Against the backdrop of Iran-Israel tensions and accusations by the Iranian regime that Israel has a military presence aimed at Iran in Iranian Azerbaijan, the "Iranian Regime Countdown" group, which is opposed to the regime, wrote in an October 11, 2021 post on its Telegram channel[1] that Iranian Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohsen Rezaee had warned that if Israel "makes a mistake" vis-à-vis Iran, the Iranian regime would take action against "the 10,000 Jews living in Iran."
Rezaee is also a member of the Expediency Council and secretary of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination and of the Iranian government's Economic Committee. He commanded Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 1980 to 1997, and ran for president of Iran several times.
The following is a translation of the Iranian Regime Countdown post on its Telegram channel:
Vice President Rezaee: If Israel Makes A Mistake, "The Regime Will Treat The 10,000 Jews Living In Iran Differently"
"Mohsen Rezaee In An Unprecedented Threat To Iran's Jews!
"In an unprecedented speech, Mohsen Rezaee, [President] Ebrahim Raisi's deputy for economic affairs, took Iran's Jews hostage, warning that they would be punished by the [Iranian] regime if Israel makes a mistake!
"Rezaee told members and directors of [the ideological organization] Tharollah Tehran: 'The Israeli government knows very well that if it makes a mistake, the regime will treat the 10,000 Jews living in Iran differently.'
"Elements in the Islamic Republic [of Iran] have in the past threatened Israeli citizens and cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, in order to confront the Israeli threat, but this is the first time that a senior [Iranian] regime official is threatening the Jews, who have been living in Iran for thousands of years."
"In previous statements, Rezaee threatened to capture 1,000 Americans as hostages in the event of a U.S. attack on Iran and to demand a $1 billion ransom from the U.S. for each of them."[2]
Iranian Regime Countdown post on Telegram (T.me/ircountdown/2380, October 11, 2021)
Rezaee: Take 1,000 American Hostages For Ransom To Boost Iranian Economy
On June 10, 2021, Iranian journalist in the U.S. Masih Alinejad tweeted a video clip showing then-presidential candidate Rezaee in an Iranian television broadcast calling for solving Iran's economic problems by taking 1,000 Americans hostage and demanding billions of dollars in ransom for them.[3]
It should be noted that in July 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that four Iranian intelligence operatives who had fled to Iran had attempted to abduct Ms. Alinejad from her home in New York and to bring her to Iran. Ms. Alinejad is waging an online campaign encouraging Iranian women to remove their hijabs.
Masih Alinejad's tweet, June 10, 2021.
To view this clip, click here or below:
Representative Of The Jews In The Majlis Responds To News Of Rezaee's Threat: Rezaee's Office Denies It
On October 13, the representative of the Jews in the Majlis, Dr. Houmayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, wrote on his Telegram channel that Mohsen Rezaee's office had vehemently denied the Iranian Regime Countdown report of his statements. The following is the translation of his Telegram post:
"Recently, I have received many messages in the matter of the publication of an announcement by a senior regime official harming the Jewish community of Iran and creating concern in public opinion. After clarifying with the office of the honorable Dr. Mohsen Rezaee, he announced that this message was absolutely false and expressed regret for the publication of such a message that creates concern in the Jewish community of Iran.
"The dear and wise Jewish community has never been influenced by such mistaken news and will never consider them important.
"The great founder of the revolution [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini] and likewise the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] have always emphasized that the religion of the Prophet Moses and the Jewish community are distinct from Zionism. The publication of such false news is only in order to create division and tension among the Iranians.
"Dr. Humayon Sameyah
"Representative of the Jews in the Majlis."[4]
Dr. Sameyah's Telegram post. (Source: T.me/dr_sameyah/234, October 13, 2021)
[1] T.me/ircountdown.
[2] T.me/ircountdown/2380, October 11, 2021.
