Who is the Interim Head of Government? The Cause of Thousands of Deaths During the COVID Pandemic, Trusted by Ali Khamenei and Under U.S. Sanctions

Mohammad Mokhber, the first deputy of Ebrahim Raisi, has been appointed as the interim head of the thirteenth government of the Islamic Republic by Ali Khamenei; a trusted individual of the Supreme Leader who has worked for years in positions under his supervision. Mohammad Mokhber, a 68-year-old politician, was born in 1955 in a religious family in Dezful, and his father was a preacher in this city and temporarily served as the Friday prayer leader. According to Iranian media, Mokhber, who is now set to take on the role of interim head of the executive branch, holds a doctorate in management and economic development planning and a doctorate in international law. Before the 1979 revolution, he was a member of a group called 'Mansouroun,' which was formed in Khuzestan province and operated against the Pahlavi monarchy. From the early years of the 1979 revolution, with the formation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and before moving to Tehran to secure a position within the Islamic Republic's leadership, he became the head of the medical service of the IRGC in Dezful and subsequently held positions in Khuzestan province, including deputy governor and executive deputy of the Khuzestan telecommunications company. He worked for a while at the Foundation of the Oppressed and in 2007 became the head of the 'Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command,' and during his 14 years in this position, he became one of Ali Khamenei's trusted individuals; this is in an organization that, along with three other institutions under the Supreme Leader's supervision, including Astan Quds Razavi, the Foundation of the Oppressed, and Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters of the IRGC, controls more than half of Iran's economy. These institutions are not under the oversight of the parliament and are not accountable to any authority. In 2020, while still serving as the head of the Executive Headquarters of Imam, Mokhber was placed on the U.S. sanctions list and later, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he was one of the individuals who supported Ali Khamenei's decision to ban the import of COVID vaccines from the U.S. and the U.K. At that time, while still the head of the Executive Headquarters of Imam, he became the executor of the COVID vaccine production project at the Barakat Institute under the Supreme Leader's supervision, and since then, his name has been mentioned as one of the individuals who used state resources and privileges for vaccine production; by supporting Ali Khamenei's decision, he became one of the causes of the death of thousands. Mokhber also, during his time as the first deputy of Ebrahim Raisi, was appointed to lead a committee titled 'Monetization of State Assets' for the sale of state assets; a project that faced widespread criticism and lacked transparency. Additionally, his son has been implicated in some corruption cases; Sajad Mokhber is a board member of several investment companies belonging to Pasargad Bank and one of the major bank debtors involved in corruption related to the sale of Iranian oil and has reportedly profited millions of dollars through the sale of Iranian oil under sanctions. Mohammad Mokhber, who has been the first deputy to the president since 2022 and a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, was appointed as the interim head of the thirteenth government by Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, until a successor for Ebrahim Raisi is determined in a maximum of 50 days. Political figures reacted to Raisi's death; Prince Reza Pahlavi: He was Khamenei's and Khomeini's executioner. Reactions to the news of Raisi's death included 'National Helikatlet Celebration' and dancing and distributing sweets in the streets. European lawmakers criticized the EU officials' reaction to Raisi's death: do not express solidarity with the perpetrators of the repression of Iranians. The 'Human Rights Campaign for Iran' warned: the international community should not allow Raisi's death to lead to increased repression. The U.S. reaction to Raisi's death: we will continue to support the people of Iran and confront the actions of the Islamic Republic. The news of Raisi's death and the dancing and joy of the plaintiffs: justice will be served in the 'People's Court or the Mountains of Varzeqan.'