Iranian ayatollahs transfer money abroad

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iranian Ayatollahs transfer money beyond the country's borders. The number of transactions has increased over the past few days. Conservative establishment leaders fear that the country may face a period of instabilities, La Stampa reports.



These are sums not exceeding USD 10 million. Transactions are carried out by Iran's leading banks - Melli, Melat, Sepah e Saderat which direct the money to the financial institutions of such Islamic countries as Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Dubai (UAE), Algeria and Indonesia.



Clergymen transfer money from the following funds: Fund for the Repressed and War Disabled, Martyrs Fund, Imam Khomeini Fund and 15 Khordad. Intelligence services constantly follow the transfers, as any sum from this country may be used for purchasing prohibited forms of weapons.



As noted by Patrick Clawson, an Iranian Studies expert from Washington Institute, money transfers from Islamic Republic show that people in Iranian establishment are settling accounts. Khomeini's successors are concerned over possibility of force operations by Islamic revolution guards, Iraqi war veterans, and supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei's supporters. Islamic revolution guards head social networks competing with funds and share Khamenei's dissatisfaction with independent structures created by Khomeini for ensuring clergy's independence. Clawson finds that the reason for money transfer is the arrest of former President Rafsanjani's daughter and fears for new arrests.