Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars reports that the closest aide of Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, underwent plastic surgery earlier this week.
Fars, which reportedly has ties to the Revolutionary Guards, quotes "an official" from Parsian hospital in Tehran, as saying that Mashei had a blepharoplasty earlier this week, and spent a night at the hospital.
The official was quoted by Fars as saying that Mashaei had the surgery to treat cornea dryness and also to lift his eyelids.
Plastic surgery in Iran is very common and extremely popular, particularly nose jobs.
It is said that the Islamic republic is one of the world's leading countries for plastic surgery.
But plastic surgery among Iranian politicians and officials, who publicly preach modesty and a simple lifestyle, is unheard of.
The claim about Mashaei getting an eyelid operation could therefore be another attempt to damage Ahmadinejad who came to power promising justice for all Iranians.
Mashaei has not reacted publicly reacted to the Fars story, which has been reposted and widely shared online.
In other Mashaei-related news, the former representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to the Revolutionary Guard, seems to have downgraded Ahmadinejad’s closest aide by saying he is not the leader of the "deviant current."
The deviant current is a term used in Iran by Khamenei and his allies to describe Ahmadinejad’s entourage, whom they accuse of trying to undermine the clergy.
Mashaei has been repeatedly accused of leading the current. But Zolnour, who had in the past said that "Mashaei is the main president of Iran," said someone else is the leader of the current. He didn’t provide any more details.
Zolnour, who resigned in June from his post to stand in the March parliamentary election, predicted that some members of the deviant current will make it to the next parliament.
-- Golnaz Esfandiari
Fars, which reportedly has ties to the Revolutionary Guards, quotes "an official" from Parsian hospital in Tehran, as saying that Mashei had a blepharoplasty earlier this week, and spent a night at the hospital.
The official was quoted by Fars as saying that Mashaei had the surgery to treat cornea dryness and also to lift his eyelids.
Plastic surgery in Iran is very common and extremely popular, particularly nose jobs.
It is said that the Islamic republic is one of the world's leading countries for plastic surgery.
But plastic surgery among Iranian politicians and officials, who publicly preach modesty and a simple lifestyle, is unheard of.
The claim about Mashaei getting an eyelid operation could therefore be another attempt to damage Ahmadinejad who came to power promising justice for all Iranians.
Mashaei has not reacted publicly reacted to the Fars story, which has been reposted and widely shared online.
In other Mashaei-related news, the former representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to the Revolutionary Guard, seems to have downgraded Ahmadinejad’s closest aide by saying he is not the leader of the "deviant current."
The deviant current is a term used in Iran by Khamenei and his allies to describe Ahmadinejad’s entourage, whom they accuse of trying to undermine the clergy.
Mashaei has been repeatedly accused of leading the current. But Zolnour, who had in the past said that "Mashaei is the main president of Iran," said someone else is the leader of the current. He didn’t provide any more details.
Zolnour, who resigned in June from his post to stand in the March parliamentary election, predicted that some members of the deviant current will make it to the next parliament.
-- Golnaz Esfandiari