President Pezeshkian has fired his vice president for parliamentary affairs for taking a “lavish” Now Ruz vacation to Antarctica.
There was no suggestion of corruption; the complaint was that Shahram Dabiri, long a buddy of the president, shouldn’t have enjoyed himself so extravagantly when so many Iranians are suffering economically.
In a decree issued to the vice-president April 5, the president said that after reviewing a report on Dabiri’s trip, he had decided to terminate him.
“Given the many economic hardships faced by the public, extravagant trips by officials, even if covered by personal income, are not defensible and justifiable and run contrary to the minimalist lifestyle expected of Iranian officials,” the president said.
“Your longtime friendship and your invaluable services at the vice presidency for parliamentary affairs do not preclude prioritizing adherence to honesty, justice and the promises we made to the people,” Pezeshkian wrote.
Later in the day, Fatemeh Mohajerani, the government spokesperson, said Pezeshkian’s decision shows that he has no pact of brotherhood with anyone, and his only criteria are efficacy, justice, honesty and the public interest.
Iran Front Page reported that Dabiri had refused to resign and said he would only leave office if dismissed.
Dabiri and his wife reportedly flew to Europe where they visited a few cities before flying to Argentina, from which cruise ships regularly depart for visits to the coast of Antarctica (not to South Pole itself). The ship they took, MV Plancius, which flies the Dutch flag, advertises its cheapest tour to Antarctica at $6,685. Vice presidents earn an annual salary of $9,000, which prompted many to question how he could afford the trip to Antarctica.
Shortly before his dismissal but after news reports of his trip had appeared, Dabiri’s office said the stories were “not true.” But Radio Farda said the photos of Dabiri and his wife in European cities and standing in front of the cruise ship that goes to Antarctica had been posted on Mrs. Dabiri’s Instagram account.
Dabiri, 64, is a physician and close ally of Pezeshkian from Tabriz. His selection as a vice president sparked controversy because he had been tried in 2020 on corruption charges stemming from his tenure as a member of the Tabriz City Council. However, he was acquitted at that trial.
Meanwhile, Dabiri’s visit to Argentina to get on the boat tour became a hot issue in Argentina, where government opponents in Congress expressed fury at the country’s intelligence service for not blocking an Iranian official from entering the country. Anger was not targeted at the Argentine embassy in Iran, which issued the visa allowing Dabiri to enter Argentina.
Argentina has sour relations with Iran, which is accused of organizing two bombings in the country that killed more than 100 people in the 1990s
