Unawareness of Khamenei's Order; IRGC: We Have No Economic Activities

The parliamentary deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied the economic activities of this military institution and stated that he is unaware of the Supreme Leader's order regarding the transfer of the IRGC's economic enterprises. Mohammad Saleh Jokar said on Thursday, January 25, to the 'Etemad Online' media outlet: 'I could not access the Leader's order and have not seen it... [but] this news that says the IRGC and the army have economic activities is questionable.' On the last day of the previous month, Amir Hatami, the Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic, told the Iran newspaper that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has tasked the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran to pursue the transfer of 'unrelated' economic enterprises in the IRGC, the army, and the Ministry of Defense. According to him, the activities of the armed forces will continue only in the area of 'construction,' including the activities of the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters of the IRGC, based on the government's needs. However, the parliamentary deputy of the IRGC raised the question of the source of the Minister of Defense's statements, adding: 'The IRGC does not have any economic activities that would be profitable for it.' He stated that 'all the activities of the IRGC are construction-related, carried out within the framework of the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters. The activities of this headquarters are general and belong to the entire country and system, and are in infrastructure areas such as roads and water, from which the people ultimately benefit.' Mohammad Saleh Jokar added that 'the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters participates in government projects but does not receive any money for it and is essentially owed nearly 30 trillion tomans by the government, yet it continues to execute projects.' These statements come at a time when many political figures, including Ahmad Tavakoli, a former member of parliament considered a principlist, and Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, have strongly criticized the economic activities of military institutions. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, also criticized the presence of military institutions in Iran's economy earlier this July, stating that 'part of the economy was in the hands of a gunless government, which we handed over to a gun-wielding government.' These remarks led to severe criticisms from the commanders of the IRGC.