Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (Persian: اسفندیار رحیم‌مشایی; born 16[citation needed] November 1960) is an Iranian conservative politician and former intelligence officer.

[5][6][7][8] A close ally of President Ahmadinejad, Mashaei was viewed by many Iranian clerics as an anti-establishment[9] activist and secular-oriented[10] nationalist.

[11] He has been criticized by religious conservatives for alleged "deviant tendencies," such as elevating Iranian heritage and nationalism above Islam as well as for statements he has made criticizing the Assembly of Experts and the theocratic doctrine of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists, and advocating for the clergy to remove themselves from the political establishment.

However, his application to run was disqualified by the Guardian Council, which must approve all potential candidates, as well as the final election results.

[19] From 1993 to 1997, he served as head of the social affairs department of the interior ministry under then president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

[21] He is a former head of the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran, and previously served briefly as a deputy interior minister.

[22] According to The New York Times journalist Thomas Erdbrink, "leading ayatollahs and commanders" have called Mashaei a "Freemason," a "foreign spy" and a "heretic."

"[26] He received criticisms from clerics and conservative members of the Iranian Parliament[27] and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who called the comments about Israelis "illogical".

[30] On 6 August 2010, Mashaei again drew protests from Iran's conservative establishment after speaking at a meeting with Iranian expatriates.

[32] Iran's armed forces joint chief of staff, General Hassan Firouzabadi, said Mashaei's comments were a "crime against national security" and were divisive against the rest of the Muslim world.

Hardline cleric Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, condemned Mashaei for having "once again made erroneous and inappropriate statements".

[33] Ahmadinejad, who also spoke at the meeting, defended Mashaei by saying "the atmosphere of criticism is a necessity and nobody should be condemned for voicing his viewpoints and not every difference of opinion should lead to a fight.

Reformist lawmaker Dariush Ghanbari described the appointment as a "declaration of war" on parliament, because Ahmadinejad had earlier been asked to consult with the deputies before naming his Cabinet.

[41] On 18 July 2009, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei advised Ahmadinejad to change the position of Mashaei in the cabinet.

However, Ahmadinejad's senior assistant was quoted as saying "I have not seen a clear and convincing reason given by anyone to make [Mashaei's] appointment to the first deputy position impossible.

[45] On 22 July, Ahmedinejad spoke affirmatively at a farewell function for Mashaei as he resigned from his position as tourism vice president to take up his new post.

[47] Others suggested he is a member of a secretive sect, the Hojjatieh, which the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, outlawed, and to which Ahmedinejad has also been linked.

[48] It was also suggested that by demanding Mashaei's removal, Khamenei effectively appropriated a new power, since normally the Supreme Leader does not intervene openly to oust a government official.

Following Mashaei's resignation, Ahmedinejad appointed him as his chief of staff and head of presidential center, abruptly dismissed from the cabinet Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i who had opposed the vice-presidential appointment, and threatened to dismiss Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Hossein Saffar Harandi.