Iraj Haeri comments frozen relations between Iran and UK
At the time, I was not sure why he was so upset with UK, but in
light of the following report, now it is crystal clear.
Yes, indeed, British Government has frozen Mojtaba Khamenei's bank accounts (Khameni's son) totaling $ 1.6 Billion and that is why Khamenei is so angry with the UK Government.
Frankly, no reasons have been reported by the British Government for freezing the above accounts, but the very fact that Khamenei's son has accounts in his name totaling $ 1.6 Billion very clearly explains why there is so much push to maintain Ahmadinejad in power and have his son, be nominated to replace his father as the new supreme leader.
The looting of Iran continues while 10 Million people are hungry. Here is the report from Guardian UK:
UK-Iran relations get more toxic. "The British banks have frozen $1.6bn in funds belonging to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the supreme leader," the Guardian reports. And Reuters reports that Iran is temporarily recalling its British ambassador.
The following article from Guardiam provides more info on Khamenei's son and his relationship with Ahmadinejad:
Mojtaba Khamenei: gatekeeper to Iran's supreme leader
* Julian Borger
* The Guardian, Monday 22 June 2009
Iran's supreme leader's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has emerged as one of the driving forces behind the -government's crackdown, diplomats and observers said.
Mojtaba is an ally of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the disputed president, and was credited with winning his father's endorsement for the then Tehran mayor in the 2005 elections, leading to Ahmadinejad's shock second round victory.
Mojtaba is an austere figure, generally seen as more hardline than his father and has become a gatekeeper for access to the beit-e-rahbari, the supreme leader's home, and the supreme leader himself.
According to some Iran analysts, Khamenei, 70, is manoeuvring to position his son as his successor.
Formally, the position is supposed to be awarded by the assembly of experts, an elected group of clerics led by the most powerful rival to Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, Hashemi Rafsanjani.
But the first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, had a powerful say on who his successor should be.
Khamenei has been increasingly described in the official media as the "Ali of our times", a reference to Ali, the Shia imam who passed on the position to his son Hassan.
"There has been a lot of talk lately that this is all about Mojtaba and the succession," said Ali Ansari, an Iran analyst at St Andrews University.
"He may be securing the position for the long term, and protecting it. The argument is that he who is protecting his future."
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