Iran Resorts To Chinese Influencers To Rebuild Tarnished Image
Iran’s Ministry of Tourism has brought 20 Chinese influencers to Iran in an attempt to provide a positive picture of the regime on social media.
Iran’s Ministry of Tourism has brought 20 Chinese influencers to Iran in an attempt to provide a positive picture of the regime on social media.
According to reports, the group has more than 60 million followers collectively on different platforms, particularly TikTok.
Moslem Shojaei, the head of the marketing office in Iran’s Tourism Ministry, said the group has been invited as part of the “Salam Iran” project aimed at boosting tourism in the country.
They are to visit different parts of Iran in four tours during the stay.
On Tuesday, a short video was released showing 11 of the influencers visiting the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Shiites, in the religious city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
Meanwhile, Ezzatollah Zarghami, Iran’s Minister of Tourism and a former IRGC officer, hailed the visiting Chinese influencers as “active youths” who can effectively encourage their fellow compatriots to travel to Iran, currently blighted by human rights abuses and being labelled the world's number one state sponsor of terror, by the US.
Over the past years, especially after the nationwide uprising in Iran triggered by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022, Tehran has tried to employ foreign influencers and known figures in a desperate attempt to rebuild its tarnished international reputation and even promote its ideological causes.
In February, Whitney Wright, an American adult film actress, travelled to Iran, sharing an image of herself at Tehran's Golestan Palace, fully covered with Iran's mandatory hijab.
Wright's visit to Iran ignited a firestorm on Iranian social media. Some users alleged that Iranian authorities either invited or facilitated her visit due to her outspoken anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian stances.
However, as a seasoned veteran of the IRGC and a relative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Ghalibaf still enjoys significant political support. The editor of the IRGC-affiliated Javan newspaper in Tehran staunchly defended him against his hardline political rivals, who clearly covet his position as leader of parliament (Majles).
Gholamreza Sadeghian in an article featured in the most prominent place on the daily's Wednesday's edition particularly addressed Hamid Rasaei, a firebrand headliner, and said he and his likeminded newly elected lawmakers are neither devoted Muslims, nor have any particular expertise that would make them fit for membership in the Majles (parliament).
Since his election, Rasaei has labeled veteran politicians such as Ghalibaf and his predecessor Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel as "hypocrites" and has called for an end to Ghalibaf's leadership in the Majles.
Javan newspaper accused Rasaei of insulting the Majles, which Khamenei has referred to as "a revolutionary parliament." Additionally, Javan charged Rasaei with insulting former IRGC Qods Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, adding that Rasaei, who was previously barred from running for the Majles in 2021, lacks an understanding of Khamenei's expectations for the Majles and its lawmakers.
The daily suggested that the people have the power to remove such lawmakers from the parliament. The severity of the accusations, particularly those regarding insulting Qasem Soleimani, may indicate that the next Majles is likely to reject Rasaei's credentials.
Iran International TV called Javan's article a strong defense of Ghalibaf's leadership role in the next Majles. Iran analyst Morteza Kazemian told Iran International that this is not a conflict between political parties and their members. This is a fight between gangs that benefit from financial resources thanks to their positions in the government and Majles.
Another Iran analyst, Mehdi Mahdavi Azad also called the new MPs, the members of a cult that represent around 5 percent of Iranian voters. He said the ongoing conflict between various groups of hardliners at the parliament started as older hardliners let the genie out of the bottle and now, they find it hard to control it.
Javan also remarked that Rasaei and certain other newly elected hardliners seem to harbor the illusion that they could ascend to leadership positions within the parliament. The publication specifically accused Rasaei of coveting Ghalibaf's role and of perceiving himself as more than just a newly elected lawmaker awaiting credential approval. Furthermore, Javan criticized Rasaei's remarks about other politicians as "impolite" and potentially damaging.
Additionally, Javan recalled Rasaei's accusation against Ghalibaf, alleging that he had attained political power due to his familial ties. This reference to Ghalibaf and Haddad Adel's relationship with Khamenei was untimely and inappropriate.
During the past days verbal attacks prompted Ghalibaf to consider resigning his post as a member of the parliament. Earlier, another hardliner cleric, Alireza Panahian, had called on Ghalibaf to resign after an scandal about Ghalibaf’s son attempting to emigrate to Canada was disclosed by Iran International and on social media.
In an interview with Didban Iran website, prominent lawmaker Sharyar Heidari said on Wednesday that a few days after the latest Majles election, Ghalibaf and his political rivals started lobbying as serious contenders for the post of Majles Speaker.
Heidari said that although there seems to be a consensus about Ghalibaf's continued role as Speaker, the moves by newly elected lawmakers are likely to cause turmoil during the first weeks of the next parliament.
Over the past few days, there has been much speculation regarding Ghalibaf's political future. Centrist daily "Ham Mihan" summarized these speculations into three groups. According to "Ham Mihan," Ghalibaf may choose to continue relying on his old friends to advance his longstanding policies. However, in this scenario, he may struggle to resist the pressures from the new generation of hardline politicians.
Alternatively, his second option could involve joining forces with members of the ultraconservative Paydari Party, along with his friends and allies, to shield himself against attacks from emerging hardliners. His third option might be to form an alliance with any moderates present in the Majles, if they exist, to counter the pressures from the hardliners. Nevertheless, without support from the IRGC and Khamenei, the intensity of the hardliners' pressure could easily sideline Ghalibaf.
