Skip to main content

Ahmadinejad faces pressure after failed presidential bid

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad turns to crowdfunding to pay for a new office for his bodyguards after a property seizure by the authorities.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C front) listens to his supporters during the funeral ceremony of Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who was killed in Saudi Arabia in a stampede at the haj pilgrimage, after Friday prayer in Tehran November 27, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA  ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY.  - RTX1W3E5

On May 29, Iranian law enforcement officers along with staff from the presidency confiscated a building in east Tehran used by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s bodyguards. In response, the former president’s office issued a statement putting the responsibility for any potential harm to Ahmadinejad on the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, the judiciary and the Ansar-ul-Mahdi Corps, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) unit tasked with protecting top officials including presidents, judiciary chiefs, parliament speakers and lawmakers. Ansar-ul-Mahdi 

On the same night, Ahmadinejad’s office also launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for a new office for his bodyguards. It said that in response to “increasing calls from across the country,” it was introducing a joint bank account under the names of Ahmadinejad and his former vice president, Hamid Baghaei, for public donations. Of note, Baghaei and Ahmadinejad both registered to run in the May 19 presidential elections — and both failed to gain the Guardian Council’s approval.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.