Mohammad Mokhber[a][b] (born 26 June 1955)[1][2] is an Iranian politician who has served as an advisor and aide to the Supreme Leader of Iran since September 2024.

Setad), an executive at the Mostazafan Foundation, chairman of the board of Sina Bank, deputy governor of Khuzestan Province and CEO of Dezful Telecommunications.

[3] Mokhber's career from young revolutionary to public official is dogged with allegations of corruption, some of which have led to investigations, regarding privatization of Iran's public assets, insider trading, human rights abuses, and affiliation with Iran's nuclear program (see Corruption and Abuse of Power).

While Iranian corporate records are not available to substantiate MTN Irancell's true ownership, a lawsuit filed by Turkcell in 2004 alleges 51% of the company is owned by Mostazafan.

Mokhber's appointment put him at the head of a powerful conglomerate which controls over $95 billion in assets built on "the systematic seizure of thousands of properties belonging to ordinary Iranians," according to Reuters.

Under Mokhber's EIKO leadership, the Barakat Medical complex promised to develop, manufacture, and deliver 120 million doses of vaccine for $1 billion.

During his tenure as first Vice President, Mokhber was also appointed to Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, an advisory body to the supreme leader created by Khomenei in 1988.

[21] These appointments placed him in control of multiple facets of the Iranian economy, such as the development of a strategic industrial plan and the promotion of domestic production, and at least one large privatization effort.

[19][30] In January 2023 the expediency discernment council placed him at the head of a seven-man commission tasked with managing the sale of government properties worth approximately $275 million.

[33] In addition to economic activities, as first vice president, Mokhber was responsible for the implementation of the Supreme Leader's domestic and foreign policy priorities and conducted diplomatic meetings with public and military officials throughout the region, notably commanders from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces.

[45] Although the lawsuit eventually turned in favor of Irancell, it brought about the arrest in 2019 of Pretoria's former ambassador to Iran on charges that they accepted a bribe in exchange for support of MTN's receipt of the contract.

[47] A later lawsuit filed in 2021 by the United States linked MTN Irancell to the funding and arming of terrorist groups, directly contributing to American casualties between 2011 and 2016.

[50][51][52] Insider Trading - While undertaking his duties as first vice president, Mokhber signed a letter on 17 May 2023 which contained critical information about an increase in the petrochemical feed rate from 5,000 to 7,000 tomans.

Senior capital market expert Mehdi Rozbahani criticized the lack of transparency and the misuse of information, which enabled a small group of individuals to benefit at the expense of ordinary investors.

[53] Alleged Corruption Scheme in Iran's Government Sales - A letter written by Ahmad Tavakkoli in 2023 acknowledged that Mokhber and a team of six other people were appointed to direct a new privatization plan, the stated purpose of which was to generate income for the Iranian government from "unused or low-productivity public assets.

[72] In July 2010, the European Union included Mokhber, then the president of EIKO, in a list of persons and entities it was sanctioning for alleged involvement in the issue of "nuclear or ballistic missiles activities."

[77][20][26] On 24 January 2019 the U.S. Department of the Treasury added Mokhber, EIKO and its subsidiaries to its sanctions list, stating that EIKO controls a sizable portion of Iran's economy, including assets confiscated from political opponents and religious minorities for the benefit of senior Iranian government officials.