re: Official US/Israel vs Iran war thread

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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf led a delegation of over 80 companions to Islamabad, Pakistan, arriving early Saturday, April 11, to negotiate with representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump.



Since the onset of the U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran, Ghalibaf’s name has trended as a key decision-maker within the regime. Before the war, during a government rally on January 12, he echoed the rhetoric of the late Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, taunting Trump: “Come on, gambler Trump! I am your opponent. Come and see all your assets in the region destroyed.” Once the actual fighting began, however, he vanished from public view.



Yet, throughout the 39-day war, written messages on Telegram and specific tweets with a distinct tone appeared daily on his “X” account. These tweets, sometimes in English and sometimes peppered with emojis or Gen Z “memes,” addressed the American public directly, warning of economic fallout and risks to American soldiers.



Observers noted that the sophisticated English, the grasp of American societal anxieties, and the use of internet subculture suggested the work of an advisor who is fluent in English, understands the American psyche, and belongs to Iran’s “Third Generation.”



This report introduces one of Ghalibaf’s closest former (and perhaps current) advisors residing in the United States.



From Sports Editor to Senior Advisor



When Ghalibaf became Speaker of Parliament in 2020, IranWire published a report titled “Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s Footprints in Iranian Sports: Destruction and Corruption,” detailing the financial misconduct associated with him and his inner circle during his time as Police Chief and Mayor of Tehran. That report first named Meysam Zamanabadi as a pivotal advisor.



In 2003, while Ghalibaf was the head of the Law Enforcement Forces (FARAJA), he found a legal loophole to fund his ambitions at the Pas Sports Club. He funneled a portion of the national budget, specifically the “one percent allocation for cultural affairs and anti-drug efforts,” directly into the club. This resulted in the birth of two lavishly funded media outlets: the IPNA news agency and the Pas-e Javan newspaper.



Who ran this operation? A trio consisting of Meysam Zamanabadi, Mahmoud Abdollahi, and Saied Ajarlou (nephew of General Mostafa Ajarlou).



The Zamanabadi Legacy: Father and Son



Meysam is the son of Gholamhossein Zamanabadi, a man who claims to be one of the original members of the Islamic Coalition Party in the 1980s. While true, it is not the whole story.



Gholamhossein was among the first Ministry of Intelligence officers tasked with censoring journalists and social and sports writers after the Revolution. He is cited as the man responsible for the long-term purging of influential pre-revolutionary media figures like the late Ata’ollah Bahmanesh and Ardeshir Laroudi. During Mohammad Dadkan’s presidency of the Football Federation, Gholamhossein was the PR director in name, but a media watchdog in practice.



Leveraging his father’s influence, Meysam became the editor-in-chief of IPNA and Pas-e Javan in 2003, using the position to embed himself within Ghalibaf’s circle of trust.



When Ghalibaf became the Mayor of Tehran in 2005, he replicated the Pas Club media model on a larger scale within the Hamshahri newspaper (owned by the municipality). While Saied Ajarlou was given Hamshahri Varzeshi, Meysam Zamanabadi received an even bigger role: the launch of “Hamshahri Supplements.”



Titles such as Tamashagar, Hamshahri Mosafer, Hamshahri Zendegi, Hamshahri Omran-Shahr, and Hamshahri Jomeh (distributed exclusively at Friday prayers) were produced under Meysam’s direction with a monthly budget exceeding 150 million Tomans, a staggering sum in 2007, when the dollar was valued at less than 930 Tomans.



How Did Ghalibaf Fund His Advisor’s Luxury Lifestyle in the U.S.?



The name Meysam Zamanabadi appeared repeatedly in parliamentary investigation sessions regarding corruption within the Tehran Municipality long before Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf entered the Islamic Consultative Assembly. These investigations touched upon ambiguous and excessive hirings, lists of individuals receiving salaries from the Hamshahri magazines’ accounts, and an “illegal monthly petty cash fund of 180 million Tomans in 2013.”



However, one specific report published after Zamanabadi’s migration to the United States revealed that he and his family continued to receive salaries as “Special Advisors to the Mayor of Tehran” even after stepping down from the management of the Hamshahri Tamashagar group.



Financial audits conducted by the Tehran City Council in 2017 revealed that even after moving to America, he received a monthly sum of 40 million Tomans (equivalent to approximately $11,000 at the time). This was paid in foreign currency through an exchange office in Ferdowsi Square via an individual named Hesamuddin Sahami, the then technical director of Tamashagar magazine.



The same investigations found that Sahami directly deposited 30 million Tomans from every monthly 180 million Toman check into the account of one of Meysam Zamanabadi’s close relatives.

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