A Daily Briefing on Iran: The Man Behind the President

Arash Mahdavi, Rooz Online:

The president is nippy and abrasive.

This is what all those who have worked closely with him during his 2-month tenure acknowledge. This is how he is not only with his presidential staff, but also with the members of the cabinet and his advisors. There is only person who is treated differently: Mojtaba Hashemi Samareh. President Ahmadinejad deals with him respectably, even stands behind him for his prayers - a practice that indicates exceptional respect and trust – and even requests other present clerics to do the same. So who is Mojataba Hashemi Samareh? READ MORE

The most distant recollections of “brother Mojtaba”, as Samareh was then known, go back to the province of Kurdestan in Western Iran, bordering Iraq, and his encounters with the people of that part of Iran. Samareh was connected to both the Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps and the intelligence agencies. His encounter with Ahmadinejad too had a different flavor in those days. Samareh was mingled with right-wing circles even in those days and gradually found his way into ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi’s circle, and became his confidant. Those who had seen him in Ahmadinejad’s presidential campaign offices recall that instead of hanging a portrait of ayatollah Khomeini or even Khamenei, as is the custom among Iranian political figures, Samareh conspicuously displayed a portrait of ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi on his desk, indicating his allegiance.

On recommendations from Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a Majlis (Parliament) deputy, Samareh found his way into the Foreign Ministry of Iran that was at the time overseen by Ali Akbar Velayati. He soon became the director of the Placement Office of the ministry that checked on the backgrounds of ministry staff that requested to be posted to an Iranian mission abroad. It was normal practice in those days that any ministry staff who wished to be posted outside Iran would spend a few days in the basement offices of this department, and be quarantined and grilled. Samareh himself participated in the interrogations. This security approach prior in qualifying staff to be send abroad lead to considerable complaints in the ministry. But since a rejection by the Placement office could even remove a diplomat from his professional job, most of those called to appear before the office showed up and accepted the grilling.

According to witnesses, there were times when 10 employees would be simultaneously residing in the basement. In addition interviews that the intelligence and security staff would hold and the counter-intelligence training that would be provided to the to-be-appointed staff, Samareh too would talk to them. His words have remained with the staff till today.

This training included topics such as how to trap staff, the use of sex in obtaining information or intelligence, how to live abroad, how to control people around yourself, etc. Samareh was referred to as teacher and his training was completely different and was called “the psychology of the infidels.”

Two Foreign Ministry staff have described the contents of Samareh’s training classes in the following words:“From where does deviation start? From the lines on your pants, your shoes and a smile. A diplomat from the Islamic Republic, whose pants are well creased, in addition to indicating his preference for royalty and privilege and a weakness to pro-Western intelligence agents, can be a sign that the person is not dedicated to prayers, even though his forehead may have a dark spot, indicating that he actually touches the praying stone with his forehead.

Shoes are a good way to recognize a devout Muslim. He wears the type that can be taken off any time to wash his feet for prayers. But he who wears polished, fashionable and laced shoes, clearly does not take them off. Shoes whose back is not pressed down belong to a person who is not ready to wash them for prayers. Furthermore, when you step into someone’s house, if shoes are not present right at the door in a mosque fashion, even if they are neatly stores on a shelf inside the house, indicate that the house-owner is disinclined for the shoes to be taken off at the entrance, like a mosque.

Smiling at strangers and those visiting offices is a Western idea and speaks of a person who wishes to win the heart of the visitor. But who are the individuals who visit our embassies abroad? With the exception of a few whom we know, the rest are either foreigners whom we assume to be spies or counter-revolutionary Iranians. If some of them have been identified and you wish to recruit them, then you must follow the special regulations for that.

To us, there is no such thing as an ordinary staff member. Everybody, even a clerk or a cook, is an agent to disseminate or gather intelligence, someone who is ready for martyrdom. This is someone who takes his final bath before going to work everyday, and thus prepares himself for possible martyrdom.

Watch for where your colleagues go on weekend holidays, be it Friday, or Sunday. ‘Went for a walk with the family’ is a common excuse to escape from Friday congressional prayers and praying alone. The repetition of such behavior is a sign of weakness. Assume that a foul behavior exists.”

Those who knew Samareh during his days at the Foreign Ministry say that his department also provided confidential training material which had to be returned after being read. It was normal practice in those days to send inspectors to Iran’s foreign missions. They sometimes appeared as applicants at the legations. Electronic surveillance was common at the embassies and consulates too. These were controlled by individuals who hid their allegiance to the Islamic Republic and its principles.

