The Causes of the Iranian President's Brother's Arrest

• 07.18.2017, 20:36
•  Region,  World

The brother of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Hussein Fereydoun was released from custody. He was released from prison on bail of 8.3 million dollars, the local media reports. According to some sources, Fereydoun originally intended to contribute 13.3 million dollars, but the court agreed to a smaller amount. Note that on the eve, due to poor health Fereydoun was hospitalized before the start of interrogation in the prosecutor's office, TASS reports.  

The brother of Iran's moderate President, Hassan Rouhani, has been arrested amid escalating tensions between the government and the country's hardline judiciary. Rouhani recently criticized the judicial system, noting that some arrests are unfounded. In addition, the news of the arrest coincided with the second anniversary of the achievement of the agreement with the US and other major powers to contain Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for easing economic sanctions that have isolated Iran for a  long time. The agreement has not yet led to the desired economic boom in Iran, which enables conservatives to come up with criticism.  It should be noted that besides Fereydoun several people were arrested too.

The exact reasons behind Fereidoun's arrest are unclear, but as reported it was on charges connected to financial crimes. Rouhani's supporters view his brother's arrest as a part of the efforts to undermine him during his second term in office, the Guardian reports. Fereidoun's detention comes a few weeks ahead of Rouhani's swearing-in ceremony following his landslide victory in May's presidential election, complicating an already tense atmosphere between him and hardliners.

Experts do not exclude that the reason for the arrest of Iranian president's brother is the fact that Rohani was elected as a president for the second time. The positions of the Iranian presidents are generally weakened in their second term. Rouhani's predecessors have all confronted with Khamenei at some point during their second term. It's not accidental, that former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was blocked from running in May's election, while his top aide was recently rearrested.

To note Fereydoun played an important role in the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, establishing strong ties with American officials. In March 2015, at the height of intense negotiations, when the news broke that the president's mother had died, then the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, went to Fereidoun's room to personally express his condolences. Pictures of that meeting circulated online as a rare sign of an American official sympathising with a senior Iranian official. Rouhani himself greatly praised his brother's contribution in the nuclear talks and stressed that Fereydoun was his "eyes and ears".

Prior to Rouhani's first victory in 2013, Fereidoun was a veteran diplomat and had served as Iran's ambassador to Malaysia for eight years, later he became a senior diplomat at Iran's delegation to the UN. 

The difference between the two brothers' surnames is due to the fact that the President changed his family name to Rouhani as a security measure to avoid the attention of the Savak secret police when acting against the shah before the 1979 Iranian revolution. "Rouhani" means cleric in Farsi.

More than a year ago, hardliners accused Fereydoun of improper dealings with money-changing companies during the final years of the administration of Rouhani's predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They said Fereydoun had continued those dealings while serving as an adviser to Rouhani. Fereydoun also has been accused by hardliners of using his influence to place colleagues in high-paying positions. He has denied the accusations, The New York Times reports.

In the political system of Iran, it is customary to single out two main political camps - conservatives and reformists. The first follows a strict political line aimed at preserving the achievements of the Islamic revolution, while the reformists are taking a more liberal stance. Experts note that the collection of compromising materials on Fereydoun, perhaps, was done by the special service of the Guard Corps of the Islamic Revolution. For the abuse of such a high position Fereydoun may face a death penalty.