Iranian ex-president Khatami sues hardline editor over Soros meeting claim

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is taking legal action against Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of Kayhan newspaper, over claims that Khatami conspired with American philanthropist George Soros to instigate a "velvet revolution" in Iran.

Soros, the Hungarian-born Jewish financier and philanthropist, is the frequent target of numerous conspiracy theories.

The lawsuit marks another chapter in the ongoing legal disputes between Khatami and Shariatmadari, with the former alleging slander regarding these accusations.

Over the past 15 years, Shariatmadari has repeated his claims that in 2006, a year after leaving office, Khatami met with Soros twice during a private visit to the United States.

The editor-in-chief has yet to present any evidence to substantiate the alleged meetings, which he and other hardliners consider to be acts of treason and a threat to national security.

Shariatmadari is known to be a staunch ally of the country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who appointed him to the position in 1993.

Shariatmadari insists that Khatami, in collusion with Soros, attempted to engineer a "velvet" or "color revolution" in Iran during the late 2000s. He holds them responsible for the Green Movement protests that erupted after the highly-contested 2009 presidential election. Hardliners, including Kayhan newspaper, have branded Khatami, along with the defeated presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, as the "leaders of the 2009 sedition."

In reaction to the lawsuit, reformist political figure and journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi noted that Khatami should not feel the need to defend himself over the claims.

“I would clearly state if I were Mr. Khatami, that I do not need the permission of the managing editor of Kayhan to meet with international figures, and I do not consider meeting with Mr. Soros to be a criminal or unjustified act to defend myself against it,” Zeidabadi said in a Telegram post Wednesday.

In a previous lawsuit filed by Khatami in 2018, Shariatmadari refused to appear in court during preliminary investigations. According to Khatami's lawyers, the country’s Judiciary, also controlled by Khamenei, later closed the case without explanation.

This time around, Khatami’s legal team has said it would pursue the case diligently and keep the public informed of the proceedings.

Allegations rooted in coerced confessions

Shariatmadari's allegations hinged primarily on the forced confessions of Kian Tajbakhsh, an Iranian-American scholar who worked for Soros's Open Society Foundation in Iran during Khatami's term as president.

During mass show trials organized by the Iranian state in the wake of the Green Movement protests—public spectacles where opposition figures were tried en masse to discredit them and suppress dissent— Tajbakhsh claimed that Khatami and Soros had met in the US, with Javad Zarif, then Iran's ambassador to the UN, also present.

Tajbakhsh later withdrew his statements, asserting they were extracted under coercion by the state's security forces. This was a common experience for many political figures, journalists, and activists put on trial in 2009 — and throughout the history of the Islamic Republic.

Shariatmadari’s controversial role

Shariatmadari's editorials, often seen as reflective of the Supreme Leader's views, frequently spark domestic and international controversy.

Despite Kayhan’s dwindling circulation—reportedly below 10,000, with most subscribers being government entities—it remains influential due to its perceived connection to Khamenei.

Critics argue that Shariatmadari and Kayhan enjoy immunity from prosecution, even though the editor has repeatedly accused political rivals and cultural figures of espionage, corruption, and moral failings.

Double standards in legal prosecution

While many Iranian journalists face harassment, threats, and imprisonment for far less, Shariatmadari has avoided accountability for libel and defamation.

Journalist and human rights activist Mehdi Mahmoudian is set to begin serving an eight-month prison sentence this week for “propaganda against the system.” Mahmoudian was convicted for supporting political prisoner Zia Nabavi, who exposed a severe bedbug infestation in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison in May 2024.

While a court found Nabavi not guilty of libel, Mahmoudian was prosecuted for backing his claims.

The former reformist politician has been arrested over ten times and spent eight years in prison since 2009.