Trial Begins For Swedish EU Employee In Tehran

Established in 1935, the company with offices around the world, including in the UK, has suffered substantial losses over the past few years, under the management of political appointees.

The government-owned Iran Insurance Company held a market share of nearly 50% back in 2014 which is now estimated to be 27%.
The company's accumulated losses since 2021 have increased by more than 4 trillion rials (nearly $95 million), in addition to accumulated debts.

Aftabnews in Tehran has reported that the downward spiral of the organization has accelerated much more rapidly during the past two years, which could point to the beginning of Ebrahim Raisi's presidency, who appointed his political allies to run the company.

A series of promises were made to justify the changes when Ehsan Khandouzi, Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, reshuffled key players in the company. In the industry, these moves caused outrage and backfired.

In light of recent scandals such as the $3.5 billion embezzlement case of Debsh Tea Company and the missing $336 million of Tehran Municipality's collected revenues, it is not unthinkable to ascribe losses at Iran Insurance company to mismanagement and even possible corruption.

In January 2022, Raisi's Economy Minister appointed Hassan Sharifi as CEO after removing Majid Bakhtiari from this position. Various Iranian media outlets described Sharifi as a “security agent” with experience working for the Iran Insurance Company.

Aftabnews reported in April that the appointment was made in what appeared to be a “political agreement behind the scenes”. In just a few months the weaknesses of the new management team fueled infighting and disunity in the company.

A second change involved the removal of Dariush Mohammadi and the election of Alireza Moghadesi as a member of the Iran Insurance Board of Directors in December 2022. Previously, Moghadasi was the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA). It is not clear why Mohammadi was removed from this position.

Bimeyedigital, a website covering insurance news in Iran, characterized Moghadasi's appointment as "controversial" and wrote the following in December 2022, "Ehsan Khandozi has sent a clear message to the insurance industry by this appointment: There will be no room for meritocrats and elitists, but only a select few will be allowed to operate based upon criteria established by the Minister of Economy.

Another publication also criticized the move and wrote: Mohammadi should be regarded as the most qualified former member of Iran's insurance board who has given his place to the least qualified person in the industry, with no experience in the area of insurance.
The latest change took place in September and involved the Director-General of the Central Insurance Company of Iran (CIC). A regulatory body for the Iranian insurance industry.
The Economy Minister dismissed Majid Behzadpour, the head of Iran’s Central Insurance Company after nearly 20 insurance companies were targeted by hackers. The government denied this claim, but it sparked another set of changes, and some have even contended that the hacking was a pretext to legitimize changing management. 

The Paydari ultraconservative party, enjoying a majority in parliament, also has unparalleled influence in presidential administration and controls most of the appointments to government-controlled companies. Numerous government corruption cases in the past two decades have shown that state companies are a lucrative target for regime insiders in Iran.

"In response, we stated that the groups are independent, make their own decisions, and we respect their decisions. We will continue our actions in support of Palestine," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated without providing any further details.

Since the start of the Gaza war, militant groups backed by Iran have attacked US bases in the region more than 80 times.

Iran supports Hamas but says it did not play any role in the Islamist militants' October 7 terror attack that triggered the current crisis. Iran also backs the Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that has deep ties with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian faction in Gaza that is also backed by Iran.

He further asserted, "The assessment of the resistance after seven days of ceasefire is that the Zionist regime continues attacks because they have not achieved anything so far."

Amir-Abdollahian's comments coincide with the circulation of several clips and photos on social media showing Palestinians being rounded up by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. The individuals, suspected of involvement with Hamas and other terror groups, were seen blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, held by Israeli troops in northern Gaza's Jabaliya.

"At the beginning of the conflict, the Zionist regime sought to destroy Hamas but failed. Meanwhile, Western supporters sent arms to Israel regularly, hoping to destroy Hamas within 15 to 20 days, but they couldn't," claimed the Iranian foreign minister.

This comes as the Israeli military announced on Thursday that it had apprehended hundreds of people suspected of terrorism, including wanted Hamas operatives, across the Gaza Strip in a single day.

Nonetheless, despite the denials, disputes between the media outlets affiliated with the two sides appear to be escalating.

But power struggles is not limited to the executive and legislative leaders. There were indications in the latest news conference of Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on Thursday about possible differences between him and Raisi.

Speaking about a major financial corruption case, Ejei revealed that Raisi's statement about handing over nearly 60 government officials to the Judiciary for their involvement in the case was not true. Ejei made it clear that "The government has named no one for involvement in the case."

In another development, according to Khabar Online, while Raisi has spoken about coordination of efforts between the parliament and the government, Ghalibaf has expressed concern that a difference of tastes between the two are likely to turn into disputes."

