Masoumeh Abad, Raisi’s Controversial Ambassador to Finland
Masoumeh Abad’s appointment as Iran’s new ambassador to Finland has sparked widespread reactions from Raisi’s government critics and even opposition figures, as reported by Iran Gate. Abad’s controversial track record is so dark that few believed she could return to politics, let alone become Iran’s ambassador to Scandinavia.
Masoumeh Abad is heading to the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Finland as the fifth female ambassador since the revolution, amidst much controversy. Issues such as document forgery, her controversial presence in the eight-year war with Iraq, and many other matters have been raised regarding Abad’s appointment. But who really is Masoumeh Abad, and why has the Raisi government chosen her as an ambassador to Scandinavia?
Who is Masoumeh Abad?
Masoumeh Abad, whose only political involvement was her membership in two terms of the Tehran City Council, is actually a midwife. Before entering the Tehran City Council, she chaired the women’s and maternity department at Najmieh Hospital in Tehran. She now faces much criticism. Born in 1962 in Abadan, she was a teenager during the revolution.
As a midwife, she studied embryology at a medical university in England for a while, but due to her inability to perform academically, she was expelled and returned to Iran.
Abad also claims a record of presence at the war front. As mentioned, born in Abadan, she initially worked as a relief worker in Khuzestan at the start of the war. It is said that she, along with three other women, was captured by Iraqi forces at the beginning of the war and spent some time in Ba’athist Iraq’s prisons.
After the war, she entered the healthcare field, taking on various roles in major hospitals in Khuzestan and then Tehran. One of her most significant positions was as head of the women’s and maternity department at Najmieh Hospital in Tehran, a key center for women’s health. However, according to regulations, hospital department heads must at least have a general medical degree. Yet, as stated, Masoumeh Abad not only lacks a medical degree, but there are doubts about her obtaining a midwifery degree.
As mentioned, Masoumeh Abad holds a midwifery degree and is not considered a doctor. Although many conservative media outlets refer to her as a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, the truth is she has entered the healthcare management field through favoritism and even document forgery.
Economic Diplomacy with a Midwifery Graduate
In response to the news of her appointment as ambassador to Finland, she explained, ‘When foreign guests came to Iran, I was invited as a guest. As a result, the Foreign Ministry contacted me and offered further collaboration.’
This appointment occurs as Ebrahim Raisi came to power with the slogan of strengthening economic diplomacy. Thus, it was said that the composition of the Islamic Republic’s ambassadors would change to reinforce economic diplomacy. However, it is unclear how Masoumeh Abad’s appointment as ambassador to Helsinki, with a midwifery degree, fits with economic diplomacy.
Friendship with Ghalibaf’s Wife
As previously mentioned, Masoumeh Abad’s captivity in Ba’athist Iraq’s prisons allowed her to enter Shahid Beheshti University with a veteran quota. But what paved her way into politics was her close friendship with Zahra Sadat Moshir, the wife of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. This close friendship enabled Abad to enter the Abadgaran list in the fourth Tehran City Council elections through favoritism.
From Lavish Properties to Fake Memoirs
When the lavish properties case was exposed during Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s tenure as Tehran’s mayor, many city council members were implicated. Masoumeh Abad’s name was also on this list, and it was said she was among those who received lavish properties from Tehran’s municipality.
Abad immediately denied this, calling it media manipulation by reformists. However, shortly after, Yashar Soltani, a journalist in urban management, published documents revealing that Abad received a property on Moqaddas Ardabili Street from Tehran’s municipality. Although she claimed these documents were fake, her close ties with Ghalibaf’s family later exposed many other cases of her misuse of her city council membership privileges.
According to Iraj Mesdaghi, a political analyst on Mihan TV, Masoumeh Abad exaggerated extensively in her book about her captivity. In this book, heavily promoted by conservative media, she portrays herself as a hero. However, Iranian prisoners who were in Iraqi prisons at the same time refute her claims and describe her book as a collection of fabrications.
Iran’s new ambassador to Finland is a university lecturer and midwife with hardly any diplomatic experience, says a researcher.
Appointment of the First Female Ambassador in Raisi’s Administration
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