WASHINGTON, D.C. (YBH) – A list of the foreign bank holdings of some of Iran’s most influential political and religious leaders has been posted on the internet. The list, first posted over at CNN’s iReport, has caused a stir on blogs and websites that support freedom and revolution in Iran.
The list is not credited to a specific source, and it isn’t clear where it came from. Unrest has been growing in the Persian Gulf nation since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected in 2009, in what many observers see as a tainted election. The list, if accurate, is likely to lead to further unrest as the mostly unelected leadership in Iran, at least in terms of raw power, acquired their authority via religious decree.
Religious leader in Iran, Ahmad Jannati, reportedly holds $1 billion overseas.
Among those of note on the list are Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, the former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Iran, who reportedly has over $58 Million is overseas holdings and Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel the former chairman of the Iranian Parliament who is also reported to have $58 million in overseas accounts. Those figures are small when compared with others on the list, like the reputed $500 million-plus held overseas by Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hassan Firouzabadi, and the nearly $1 billion held in the name of Guardian Council member Ahmad Jannati. The Guardian Council acts as a clearing house for legislation, candidate selection, and religious edicts in Iran.
The list of 67 officials, with cumulative billions in overseas holdings, was posted by a user named “MDSTV” on iReport on December 29th of last year. Conservative radio host John Batchelor highlighted the list on his WABC radio show Sunday night.
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John Romano is the publisher and editor of Yes, But However!, a musician, a former political correspondent for BBC Radio London, and a serial web entrepreneur. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/yesbuthowever or John Romano on Google+John Romano article archive.
