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Since Vahid Haghanian, Executive Deputy of the clerical regime’s Supreme Leader, registered as a presidential candidate in the upcoming sham elections, scattered information about this enigmatic figure has surfaced. Due to the regime’s history of duplicity and manipulation of information, many capitals and their analysts remain uncertain about Khamenei’s preferred candidate among the diverse presidential hopefuls.
Complicating matters, state media report that Haghanian has portrayed himself as Khamenei’s trusted confidant in his campaign. This has allegedly drawn criticism from Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Kayhan newspaper, whose editorial guidelines are dictated by Khamenei’s office. They claim Haghanian’s campaign actions are unethical, asserting no one should claim allegiance to the Supreme Leader.
These developments have led many Iranian analysts and Persian-language media to regard these disputes as significant, deepening their confusion about Khamenei’s true electoral strategy and prompting various theories about recent rhetoric and disputes within the Supreme Leader’s inner circle.
On Thursday, June 6, the Telegram channel of the Iranian dissident group “GhiamSarnegouni,” which has previously leaked numerous documents from the highest and most sensitive government bodies in Iran, exposed Haghanian’s role and status within the power hierarchy. The documents reveal that for several years, Vahid Haghanian has held a key position both in Khamenei’s office and within Ebrahim Raisi’s government, ranking higher than a minister.
Who Is Vahid Haghanian, The Invisible Hand of Khamenei Now in #Iran’s Presidential Spotlighthttps://t.co/JbPvTZg5BG
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 1, 2024
According to the leaked files, the listed positions held by Haghanian include:
- Appointment as Presidential Advisor on October 7, 2018.
- Deputy for Special Affairs of the Supreme Leader and his Office in the Presidential Institution on October 8, 2020.
- Special Deputy to the Supreme Leader, mentioned in a letter from Raisi’s VP Mohammad Mokhber to Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Fatemi Amin on February 2, 2022.
- Presidential Advisor listed in the presidential organization’s servers on March 9, 2023.
- Registered “on a mission” in the Presidential Office with a rank equivalent to ministers and vice presidents on March 15, 2023.
- Presidential Advisor listed in the leaked files from the regime’s Parliament servers as an invited official on May 23, 2023.
- Special Deputy in the Supreme Leader’s Office on December 10, 2023.
A closer look at the details provided by the group offers more precise insights.
In a list of 303 managers and officials in the Presidential Office dated February 12, 2023, Vahid Haghanian Najafabadi (his full name) is registered as a presidential advisor, with his appointment dating back to October 7, 2018. Notably, Haghanian served as the Deputy for Special Affairs of the Supreme Leader, with a confidential telephone number listed in a 128-page directory containing over 7,900 numbers of regime leaders. His name and position appear on lines 2435, 2436, and 2437 of this directory.
Haghanian, referred to as Dr. Haghanian, appears as the Special Deputy to the Supreme Leader in a letter from Raisi’s VP Mohammad Mokhber to Minister Fatemi Amin. However, in the list of incumbent “officials server”, Vahid Haghanian’s name appears as a presidential advisor in entry 73 of the list, dated February 27, 2023.
In the list of 115 officials from the Presidential Institution, including ministers and vice presidents, dated March 5, 2023, the name “Seyed Vahid Haghanian” appears in entry 8. He is recorded as being on assignment, maintaining his organizational position, and holding a rank equivalent to that of ministers and vice presidents.
The name “Seyed Vahid Haghanian Najafabadi,” listed as a presidential advisor, appears in entry 73 of the “officials’ server” list of 557 individuals from the regime’s parliament under the title “Conference Invitee” dated May 23, 2023.
Throughout history, many individuals, movements, and even nations, motivated by either strategic shortsightedness or vested interests, have pursued compromises with Tehran, often overlooking the Iranian people’s strong desire for regime change. This has consistently entangled them in the Iranian regime’s political maneuvers, whether during its façade of reform or through its exaggerated muscle flexing such as exporting terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism across the region and beyond. Consequently, they become susceptible to the regime’s duplicity and prone to making erroneous decisions.
