Arash Aramesh

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the secretary of the Council of Guardians, said July 27 that he had evidence the United States offered $50 billion to leaders of the opposition in Iran, if they manage to topple the Islamic Republic. He claimed that the U.S. already paid $1 billion to opposition leaders.

Jannati, who was speaking in the holy city of Qom, said, “The Saudis, who were speaking on behalf of Americans, said if you [opposition leaders] manage to topple the government, we will pay you fifty billion dollars.”

Jannati did not explain what sort of evidence he possessed and why has he not provided this evidence to Iran’s judiciary for prosecuting the accused. Nor did he say to whom the money was paid.

Hardliners in Iran have been trying to link the opposition to foreign powers and convince the Iranian people that last year’s unrests were planned by Westerners in Washington and London and implemented by their servants in Tehran.

Members of the opposition reacted to Jannati’s comments and called them “irresponsible.” Ali Shakuri-Rad, a former member of the Iranian parliament, told BBC Persian that, “Either Mr. Jannati does not know how much $50 billion is or he does not know other things,” implying that Jannati made a comment without knowing what he was talking about.

These remarks are troubling because Ahmad Jannati is one of Iran’s most influential hardliners. As Secretary of the Guardian Council, he plays an important role in monitoring elections in Iran and decides who has the right to run for office in the Islamic Republic.

Jannati has very close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who just appointed him to another five-year term as the Secretary of the Guardian Council. The Council is composed of six jurists and six laymen.

Jannati also has close ties to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Last year, Jannati and the Guardian Council were accused of being biased and helping the Ministry of Interior rig the election results. Jannati denied such allegations, but said he has always loved President Ahmadinejad, only adding to concerns that he and the Guardian Council did not act as honest watchdogs.