Head of Forestry Organization arrested on charges of "military force"

Following the arrest of government executives on financial charges in Iran, the media reported the arrest of the head of the Forestry Organization in Iran.

ISNA news agency reported on Monday, November 26, that Khalil Aghaei, head of the Forestry Organization, has been arrested by the Government Employees' Prosecution Office on charges of "terror."

Previously, the Forestry Organization's public relations department denied the arrest of Khalil Aghaei and said that the matter in relation to which Aghaei was "summoned has nothing to do with the Forestry Organization."

Khalil Aghaei was appointed as the head of the Iranian Forests, Rangelands and Watershed Management Organization in December 2017 by order of the Minister of Agricultural Jihad.

Khalil Aghaei's confrontation in the open court of the parliament in 2016 also caused controversy. Aghaei started shouting and tore the collar of his shirt during the speech of Mohammad Ali Pourmukhtar, a representative of Bahar and Kabudarahang.

In recent months, several government officials have been arrested on charges of corruption or bribery, including members of the Shiraz Sadra City Council and the arrest of the CEO of Iran Khodro.

The United States has repeatedly condemned institutionalized financial corruption and the plundering of Iran's God-given assets by the regime's affiliates, and has identified them as among the main causes of Iran's economic and financial problems. Not long ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted about the Islamic Republic's officials that they were involved in corruption instead of helping the people.

Source: Voice of America