Opposition campaigners have accused members of Iran's ruling elite of hypocrisy, alleging they use state wealth to fund their adult children's lives in the West while presiding over economic hardship and repression at home. The accusations come amid rising tensions with the US, with Donald Trump deploying naval forces and considering strikes.
Among those singled out is Ali Larijani, Iran's top national security adviser, whose daughter lives in the US and whose two nephews reside in Britain and Canada. Larijani, a vocal critic of Western values, is believed to have played a key role in the crackdown on protests earlier this year that left thousands dead.
Alex Vatanka, Iran programme director at the Middle East Institute, said: “People are upset that the aghazadehs [scions of the elite] are getting dollar stipends to go to the west … to study essentially on the state’s dime.” One IRGC commander claimed 4,000 children and relatives of regime officials live in Western countries.
Other examples include Mohammad-Javad Larijani's sons: Hadi, a professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, and Sina, a director for the Royal Bank of Canada. Former president Hassan Rouhani's niece, Maryam Fereydoun, works for Deutsche Bank in London. Eissa Hashemi, son of former MP Masoumeh Ebtekar, is an associate professor in Los Angeles.
Washington has vowed to revoke the privilege of senior Iranian officials and their families to be in the US, but implementation remains unclear. Iranian writer Kambiz Ghafouri said: “They made Iran a hell … and sent their children to the west to live happily. If there was a referendum … more than 90% would say yes” to sending them back.
