Report: Khamenei's family members and relatives have seized ownership and control of Iran's news media
According to research released this week by the Washington-based independent think tank Doublethink Institute, members of the family of Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, own or control major Iranian newspapers, publishing houses, news agencies, and cultural institutions, while simultaneously acting as overseers over them.
Doublethink has found that the Khamenei family's sphere of control includes major media outlets such as the Hamshahri, Iran, and Jam Jam newspapers, the English-language Tehran Times, as well as the Mehr news agency.
The Khamenei family dominance database, compiled by Doublethink, has revealed the following controlling connections:
Maryam Hosseini Khamenei
Hayat No Cultural and Artistic Institute
Seyyed Hadi Hosseini Khamenei
Hayat No Cultural and Artistic Institute
Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Hosseini Khamenei
Hayat No Cultural and Artistic Institute
Seyyedeh Munireh Hosseini Khamenei
Clean Cyberspace Association (FMAP)
Mohammad Saeed Ahadian
Khorasan Cultural and Artistic Institute
Khorasan Publications
Mohammad Hossein Khushwakt
Fararow
Iranian Cultural and Press Institute
Nashravaran Press Cultural Institute
Hossein Khojasteh Bagherzadeh
Soroush Publications
Farabi Cinema Foundation
Kamil Khojasteh Bagherzadeh
Tebyan Noor Cultural and Artistic Institute
Institute for Research and Explanation of Islamic Revolution Discourse
Leader.ir website
Khamenei.ir website
Seyyed Mohammad Hassan Hosseini Khamenei
Development of cultural space
Fariduddin Haddad Adel
Tehran Times
Jam Jam Newspaper
Mehr News Agency
Omidgostar news website
Mohsen China Seller
Neighbor
Neighborhood message
Doublethink says that members of the Khamenei family also hold leadership positions at the Avini Cultural and Artistic Institute and the Farabi Cinema Institute, both of which are involved in film production.
Meanwhile, members of the family have taken senior political positions in two oversight bodies responsible for media monitoring and censorship, the report said. The Clean Cyberspace Developers Association is responsible for internet censorship, and Khorasan Publishing oversees book publishing.
The Doublethink report shows that the Khamenei family also controls the book market through major publishing houses including Soroush, Hermes, and Daftar Nashr. The report states: “This control over regulatory bodies and publishers has effectively given the Khamenei family a monopoly on publishing.”
"The Iranian people suffer more than anyone else from the sanctions on their country if the sanctions are lifted. They should potentially benefit from the wealth generated in Iran, but in the current situation, due to the high level of corruption, only a select group of certain families benefit from international trade," Kelly Golnoush Niknejad, a journalist and director of the Doublethink Institute, told Voice of America's Persian service.
The director of the institute that produced the report added: “We are trying to map the country’s economic structure with the aim of making what is happening in Iran more transparent. Our research shows how rent-seeking and nepotism, conflicts of interest and secrecy will ultimately halt Iran’s economic progress. We hope that when sanctions are lifted, a more transparent organizational structure will be established in the country so that all Iranians can benefit from this wealth.”
Source: Voice of America
