The Case of Mehdi Chopani the Fighter: Cutting the Hidden Hand of Power in the Purge and Reconstruction Operation
The cutting of the hidden hand of power in the purge and reconstruction operation is underway. Mehdi Chopani, known as the Fighter, the former director of Hossein Taeb’s office, the former head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, has reached the end of his mission at the Presidential Office as the special investigations officer for the President, as ordered by the IRGC Protection Organization.
Before joining the President’s office, he worked as the deputy of special investigations in the office of the head of the Judiciary, collaborating with Ebrahim Raisi. This time, however, only the legal title of his affiliated institution changed; his place of service shifted from the Judiciary to the Executive Branch.
But what does special investigations as an undefined and general mission mean?
This title, created by Hossein Taeb, Chopani’s former boss who was trusted and beloved by Taeb, was initially meant to advance Taeb’s goals in the Judiciary to expand the power and influence of the IRGC Intelligence Organization to elevate the hegemony of this security institution. During this period, they acted more recklessly and boldly in making arbitrary and political decisions than before.
The project to eliminate Ali Larijani from the presidential election competition was also one of Taeb’s plans to ensure the establishment of a compliant and obedient government.
Then, after Ebrahim Raisi’s victory in the presidential election, it was defined as a special task in the government for influence and dominance in the Executive Branch. But what was this special task? According to the defined plan, a special investigations officer was supposed to be stationed in the office of all ministers, under the supervision and selection of Mehdi Chopani, to approve or reject all ministry appointments and dismissals. This meant that the management and control of the government at the level of deputy minister and below would be out of the President’s control.
However, after Hossein Taeb’s dismissal, this project was halted, and now with the news of the IRGC Protection Organization’s order for Mehdi Chopani to return to his original mission, a significant step has been taken towards purging and reconstructing the IRGC Intelligence Organization.
Networking through the Imam Sadeq Circle
Mehdi Chopani, who is the godfather and supporter of the Student Justice-Seeking Movement, was formerly the head of the Student Basij at Imam Sadeq University and is considered a peer of Meysam Motiei, Hojjat Abdolmaleki, and Seyed Ehsan Khandozi. He, who saw a group of his old and aligned friends established in key ministries in the government, acted with more confidence and assurance.
He, who with his invisible hand, under the guise of the justice-seeking movement, grabbed many, is now in a new position. The dismissal of Hossein Taeb now clearly shows its impact in reducing influence or even removing Chopani from the security power game, and naturally, one of Chopani’s effective arms, the justice-seeking movement, is also taken out of the security shadow and can no longer boldly advance the orders of their employer.
However, it seems that this is just the beginning of the story, and the declining power of Chopani is likely to be completed with his arrest alongside other recent detainees in the IRGC Intelligence Organization, complementing the purge and reconstruction operation of this important security institution.
The Future of IRGC Intelligence
It seems that the process of changes in the IRGC Intelligence Organization has begun with two objectives, which can be called a purge and reconstruction operation. In the first part, it certainly involves the removal of undesirable elements who, with absolute subservience, were more obedient to the orders and desires of the organization’s leadership than serving the organization itself. In many cases, they pursued missions with the political goals and tastes of a specific circle, which caused many important missions and objectives to be neglected.
Now it seems that the mission and objectives of the organization, rather than being individual and faction-oriented, have been prioritized. The instructions and missions primarily aim to identify and purge infiltration and security bugs, and subsequently, by analyzing and reviewing operational and intelligence failures during Taeb’s presidency, they seek to restore the organization’s image and enhance its efficiency.
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