The Theft of an Oil Rig 'Equipped with Advanced Tools and Engines'; Government News Agency: Belongs to Babak Zanjani

A government news agency in Iran confirmed reports of an oil rig being stolen in Khuzestan province, claiming that the stolen rig belonged to private companies owned by Babak Zanjani. According to citizen reports, this oil rig was 'dismantled and looted' by unknown individuals over the course of a week, located seventy kilometers from the Ahvaz-Haftkel road. A video shared on the messaging platform 'X' stated that 'this rig had advanced tools and engines.' The Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, confirmed this news on Tuesday, October 3, citing 'eyewitnesses' who reported that the license plates of the trucks transporting the rig's parts were from Tehran. This government media also noted that 'managers of oil-rich areas and national drilling have no desire to comment' on this news, stating that they 'unofficially denied the attribution of this rig to themselves.' Meysam Sharafi, an oil and energy activist, reacted to this news by reposting the proverb 'A bad root does not yield good fruit, because its foundation is bad,' stating on 'X': 'After the oil rig theft during Ahmadinejad's government, we are now witnessing an oil rig theft during Raisi's government.' The report cited 'an informed source in the oil sector' stating: 'This rig does not belong to the southern oil-rich areas or the national drilling company, but rather to one of Babak Zanjani's private companies.' The IRGC-affiliated news agency also claimed, citing the informed source, that 'Babak Zanjani's private company has inactive rigs in various parts of the country.' Babak Zanjani was a young billionaire who collaborated with Ahmadinejad's government to circumvent international sanctions against Iran's oil industry and banking network; however, he was accused of forgery, money laundering, and fraud in 2013. According to a ruling issued by the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death for 'corruption on earth through disruption of the country's economic system, defrauding the National Oil Company, Bank Maskan, and Social Security, money laundering, forging 24 bank documents and statements, forging currency transfer orders, and forging transfer orders between banks.' Ahmad Mortazavi Moghadam, the then-head of the Supreme Court, announced on July 16, 2021, that Babak Zanjani's death sentence was final, but he might cooperate and receive 'reduction' in his sentence. Bijan Zanganeh, former Minister of Oil, stated in March 2019 regarding Babak Zanjani that 'a group of influential people still support him' and 'his money is outside prison and he directs operations from inside prison.' In August 2022, Rasoul Kouhpayehzadeh, Babak Zanjani's lawyer, announced that obstacles to the repatriation and transfer of his assets to Iran had been removed due to 'the cooperation of the thirteenth government and the IRGC Intelligence Organization,' and 'these conditions were not available in the previous government.'