Former Oil Minister Files Defamation Complaint Against Presidential Candidates

Bijan Zanganeh, Iran's former Minister of Oil, has filed a formal complaint against two presidential candidates, Saeed Jalili and Alireza Zakani. 

The complaint, submitted to Tehran's public and revolutionary prosecutor, accuses both men of "defamation, insult, and publication of lies" during the televised election debates.

The controversy centers around heated discussions of the Crescent contract, a contentious agreement between Iran and the Emirati company Crescent Petroleum, signed in 2001. 

During the fourth presidential debate last week, which focused on foreign policy, the contract became a flashpoint of accusations and counter-accusations among the candidates. 

Saeed Jalili accused Zanganeh of "corruption and plundering billions of dollars" in relation to the Crescent deal. 

Alireza Zakani, the current mayor of Tehran, went further, labeling Zanganeh's actions as "the biggest oil betrayal and committing a crime." 

Zanganeh denied these allegations and is demanding criminal prosecution of both Jalili and Zakani. 

The former oil minister, who served multiple terms under different administrations, argued that these accusations were baseless and damaging to his reputation.

The Crescent contract has been a source of controversy for years. 

Initially signed during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, the agreement fell apart when Iran failed to fulfill its obligations. 

This led Crescent Petroleum to file a complaint with the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague. 

In 2021, the court ordered Iran to pay $2.43 billion in damages. 

During the debates, candidate Mostafa Pourmohammadi claimed that the failure to implement the Crescent agreement had cost Iran $18 billion. 

He accused Jalili and Zakani of playing a role in canceling the contract, leading to significant losses for Iran.

Iran will hold a run-off presidential election on July 5 after neither of the top candidates secured more than 50 percent of votes in Friday's polls. 

The election to replace Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, has come down to a tight race between the only moderate candidate in a field of four hardliners. 

According to the final results released by the ministry, with more than 24 million votes counted, moderate lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian is leading with over 10 million votes.