Khamenei and how he dealt with the crisis of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran

Many countries allocated funds for combatting the coronavirus outbreak and provided requirements and quarantined cities. The goal of these countries was to solve the living and employment problems of the people. But in Iran the case was different. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as the highest authority, declined using his vast financial empire to help people. Instead, Khamenei and his regime, by inaction and cover-up, used the COVID-19 outbreak as a tool to oppress people. In addition, the mullahs’ regime tried to use this virus to force international community to lift sanctions, which are only preventing mullahs to fund terrorism.

Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) declined using their vast financial resources to help people. All the while, Mullahs’ president Hassan Rouhani, and his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, bogusly claimed Iran is unable to provide for the treatment needed by the people due to US sanctions. Rouhani also wanted to blame sanctions for the COVID-19 crisis, to avoid public anger due to the regime’s inaction.

Mr. Massoud Rajavi, the  Iranian resistance leader in his message number 22 on March 9, 2020, tore the veil of hypocrisy of the mullahs. He showed the Iranian people and the Western government that Khamenei has a vast financial empire and that the problem was not the sanctions and the request for a loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Khamenei’s economic empire under attack by “insiders”

After the unveiling Khamenei’s financial empire by the resistance leader the voices of the regime’s insiders gradually rose, each pointing to these foundations’ actions and the need to use their financial capacity to help the people.

Masih Mohajeri, the editor-in-chief of the Jomhuri Eslami state-run newspaper, pointed to Khamenei’s fortunes and said: “What will the executive headquarters of Farman Imam, the Mostazafan Foundation and Astan Quds do if they do not spend their money on the oppressed people?”

Behzad Nabavi said: “There are four institutions in our country that have 60% of the national wealth; Imam Khomeini Command Executive Headquarters, Khatam Construction Headquarters, Astan Quds and the Foundation of the Oppressed.”

“Large holdings are subordinate to the supreme leader, and they own about four-fifths of the country’s wealth and factories, but they do not pay taxes,” said Mohammad-Reza Badamchi, a former member of the parliament’s social commission.

Khamenei’s legendary wealth

Khamenei’s financial empire(The bodies, institutions and assets under the direct management of Khamenei’s office) in the civilian sector

1. Khomeini Command Executive Headquarters: It has seven holdings, a foundation, a pharmaceutical industrial town, and a real estate organization, whose fortune estimated at $95 billion 7 years ago.
2. The Foundation for the Underprivileged: Its declared assets amounts to $21 billion. It includes ten holdings, a bank, and several other companies run directly by Khamenei.
3. Astan Quds Razavi: Astan Quds is a huge economic institution that includes 80 holdings and 50 large companies operating in various financial and commercial fields, including construction, automobiles, pharmacy, agriculture, animal husbandry, food industry, communication technology, mining, oil, and Petrochemical. The value of the endowments of Astan Quds is estimated at $20 billion, which is rented monthly from 300,000 tenants across Iran.
4. Emdad (Relief) Committee, in addition to extorting money from people under the name of charity, which in 2016 estimated at 460 billion tomans, this institution has four holdings in the fields of housing, agriculture, food industry, mining and trade and investment, They are active. The committee also owns 2,700 hectares of land and real estate in various provinces of Iran.

Khamenei’s financial empire in the military sector

1. Khatam Al-Anbia Construction Headquarters: This Body has at least 12 large companies and institutions. It is the main contractor of large government projects in water, oil, tunneling, dam construction, railway, and wharf construction. Due to this camp’s affiliation with the IRGC, the amount of investment and income of this institution is unknown.
2. The Cooperative Foundation of the IRGC: According to Article 10 of its statute, is run directly under Khamenei’s supervision and operates in the fields of banking, financial markets, manufacture of vehicle, telecommunications, and oil and gas. Samen credit institution, which is a subsidiary of this Foundation, has provided more than (equivalent to $43 billion) facilities to its customers by the end of 2009 alone and has had the highest annual interest on deposits.
3.  Basij Cooperative Foundation: this Foundation operates with several holdings and two banks and many companies in the fields of finance, steelmaking, construction, tractor manufacturing, export and import, and mining.
4.  Ghadir Investment Company: This company is apparently owned by the Social Security Organization of the Armed Forces. But in fact, it is under the control and management of Khamenei. This company’s assets include seven holdings that operate in maritime, transportation, industry and mining, finance and trade, electricity and energy, oil and gas, petrochemical, construction, and cement.
5. NAJA Cooperative Foundation: This Foundation belongs to the regime’s police force, but the government has no control over it and is one of the subdivisions of Khamenei’s office. It currently has 11 companies and institutions. In 2015, millions of dollars plundered by this Foundation became public, and Ahmadi Moghaddam, the commander of the police force who was the Foundation’s chairman, fired.