Iran on Monday sacked its top national security official, one of the most powerful men in the country, after he was investigated for a close relationship with a top spy. British high.
The security official, Ali Shamkhani, served as secretary of the Supreme National Council, the body that shapes Iran’s foreign and security policy, for a decade, and before that worked at the Defense Ministry. spy, Alireza AkbariA dual British citizen, was Mr. Shamkhani’s deputy at the ministry and later served as his advisor on the council.
In 2019, when suspicions about Mr Akbari arose, Mr Shamkhani lured him back to Iran from the UK, where he had moved, leading to his arrest and execute in January.
Mr Shamkhani appeared to not only survive but thrive on the scandal until he was abruptly ousted on Monday. In March, he led Iran’s negotiations to restore relations with Saudi Arabiawith Chinese intermediaryand he also acts as a diplomat traveling to neighboring Arab countries in the Persian Gulf to strengthen commercial and political relations.
But on Monday, the Islamic Republic proved once again that even its most loyal servants are not immune to being ousted from power. In a decree, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dismissed Mr. Shamkhani and thanked him for his service. He replaced him with a senior naval commander of the Revolutionary Guards with little experience in civilian politics.
In June, Iran also fired the head of the Guards intelligence unit, Hossein Taebafter a series of secret attacks and assassinations in Iran involving Israel revealed that Iran’s intelligence community had been compromised.
Iran analysts say a number of controversies contributed to Mr Shamkhani’s ouster.
He was charged with corruption amid allegations that his family made millions of dollars through an oil shipping business that helped Iran evade sanctions. He was also blamed for the failure of talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
The council has also been criticized for its handling of domestic turmoil in months-long uprising demanding the overthrow of the ruling clericswith the majority of Iranians considering Shamkhani an accomplice violent repressions killed hundreds of protesters – and with government supporters criticized his leadership for not being harsh enough.
In addition, the hardliners who now control Parliament and the presidency consider him too close to previous governments, which were moderate and reformist, so did not trust him.
Gheis Ghoreishi, a political analyst close to the government, said in a phone interview from Iran: “There is pressure from hardliners and public opinion on Khamenei to remove Mr. “He resisted for a while but the lobbying became too noisy.”
In announcing his dismissal, Khamenei said he was appointing Shamkhani as a member of the Emergency Council, which mainly advises the supreme leader. Appointments are viewed largely as ceremonial; Over the years, other officials who were at odds with Khamenei, including former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have also been named to the council to save face.
Analysts say Shamkhani’s ability to weather the storm of spying scandals for so long could be the result of a deal between Khamenei and Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi.
“There is a give and take agreement between the government of President Raisi and the supreme leader to allow Mr. Shamkhani to redeem his public standing following the Akbari scandal with the Saudi deal,” said an analyst. political analyst, Sasan Karimi, said in a report. Interview from Tehran.
In a separate decree on Monday, Khamenei gave the post of the Supreme National Council to General Ali Akbar Ahmadian, 62, a former deputy commander-in-chief of the Marine Guards unit and a war veteran. Iran-Iraq War. He is described by Iranian media as a leading military strategist and is also responsible for coordinating the armed forces of the Guards.
Analysts say that while Khamenei has always had the final say on key state policies, from negotiations with the United States to a domestic uprising against the ruling clerics, The role of the national security adviser remains influential. General Ahmadian does not have much experience in foreign policy as well as domestic national security issues.
“Shamkhani’s successor has no experience working with anyone outside of the military,” said Ali Vaez, Iran director of the Crisis Group. “It’s a steep learning curve. There could be a restart or delay on key issues like the future of the nuclear deal, detainees negotiations with the United States and regional diplomacy.”
