Heading Setad: Reuters findings on property seizures, and EU and US sanctions
Mohammad Mokhber led Setad (Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order), the Supreme Leader's economic body, from 2007 to 2021. Outlets reported that the EU listed him in 2010 and delisted him in 2012, that a 2013 Reuters investigation valued Setad's holdings at about $95 billion, partly built on seized citizens' property, and that the US Treasury sanctioned him in 2021. Setad disputed the findings.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- EU lists Mokhber as Setad's president, then delists him in 2012 - Reuters reported that in July 2010 the European Union named Mohammad Mokhber, as president of Setad and chairman of Sina Bank, in a sanctions list over alleged links to nuclear or ballistic missile activities, describing Setad as an investment fund linked to Ali Khamenei (@khamenei_fa). Reuters said the EU removed him from the list in October 2012 without explanation. Special Report: Khamenei's conglomerate thrived as sanctions squeezed Iran
- Reuters investigation: Setad's $95 billion empire built partly on seizures - In its 'Assets of the Ayatollah' series, Reuters reported that Setad, then headed by Mokhber, held about $95 billion in real estate and corporate stakes, and had acquired property by claiming in court, sometimes falsely, that it was abandoned, often from religious minorities and Iranians abroad. Reuters noted the US Treasury had sanctioned Setad and 37 firms in June 2013. Setad's PR director called the series 'far from realities'. Special Report: Khamenei controls vast financial empire built on property seizures
- US Treasury sanctions Mokhber personally - On January 13, 2021 the US Treasury designated Mohammad Mokhber as leader of Setad (EIKO). Its statement said EIKO had 'systematically violated the rights of dissidents by confiscating land and property' from political opponents, religious minorities and exiled Iranians, and that it held stakes in energy, telecoms and finance. Radio Farda and BBC Persian reported the designation. Treasury Targets Billion Dollar Foundations Controlled by Iran's Supreme Leader
- Radio Farda piece on Setad's role in seizing Baha'i and prisoners' property - A Radio Farda commentary, republished after Mokhber became first vice president in August 2021, said he had headed Setad since 2007 by Khamenei's order and described the body as both the system's piggy bank and an agent of pressure on prisoners and minorities. It cited property confiscation rulings against Baha'is and a 2019 meeting Mokhber hosted with Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi commanders. ستاد اجرایی فرمان امام؛ هم قلک نظام، هم کارگزار فشار بر زندانیان و اقلیتها
- Coverage of his record after he became acting president - After President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash and Mokhber was named acting president, the Associated Press reported that he had overseen Setad and recalled the Treasury's 2021 allegation that it confiscated property from regime opponents. Forbes noted the EU had sanctioned him in 2010 over Iran's nuclear program and lifted the measure two years later. Who is Iran's acting president Mohammad Mokhber?