Iranian Cleric Detained After Provocative Online Claims and Cryptocurrency Links

Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, a senior cleric in Iran, has been detained and is under investigation by the Special Prosecutor's Office for Clerics. He made wild claims online about the inner workings of the highest levels of the Islamic Republic, provoking complaints from the Foreign Ministry, the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council, and the legal affairs office of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Kharrazi's family belongs to the regime's elite. His sister is married to supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei's brother, and his late father was a senior cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts. He tried to run for president in 2013 but was disqualified by the Guardian Council.

Kharrazi also has a link to Iran's cryptocurrency market via his sons. Two of his sons, Ali and Mohammad, were the founders of Nobitex, which has become Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Nobitex and the two brothers in June, identifying them as members of the Kharrazi family.

In older videos attributed to Kharrazi, he argued that Iran needed an atomic bomb and suggested creating a civil war between Black and white Americans. He also proposed organizing tens of thousands of people in Tehran against women who refuse the mandatory hijab.