Samareh had said these words on many occasions: “When I was wounded in a war battle during the Iran-Iraq war and did not die, it was a sign that I was not worthy of martyrdom. I pledged with myself right then not to express myself and behave as if I did not exist so others would not feel my presence.” He has never taken part in a press interview, and never appears in any parties or actively avoids the camera. This explains why there are no photographs of him anywhere.

One of the words that he uses a lot is “royalty” (ashrafiyat) which he equates with bad religious beliefs. He puts most ambassadors and high ranking government officials in this category. The fact that they wear clean clothes and try to appear polite and royal is the best sign of them being poorly religiously inclined.

Foreign Ministry staff also have stories about Mojtaba Samareh’s foreign trips. According to them, he refrains from going to hotels or even guest houses of the embassies and sleeps in the mosque. He has often slept in the mosques of London and Hamburg. And in all such situations, he is surrounded by special security agents who are tasked to protect him and watch on others who encircle and listen to him.

For a number of years Samareh was not heard of and he did not appear in any official activities. During those years he was busy assisting organize the forces and supporters of ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, along with other right-wing groups. He is considered to be part of the Mehdi Hashemi right-wing circle. The results of his activities in such organizational work appeared later during the election of councils – won by right-wingers – and later the multi-layered elections of the president last June that brought Ahmadinejad to the presidential palace.

Samareh went to Tehran’s municipality with Ahmadinejad, where he continued his previous activities. Municipality staff who have not forgotten Ahmadinejad’s insulting and abrasive behavior recall that only in the presence of Samareh would he calm down. There, Samareh was involved in every thing that went on. Ahmadinejad who was known not to tolerate any criticism would remain silent and accepting in the presence of Samareh. While Samareh never officially or publicly engaged in any activity of the Municipality and the mayor of Tehran, he was active and involved behind the scenes. “We are getting ready for a larger task”, he would tell others. At one time he was so in conflict with one of the mayors of Tehran that it almost lead to physical clashes. That mayor was immediately removed from office, and while he filed a complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court, his case was not acted on due to “prudent thinking”. The former mayor was posted elsewhere and the file was eventually closed without any action, like many others.

During the three months that Ahmadinejad has assumed the presidency of Iran, not a day passes when a cabinet minister is not called to Mojtaba Samareh’s office for a talk. At the sessions, the minister must provide explanations for his activities at his ministry. Directors chosen by the minister are the subject of such discussions as well. Following a presidential directive, ministers are not allowed to reveal the names of their appointed senior directors until the Presidential Placement Committee signs off on a director. This committee is in fact just one person: Mojtaba Samareh.

Anybody who does not cooperate with Samareh is immediately punished.

Two of Iran’s senior diplomats who were removed just last week have a record of open differences with Samareh. Amir Hossein Zamani-nia a senior bureau director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the current ambassador to Malaysia Shamsoldin Khargani knew, as soon as Ahmadinejad was sworn in as president that they would be removed from their jobs. The repeated requests of both ambassadors to be relieved of their duties were denied. Soon both were recalled to Tehran and then removed from their jobs. They were given two weeks to hand over their duties to their successors and specifically warned not to appear in public or hold any press interviews. Foreign Ministry officials have said that this type of behavior has no precedence in their department, except in cases where an ambassador has made some serious professional blunder, and the sole purpose of this is to humiliate individuals and warn others of what may come to them should they try to repeat what the two ambassadors had done.

It has recently been revealed that at least two of the recently rejected cabinet nominees that were presented to the Majlis by Ahmadinejad over two months ago, were imposed. The Minister of the Interior complained to Majlis deputies, on their insistence, that “The president is the real Governor General of Tehran and Kerman provinces.”

The Minister of Commerce provided the same complaint about one of his deputies. It is reported that Intelligence Minister Mohseni Ejeyi too is under pressure from Samareh in appointing his deputies. This explains why he has not named his deputies despite having had three meetings with Samareh.

Samareh appears in all presidential meetings and he is known as the liaison between the president and the other most senior officials of the country. Everyday after work, he goes to the mosque at the presidential palace where he prays, while Ahmadinejad stands in a submissive manner and recites his prayers behind him.

Samareh is also remembered for his support and advocacy of Jamkaran mosque and of ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi from the days when he was at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Those who have been close to him say Samareh regularly mentions Jamkaran the name of the missing twelfth Muslim Imam in his normal talk. Then, he also requested his students or others present to repeat the missing Imam’s name regularly, even if it was done silently in their heart.