Saeed Jalili

Jalili's opponents accuse him of helping prevent the resumption of the Crescent gas contract in 2012. The case subsequently led to an arbitration award of hundreds of millions of dollars against NIOC. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Jalili in turn accused former Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh of corruption and major losses; Zanganeh filed a formal complaint for defamation, insults and publication of falsehoods.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the 2024 presidential debates, Mostafa Pourmohammadi claimed that in 2016 Jalili had indicated that he would accept FATF measures if Pourmohammadi was in charge, but not if they were led by other officials in the Rouhani government. The exchange fuelled allegations that his opposition to FATF had been motivated partly by political rivalry.

Attribution

Directly implicated

After losing the 2013 presidential election, Jalili established what he calls a "shadow government", a network of working groups and experts responsible for proposing and monitoring policies. In 2024, political officials publicly questioned who funded the structure, which experts were paid and on what basis it intervened in public affairs.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Institutional responsibility

Ahead of the 2024 runoff, reformist opponents, including Mohammad Javad Zarif, accused Jalili's campaign of using financial inducements, distributing money or food parcels in certain rural areas and benefiting from economic networks profiting from sanctions.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Jalili presented the hijab as the "dress code" for women's participation in society, intended to preserve the family. His position, in the context of the crackdown on the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, fuelled criticism of a possible presidency that would strengthen social restrictions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

A letter attributed to Jalili and addressed to the Supreme Leader was reported in 2022 as proposing an end to efforts to revive the JCPOA and increasing uranium enrichment to 90%, a level close to that used for nuclear weapons, before considering direct negotiations with the United States.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

Saeed Jalili was Iran's chief nuclear negotiator from 2007 to 2013. Western diplomats and analysts described him as particularly inflexible, and negotiations reached several deadlocks while sanctions intensified. His Iranian opponents subsequently linked his approach to the increasing economic cost of isolation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated