Systemic financial corruption is nothing new in Iran. And most such cases are directly or indirectly linked to regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his office.
In the latest example, the story of the 4,000-square-meter theft of the Ozgol garden by Kazem Saddiqi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Tehran, was still hot when the news of the ultra-luxurious wedding of Ali Shamkhani’s daughter broke. Shamkhani, the former secretary of the Supreme Council of National Security and one of the closest Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member to the Supreme Leader, shocked the impoverished society of Iran.
Shamkhani is among IRGC members who have been dubbed “Sanctions Profiteers!” in the internal power struggles of the regime because their billion-dollar and astronomical embezzlements happening during the sanctions. Since they are among the closest to the Supreme Leader, they do everything to ensure that not only are the sanctions not lifted, but they are intensified, at the cost of increased hunger and poverty for the people.
But what is the story of Shamkhani’s latest disgrace?
During the war between the thief gangs and mafias of the clerical regime, a rival gang leaked the news that Shamkhani had rented the most expensive hotel, namely the “Espinas Plus Hotel,” for his daughter’s wedding (Source: Faraz – April 20).
This gang, in its own media outlets, disclosed that Shamkhani had paid 13.65 trillion rials, equivalent to approximately 22,000 dollars at the time’s exchange rate, to rent such a venue.
This is happening while the minimum wage for a hardworking Iranian laborer for the current year has been set slightly above 70 million rials. This means that Shamkhani, who is very close to Khamenei, has paid an amount equivalent to the salary of 195 months of an Iranian worker for just one night of his daughter’s wedding celebration.
Of course, such a hefty sum is considered pocket change for Shamkhani, just like other leaders of the regime.
The disgrace is to the extent that even regime journalist Morteza Danaii revealed that the designer of the wedding invitation card simply tricked Shamkhani and created a card using default templates from the free program “Canva,” for which they received millions of rials. (Source: Arman-e Melli newspaper – April 23).
The payment of such a hefty amount for a worthless counterfeit card may be astonishing for us, but for Shamkhani, it neither surprises nor elicits regret. For him, millions of rials are merely incidental money.
In 2019, during the war between the mafia gangs of the regime, another corner of Shamkhani’s staggering wealth was exposed. For example:
– The cost of his son Ali’s university expenses in Lebanon is $10,000.
– Ownership of the “Admiral” shipping company, which is one of the most profitable regime-owned companies.
– Acquiring the best lands in expensive areas of Tehran and engaging in construction projects with astronomical profits, including on Farshad Street.
– Building a palace-like villa in Lavasan.
– Employing his son-in-law, Mirmohammad Ali, as a contractor for luxury villas in Lavasan, each of which is worth billions (Sources: Entekhab news website and Arman-e Melli newspaper – April 2024).
However, we should not expect that other aspects of the wealth of Shamkhani would be mentioned in this article.
Why?
First, because this is just the tip of the iceberg that has been exposed.
Second, it cannot be covered in a single article; it requires an extensive compilation.
But the examples cited are just the tip of the iceberg. From the mullah Saddeqi to Shamkhani, i.e., those closest to Khamenei, they are pocketing legendary fortunes through the plunder of the Iranian people.
Now, imagine how much wealth Khamenei himself possesses.
