Porsches and BMWs were imported or not. Whether it was through someone else's card or whether the Relief Foundation was directly involved is another matter.' Shargh quoted Hamid Ghader Marzi, another parliament representative, as saying: 'The Minister's statements regarding the importation of 27,000 vehicles by the Relief Foundation is not something that can be easily overlooked; of course, the parliament was not aware of this issue, but it must be seen specifically which violations were managed during which period and by whom.' Ahmad Amir Abadi Farahani, a representative from Qom, however, sarcastically addressed the Minister of Interior, saying: 'Mr. Minister wanted to fix the eyebrow but ended up blinding the eye. He mentioned in the parliament that the Relief Foundation imported a number of luxury cars like Porsche and BMW, which caused a loss of trust among the people in this revolutionary institution and the legacy of the Imam.' Shargh also published other parts of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli's statements that have received little attention in recent weeks, noting that during his presence in the parliament, 'the Minister also made other statements that have not faced opposition or denial until today,' including that 'we have 9,570 companies in one of the islands, of which 2,814 companies are registered with just one address. Also, 99% of the postal codes of registered companies on this island are the same digit, which has resulted in the country losing out on 20 billion dollars in taxes that it should have received due to these evasions and money laundering.'