Iran News: Internal Strife as the Iranian Regime Arrests the Nephew of a Former Official on Corruption Charges
Written by
Farid Mahoutchi
State-controlled media in Iran reported yesterday on the arrest of Mo’oud Shamkhani, former technical deputy of the Arvand Free Trade Zone Organization, and nephew of Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tasnim news agency, run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, confirmed that Mo’oud Shamkhani was arrested on charges of “bribery and financial corruption” in Abadan.
While the published text in government media is nearly uniform and indicative of a directive issued from centers of power. However, Iran’s clerical regime has a history of using the arrest of individuals close to the state as a result of power struggles and the sidelining of influential figures. Furthermore, these cases have been exploited for propaganda purposes, with the regime aiming to present itself as impartial in combating corruption while masking the systematic looting of the nation’s wealth.
The state-run Entekhab website wrote on April 28, “An informed source confirmed the arrest of Mo’oud Shamkhani, former technical deputy of the Arvand Free Trade Zone Organization, and nephew of Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, stating, ‘He has been arrested on charges of bribery and financial corruption in Abadan. Mo’oud Shamkhani was appointed as the technical and infrastructure deputy of the Arvand Free Trade Zone Organization in 2015.’”
The Arvand Free Trade Zone encompasses an area of approximately 34,700 hectares, including industrial towns in Abadan, Khorramshahr, Shalamcheh, and Minushahr. The management of this region has witnessed significant changes in recent years due to financial corruption cases.
Esmail Zamani, former CEO of the Arvand Free Trade Zone, was detained in December 2020 on charges related to an economic case. Ahmad Rostami, former deputy of management development and a board member of the Arvand Free Trade Zone, was also arrested in the same year. Susan Joudaki, financial affairs manager, faced detention in that year as well.
#Iran: Why Was SNSC Chief Ali Shamkhani Replaced With Ali Akbar Ahmadian? https://t.co/pVqGGXrwbq
— Ali Safavi (@amsafavi) May 27, 2023
In 2015, Mo’oud Shamkhani was appointed as the “technical and infrastructure deputy of the Arvand Free Trade Zone Organization”. He was appointed to this position after Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, became a board member of the Arvand Free Trade Zone in January 2014. In March 2023, Ali Shamkhani was removed from the board of directors of the Arvand Free Trade Zone by the government of Ebrahim Raisi.
Ali Shamkhani, currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and a political advisor to the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was removed from his position as the regime’s National Security Advisor in May 2023.
In recent years, Shamkhani has faced numerous media attacks from factions closely aligned with Khamenei. These outlets have consistently aired reports alleging corruption cases involving Ali Shamkhani, as well as those allegedly involving his children and relatives, aiming to undermine his status within the regime.