The website wrote that when Ghalibaf and Raisi met on Tuesday morning, pro-Ghalibaf newspaper Sobh-e No's editorial against Raisi's performance had already been published. The editorial called Raisi's supporters "super revolutionaries" and pointed out that Raja News, a website maintained by a close relative of Raisi has been attacking Ghalibaf for a few days.

The pro-Ghalibaf daily further added that he and Ejei agree that the country's most important problems are about the economy. Consequently, the country needs legislations to prevent financial corruption cases in which government officials are regularly involved.

Nearly all fingers point at Raisi as the man responsible for the latest corruption case. Many have said that if the affair took place during the last two years of the Rouhani administration (2019-2021), Raisi should have prevented it as Judiciary Chief at the time. And if it took place during the past two years, then Raisi as president will be in a worse position as his share of the responsibility will be even bigger.

Government media outlets including Iran newspaper, the only mention Ejei and Ghalibaf in connection with the corruption case. They never say anything about Raisi, Khabar Online observed.

Media close to Ghalibaf, on the other hand, attack Raisi’s supporters in the ultraconservative Paydari party who constitute a powerful bloc in parliament, trying to increase their seats in the March elections.

However, rivalry between Ghalibaf and Raisi goes beyond the upcoming parliamentary election as both men know very well that Ghalibaf's main objective is to win the Presidential election in 2025. Ghalibaf is also aware that in any election in Iran he will have far more votes than Raisi. His calculation is based on the precedence left after the 2013 Presidential election when he was forced, by Khamenei’s men, to drop out of the race, to give Raisi a chance to win that election. Raisi, however, lost to relatively moderate Hassan Rouhani.

Meanwhile, Ghalibaf's supporters have accused the Raisi Administration of trying to intervene in the March election. To take revenge on Raisi, Ghalibaf’s men in parliament changed the Development Plan submitted by Raisi’s administration beyond recognition. Subsequently the president complained to Khamenei that what the parliament has approved cannot be implemented.

Despite all their differences, both Ghalibaf and Raisi told the press after their meeting that "We will not let others to take advantage of the difference in the two branches of the state. This will never happen!" As Khabar Online noted, regardless of what they say, it is difficult to believe pleasant words from any side. The two men's body language during the meeting, and the continuation and rather escalation of the war of words in their media outlets tell another story.

In a press conference held in Oslo, Mohammadi's children expressed immense pride in her unwavering advocacy for women's rights as they prepared to accept the prestigious award on her behalf.

The 17-year-old twins, residing in Paris, are scheduled to receive the honor at Oslo's City Hall and deliver the Nobel Peace Prize lecture om their mother's behalf. In a letter sent from prison, Mohammadi reaffirmed her commitment to the cause of human rights, even in the face of potential death, expressing that she missed her children the most.

Kiana Rahmani, who last saw her mother eight years ago, expressed a pessimistic outlook on the prospect of a reunion, stating, "Maybe I'll see her in 30 or 40 years, but I think I won't see her again." She emphasized that despite this, her mother's legacy would endure in her heart and within their family.

Mohammadi, 51, earned the Nobel Peace Prize on October 6, a symbolic rebuke to Tehran's theocratic leadership, which subsequently condemned the award.

In her message from prison, Mohammadi acknowledged imprisoned journalists and emphasized, "In the darkness cast over information and the people of Iran, despite the shutdown of media outlets, our activism persists."

Speaking about the detention of over 100 journalists during the Women, Life, Freedom movement, she highlighted that in the past 20 years, at least 200 newspapers have been shut down, and 800 journalists have been detained.

Mohammadi addressed journalists, stating, "Independent media are our best allies in the fight against the destructive policies of the Islamic Republic."

In a Saturday ceremony in Tehran, Abdolhossein Khosropanah, the secretary of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, made the startling claim saying the statistic is the highest rate of violence against women in the US.

However, notable for his assertion was the absence of any source or evidence to support the claims. Khosropanah went on to state, "Human rights have been restricted to propaganda games," dismissing criticism of Iran's own violations.

His comments come in the wake of a recent UN General Assembly committee resolution that criticized Iran for various human rights violations, including discrimination against and harassment of women and girls. The resolution, initially introduced by Canada, condemned the Iranian regime's misogynistic policies and practices, urging Tehran to cease its discrimination against women.

Despite international criticism, the Iranian regime has continued to tighten legislation, particularly targeting hijab and 'chastity' laws. The crackdown coincides with a growing number of women in Iran rejecting the mandatory headscarf and restrictions on their public appearance. Surveillance has intensified, and recent tragic incidents, such as the death of 16-year-old Armita Geravand, echo the concerns raised by the Women, Life, Freedom movement, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini last year while in morality police custody.

Iran's MeToo movement has been active in shedding light on systemic sexual abuse within the country's legal system, with women facing constant threats of sexual violence both on the streets and in prison.