The Intricacies of Corruption in the Shamkhani Family
The intricacies of corruption in the Shamkhani family, as reported by Iran Gate, were accompanied by many controversies following the sudden resignation of Ali Shamkhani from his position as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Many believe the reason he bid farewell to this sensitive post after ten years is the exposure of widespread corruption within the Shamkhani family, with the involvement of Ali Shamkhani’s closest relatives being evident and involving billions of dollars in financial transactions.
The controversies surrounding the family of Ali Shamkhani, the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, have consistently been headline news in both domestic and international media in recent months. Among the family members, the role of Hossein Shamkhani, Ali Shamkhani’s son, is more prominent. Iran Gate has conducted an investigative report to delve deeply into this issue and has examined its various aspects. The first part of this report introduces the Shamkhani family.
Who is Ali Shamkhani?
Ali Shamkhani was born on September 28, 1955, in Ahvaz, where he also completed his primary education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering, a master’s degree in Management from Jundi Shapur University, and a doctorate in Military Strategy from the National Defense University.
Shamkhani also has a history of imprisonment during the Pahlavi regime. In 1973, at the age of 18, he was arrested by SAVAK and after his release, he formed a guerrilla group called Mansouroun with several others. In prison, he became acquainted with figures who later played important roles in the revolution, including Mohsen Rezaee.
After the success of the revolution in 1979, Ali Shamkhani joined the Revolutionary Committee. He then joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and in 1979 was appointed as the commander of the Khuzestan Corps. It should be noted that the Khuzestan Corps played a significant role in the eight-year imposed war against Iraq. The Shamkhani family also played a crucial role on the front lines, with Ali’s brothers, Mohammad and Hamid Shamkhani, being martyred in 1980 and 1981, respectively.
In 1981, Ali Shamkhani was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the IRGC. He continued in this role until 1986 when he also took on the position of Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces.
Following the death of the first leader of the Islamic Republic and in 1989, on the orders of Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the then leader of the Islamic Republic, Shamkhani joined the Iranian Army with the rank of Brigadier General and was appointed as the Commander of the Navy. He continued in this position until 1997, when he was introduced to the parliament as the Minister of Defense in the first government of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and received a vote of confidence from the fifth parliament. Despite entering the 2001 elections as a rival to Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, he was again appointed as the Minister of Defense in Khatami’s second government.
With the advent of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government, Shamkhani left the government and took on marginal roles. However, in September 2013, he was appointed by then-President Hassan Rouhani to replace Saeed Jalili as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a position he held until May 2023.
Shamkhani has apparently been married three times, but his first wife is Azarmidokht Tabatabai, who is the mother of the four eldest children of the Shamkhani family. Ali Shamkhani is the father of Fatemeh, Zeinab, Hossein, and Hassan, and some sources claim he has another child from one of his other two wives.
Who is Hossein Shamkhani?
Hossein Shamkhani is one of the sons of Ali Shamkhani and his eldest son. Hossein is the most controversial member of the Shamkhani family, with many controversies surrounding him and his economic corruption cases being published in the media. The most important documents regarding Hossein Shamkhani’s corruption have been published by Saeed Aganji, an Iranian journalist, which also elicited reactions from the Shamkhani family. Mehdi Nasiri, former editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper and a conservative journalist, also accused Ali Shamkhani of theft from oil money in his statements.
There is no precise information available on Hossein Shamkhani’s birth year, but according to information obtained by Iran Gate, he is approximately 40 years old as of June 2023. Hossein is reportedly a graduate of the American University of Beirut and has a significant presence in various cases, including the seized Admiral ship, which was dissolved after news of its seizure was published. The subsequent sections will explore Hossein’s role in various cases in detail.
Who is Azarmidokht Tabatabai?
She is the first wife of Ali Shamkhani and the mother of the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council’s four eldest children. Azarmidokht’s name first appeared in the media when the case of Tehran’s Elahiyeh properties was publicized by domestic journalists. According to a video released by Mehdi Sadrsadati in 2021, Ali Shamkhani’s first wife owns a luxury apartment complex on Fereshteh Street in Tehran.
Azarmidokht Tabatabai’s involvement is also significant in the Lavason villas case, although Ali Shamkhani’s son-in-law’s role is more evident in this case. However, the first wife of the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council was also involved in this case.
Who is Hassan Shamkhani?
Hassan is the second son and the youngest child of Ali Shamkhani from his first wife. Hassan’s activities are not extensive, but he was first mentioned in the media in connection with the dissolved Admiral company, which owned the Admiral ship. There is no precise information about him, but it seems that after the Admiral incident, Hassan also retreated into the shadows, with Hossein Shamkhani taking on a more prominent role. The only information available about Fatemeh Shamkhani was published by Saeed Aganji, who also released a photo of Fatemeh Setayesh on Twitter, which garnered widespread reactions.
The Daughters and Sons-in-law of Ali Shamkhani
Ali Shamkhani has two daughters named Fatemeh and Zeinab. The only information available about Fatemeh Shamkhani is her residence in the UK, and it is said that she prefers to be known as Setayesh instead of Fatemeh.
Zeinab, however, is the other daughter of Ali Shamkhani and Azarmidokht Tabatabai. Zeinab is married to Seyyed Amirhossein Mir Mohammad Ali and is more well-known than Fatemeh Setayesh. The cases Zeinab Shamkhani has been involved in are intertwined with the Mir Mohammad Ali family members. One of these cases is related to the financial institutions Caspian and Fereshtegan, which led to the seizure of billions of dollars in Zeinab’s accounts.
In this case, an image of the passport of Zeinab’s son, Ali Shamkhani’s grandson, born in 2015, was published. In 2018, an image of a court order was published in the media showing that Ali Shamkhani’s grandson’s bank account, with a balance of over 950 billion tomans, was seized. Other documents were also published on social media indicating the ownership of several villas in Lavason in the name of Ali Shamkhani’s grandson.
Other Relatives of the Shamkhani Family
Many controversies surrounding other members of the Shamkhani family have been published in the media, among the most important and well-known are Abdolazim Shamkhani, Moud Shamkhani, and Naji Shamkhani.
Abdolazim Shamkhani is Ali Shamkhani’s half-brother, whose name appeared alongside Moud Shamkhani in the Metropol building case. Abdolazim was a former CEO of Ahvaz Municipality Beautification and former deputy mayor of Ahvaz. Meanwhile, according to Sadrsadati, he had a high school diploma and lacked the qualifications for such specialized responsibilities.
Moud Shamkhani, one of Ali Shamkhani’s nephews, was mentioned in the disastrous Metropol building case. At the time of the Metropol Abadan disaster, Moud was the technical deputy of the Arvand Free Zone Organization, but his collaboration and partnership with Hossein Abdolbaghi, the owner of the Metropol building, became very controversial.
Naji Shamkhani is also Ali Shamkhani’s cousin, and images of him wearing an Arabic thobe have been published on social media. Naji was the director of the Iranian House Company, responsible for several projects in the Arvand Free Zone. His name was heard before the Metropol disaster, but after the tragic collapse of Metropol Abadan, Naji Shamkhani’s name resurfaced in the media. It is said that Naji, in collaboration with Hossein Abdolbaghi, the owner of the Metropol building, executed many projects in Abadan and Ahvaz.
The exclusive Shamkhani case has been reviewed and written by Iran Gate. You can read other sections of this article from the links below.
- The Intricacies of Corruption in the Shamkhani Family, Part One – You are currently reading this part.
- The Corruptions of the Shamkhani Family under the Support of the Supreme National Security Council, Part Two
- The Intricacies of Corruption in the Shamkhani Family, Part Three
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