He is called to lead the country to elections to choose his successor Ibrahim Raisi. A doctorate in international relations from clerical parents, he kept a discreet presence. The Putin call was one of the first to be received since the morning by Mohammad Mohbar, Iran’s interim president, as appointed after the tragic death of Ibrahim Raisi for the next 50 days. The two sides emphasized their mutual intention to strengthen their relations even more. Together with the speaker of the parliament and the head of the judiciary, Mokhber will have to prepare a new presidential election according to the Constitution to elect Raisi’s successor.

The 68-year-old took over as vice-president in 2021 alongside 63-year-old hardliner Raisi. He is considered a confidant of the spiritual and political leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of the state. It had even been rumored that Raisi would be his successor. Khamenei assured that there will be no interruption of government work.

Dissident estate manager

THE Mohammad Mokhber was born on September 1, 1955 in Dezful, southwestern Khuzestan province of Iran to a clerical family. He served as an officer in the medical corps of the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Despite his low public profile, Mohber held prominent positions in his country’s power structure, particularly in charitable institutions. These groups were fueled by donations or assets confiscated after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, particularly those previously associated with the Shah of Iran or those involved in his government.

It was overseen by an Iranian institution known in English as the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order or EIKO. The US Treasury Department said the organization managed billions of dollars in assets as “a business giant under the direct supervision of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that has stakes in nearly every sector of the Iranian economy, including energy, telecommunications and financial services.”

“EIKO systematically violated the rights of dissidents by confiscating land and property from regime opponents, including political opponents, religious minorities and Iranian exiles,” the finance ministry said in 2021, imposing sanctions on Mohber. In 2010 the EU had also imposed sanctions on him for a time along with others due to concerns at the time about involvement in nuclear and ballistic missile activities. Two years later he was removed from the list.

Distinctive presence in foreign policy

As the head of an Iranian institution, Mohber oversaw the effort to make a coronavirus vaccine during the height of the pandemic, pledging to make tens of millions of doses. Of course, only a fraction of them reached the citizens, without ever giving any explanation. Mohber previously worked in banking and telecommunications. He also worked at the Mostafazan Foundation, a large conglomerate that manages the country’s grand projects and businesses.

While in that position he found himself embroiled in a legal dispute between mobile service providers Turkcell and South Africa’s MTN over a possible entry into the Iranian market. MTN ended up entering Iran. In foreign policy, his presence became more prominent last October, when he was part of the Iranian delegation on a visit to Moscow, during which the two sanctioned states discussed expanding their cooperation.

Iran then agreed to provide more drones and surface-to-surface missiles, according to insiders. These are weapon systems that Russia is using in the war against Ukraine. Mohber was accompanied by two high-ranking representatives of the Revolutionary Guards and a representative of the Supreme National Security Council. There are reports in the Iranian press that Mohbar, who holds a doctorate in international relations, played a key role in Iran’s efforts to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on its oil industry.

Reuters, AP