Regime Mob Leader Accompanies Iranian President During US Visit

A leader of a government vigilante mob who carried out the 2011 storming of the British embassy in Tehran is now accompanying Iran's president during his visit to the United States.

Mojtaba Amini is also the producer of a TV series that has been criticized for glorifying the imprisonment of dual nationals and journalists.

Amini's producing of the Gando TV series was aimed to undermine the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani while receiving praise from supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Members of President Hassan Rouhani's administration, including Foreign Minister mohammad Javad Zarif, protested the series and even wrote a letter of complaint to Khamenei, requesting its cancellation.

Despite the protests, a second season of the series was produced. The first season had drawn inspiration from Khamenei's repeated warnings about the "enemy infiltration" of the nuclear negotiating team.

Gando can be seen as a reflection of the complex power dynamics within the Islamic Republic. Despite the presence of an Intelligence Ministry, the IRGC's Intelligence Organization was formed in 2009 and now holds significant influence, if not more than the ministry. Gando was evidently intended to undermine the Intelligence Ministry and Rouhani's government.

In June, Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili, Iran's Minister of Culture, appointed Mojtaba Amini as his advisor. Amini also served as the secretary of the 41st edition of the annual International Fajr Film Festival in 2021, a significant event in the Iranian cinema scene.