Mohsen Rezai Biography and Campaign News

Biography

Name: Mohsen Rezai

Birthyear: 1954[1]

Birthplace: Bakhtiari tribal areas near Masjed Soleyman, Khouzestan Province[2]

Education: High school graduate, Ph.D. in economics from Tehran University 1992[3]

Biography: Pre-revolution: Student activist, member of the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization, distances himself from it because of Marxist metamorphosis in pre-revolutionary prisons, member of the Mansouroun pre-revolutionary terrorist group since 1973. Post-revolution: Personal bodyguard of Grand Ayatollah Rouhollah Mousavi Khomeini 1979, Central Committee member of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution faction 1979, co-founder of the Intelligence and Political Investigations Department of the IRGC 1979, IRGC Command Council member 1979, head of the IRGC expeditionary force to Torkaman Sahra to crush rebellion against central government in 1979, IRGC Commander in Chief 1981, Expediency Council Secretary since 1997.[4]

Campaign News

June 9-10 News Roundup

• Rezai's second campaign video. 
• Rezai arrives in Ahwaz. 
• Rezai declares his cultural policies. 
• Ali Mottahari officially endorses Rezai's candidacy.
• (E) Rezai vowed not to back out of the presidential race, stating: “I am the representative of people who are fed up with crankiness, adventurism, and disorganization. Therefore, I will never pull out of the race in favor of other candidates.”

June 7-8 News Roundup

• Unknown perpetrators attack Rezai's campaign headquarters in Babol.
• Rezai speaking in Yasuj says "the time has passed when some people could fool people with populism."
• Rezai promises to establish an international consortium for enrichment of uranium if elected president.

June 4 News Roundup

• Rezai's campaign video criticized as lifeless.
• (E) Rezai explained his position on Palestine, stating that he “will focus on both supporting the resistance and initiating diplomacy on an international level. Based on this plan, we will ask the United Nations to hold a referendum in Palestine.”
• "Countering Israel is the heritage from the Imam," says Supreme Leader's advisor Ali-Akbar Velayati.
• (E) Chairman of World Chamber of Commerce Victor Fung scheduled to visit Iran to discuss trade issues.

June 3 News Roundup

• Latest television interview of Rezai.
• Rezai discusses his semi-liberal economic policies. 

June 2 News Roundup

• Mohsen Rezai's campaign video. 
• Speaking in Boroujen, Rezai says the sweetness of the Ahmadinejad government's distribution of money will be gone with the first wave of inflation. 

May 29-June 1 News Roundup

• Rezai, speaking in Golestan: "Painting a black picture of state of affairs would be wrong and while criticizing the government we must not set aside sincerity. For the time being, the country has had good progress in the political, defense and military dimensions. But such victories must not let the government deny complaints about rising prices."
• Rezai says he intends to strengthen capital markets.
• (E) Rezai’s election campaign reached out to Iranian expatriates, sharing his plans on the formation of a coalition government.
• (E) The Iranian Parliament dismissed reports that Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani endorsed Mohsen Rezai for the upcoming election.  

May 28 News Roundup

• Presenting his condolences to the family members of the victims in the terror bombing in Zahedan, Rezai says "million-strong participation in elections...neutralizes conspiracies of the enemy."
• Shahab News publishes parts of Rezai's speech which was censored by Fars News: "Enrichment of uranium can take place in cooperation with European states. Admittedly the ninth government with its resilience managed to secure Iran nuclear technology but with the bullying and adventurist posture it has taken one can't reach the goal..."
• Rezai sends Sadegh Tabatabaei abroad to raise the expatriate vote.
• (E) Breaking from his attacks on Ahmadinejad, Rezai challenges Mousavi’s economic agenda, stating: “Up until a few years ago, Mousavi believed in a state-controlled economy, just like Ahmadinejad… If his views have changed, he must make a clear and strong announcement and also explain why. Otherwise, I believe that the country's economy would not benefit from his viewpoints.”

May 27 News Roundup

• Rezai questions Mousavi's honesty when it comes to his views on economic policies and accuses Mousavi of secretly being a proponent of state-centric economy.
• Rezai, meeting representative of the Supreme Leader in Mazandaran, stresses the importance of forming a national unity government "because people are tired of slogans."
• Mohsen Rezai supports Azad University which he says has become the victim of unjust attacks of the Ahmadinejad government.

May 23-26 News Roundup

• Mohsen Rezai says Ahmadinejad is unconvincing in his claims that he has not had enough economic opportunities to live up to his promises, promises to correct mistakes of past governments in the economic field, stresses that distribution of money among the people "produces beggars" and is "unproductive." 
• (E) If elected, Rezai promises to ease tensions between Iranians and Arabs by clearing long-standing misunderstandings.
• (E) Regarding women’s rights, Rezai promised to “put Iranian housewives on the government's payroll and… officially register the role that they are playing in the society as a job.”
• Rezai's televised address.
  • Rezai calls for a social, political and cultural transformation of society.
• Rezai campaign refutes rumors that he will leave the campaign to benefit Mousavi. 
• (E) To stop a nuclear attack on Iran, Rezai advocates using “one strike” against Israel’s Damona nuclear complex, stating: “My government... understands missiles and tanks as well as foreign policy and knows exactly where Israel’s sensitive spots are.”

May 21 News Roundup  

• Rezai supporter Ali Ahmadi says Rezai has the key to solving the unemployment problem. 

May 19 News Roundup  

• Mohsen Rezai says his government will have a "constructive and effective engagement with the United States."
• Rezai campaign chiefs in 20 provinces.
• Rezai promises to include Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mohammad Khatami in his cabinet. 
• Rezai denies having said that Ahmadinejad has "led the country into the borders of abyss" and promises to continue the good deeds and policies of Ahmadinejad.
• Tehran Mayor Qalibaf serves as Mohsen Rezai's pilot from Bandar Abbas to Tehran. 
• Ayatollah Na'im-Abadi, representative of the Supreme Leader in Hormozgan, welcomes Rezai to the province, urges the public to participate in elections in order to secure maximum participation. 

May 17-18 News Roundup  

• Former Economy and Finance Minister Davoud Danesh-Ja'fari speaking in Mashhad says Mohsen Rezai's slogan is "economic salvation." 

May 16 News Roundup  

• Hossein Safaei is appointed Rezai's campaign headquarter chief in Khorasan Razavai. 
• Sadegh Tabatabaei and Mohammad-Mehdi Naseri are appointed advisors to the Rezai campaign.

May 15 News Roundup  

• Mohsen Rezai meets Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi in Qom.
  • Rezai says the theological seminaries of Qom are not utilized correctly by the government and that the relationship between religion and state has weakened. 
• Former Finance Minister Davoud Danesh-Ja'fari campaigns on behalf of Mohsen Rezai. 
• IRNA discloses that Rezai's speech in Qom was disrupted by members of the audience asking him questions about his son fleeing to the United States and questions about how Rezai dares to criticize the government now that the Supreme Leader has declared his support for the Ahmadinejad govenrment. IRNA also discloses that the campaign meeting ends in verbal fights against Rezai supporters and theological students.
• Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi grants Rezai a visit, but stresses that he is impartial in presidential elections. 
• Mohsen Rezai to speak at Roud-e-hen University.  Report of speech here. 

• Rezai calls for a federal budget for Iran.
• Transitional government spokesman Sadegh Tabatabaei does not refute being appointed Rezai's First Vice President.
• Mansouroun pre-revolutionary terrorist group embraces candidacy of its veteran Rezai; the website of the group features multiple interviews and speeches of Rezai.