Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ASHGABAT50
2010-01-14 04:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN BUSINESSMAN INFURIATED;
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000050
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2020
TAGS: PREL IDB IR PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN BUSINESSMAN INFURIATED;
IRGC-LINKED COMPANY GETS RAILWAY CONTRACT
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000050
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2020
TAGS: PREL IDB IR PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN BUSINESSMAN INFURIATED;
IRGC-LINKED COMPANY GETS RAILWAY CONTRACT
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d)
1. (C) In a January 7 meeting with Iran Watcher, Golammreza
Gieahpour, the General Director of Iran Samen's Ashgabat
branch, said that he was "surprised, angry and very, very
disappointed" that the UAE-based firm Pars Energy, owned and
run by Iranian citizen Ahmad Ramazani, had been awarded the
contract by the Iranian and Turkmen governments to construct
the 700-kilometer Atrak-Gorgan railroad line linking
Turkmenistan and Iran. The project is being financed in part
by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). Gieahpour said that
his firm had been perfecting a project proposal for the
railroad line for the past 35 months, and until recently had
understood that their only real competition for the contract
was the Iranian company Travers. Gieahpour asserted that
Pars Energy had essentially "appeared out of nowhere" despite
Iran Samen having successfully lowered its cost estimate per
kilometer of railway line. He also alleged that Pars and its
owner/manager, Ahmad Ramazani, are closely affiliated with
the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He further
alleged that Ahmad Ramazani and his brother Mahmoud have
"long and close ties to the Iranian regime," and that as
university students, they had participated in the 1979
takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He believes that
both the Turkmen government and the IDB are likely unaware of
Pars Energy's IRCG connection, but that "they should be,"
particularly since Turkmenistan continually emphasizes its
policy of "positive neutrality" in foreign affairs.
2. (C) Gieahpour had been invited to both the meeting on
January 5 between local Iranian expats/businessmen and
visiting Iranian president Ahmadinejad and the opening
ceremony the following day of the Dovletabad-Serakhs-Hangiran
gas pipeline. However, he said that, given the disappointing
results of the railroad tender, he had "no desire" to attend
either and declined the invitations.
PRO-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN TEHRAN: "TOTALLY
ORCHESTRATED"
3. (C) Gieahpour, who had just returned to Ashgabat after a
visit to Iran in December, said he had witnessed first-hand
the pro-government rallies that took place on December 30.
He said he saw busloads of IRGC members and supporters being
brought in from outside the city to take part. He also heard
from friends and acquaintances that government workers had
been required to participate in the events. Even some
elderly people he met on the streets told him that while out
in public and at government offices for other purposes, they
had been told to go out onto the streets for the rally. One
elderly woman he encountered seemed confused and reportedly
told him, "I'm not sure why I'm here."
IRGC: "ARMED TO THE TEETH"
4. (C) Gieahpour predicts that the IRGC, which h described
as "armed to the teeth," are so "dug in" in Iran that the
opposition Green Movement has almost no chance of prevailing
in its efforts to bring about significant change in the
country. He said that Supreme Leader Khamenei is "powerless,
controlled by the IRGC." He also predicts that Khamenei's
son Mojtaba, who, in his words, has no religious credentials
at all and "bought his degree" from the seminary in Qom, is
likely to succeed him when he dies. The only way to bring
down the IRGC, he said, is to stop the flow of money to it
from the many businesses it owns or controls inside and
outside of Iran.
5. (C) COMMENT: As we have no corroborating information
regarding Gieahpour's assertions about Pars Energy or the
Ramazani brothers, we cannot confirm the accuracy of the
allegations. An internet search indicated that Ahmad
Ramazani was a university student from 1985-87, which would
make him rather young at the time to have participated in the
Embassy takeover in 1979. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2020
TAGS: PREL IDB IR PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN BUSINESSMAN INFURIATED;
IRGC-LINKED COMPANY GETS RAILWAY CONTRACT
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Sylvia Reed Curran. Reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d)
1. (C) In a January 7 meeting with Iran Watcher, Golammreza
Gieahpour, the General Director of Iran Samen's Ashgabat
branch, said that he was "surprised, angry and very, very
disappointed" that the UAE-based firm Pars Energy, owned and
run by Iranian citizen Ahmad Ramazani, had been awarded the
contract by the Iranian and Turkmen governments to construct
the 700-kilometer Atrak-Gorgan railroad line linking
Turkmenistan and Iran. The project is being financed in part
by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). Gieahpour said that
his firm had been perfecting a project proposal for the
railroad line for the past 35 months, and until recently had
understood that their only real competition for the contract
was the Iranian company Travers. Gieahpour asserted that
Pars Energy had essentially "appeared out of nowhere" despite
Iran Samen having successfully lowered its cost estimate per
kilometer of railway line. He also alleged that Pars and its
owner/manager, Ahmad Ramazani, are closely affiliated with
the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He further
alleged that Ahmad Ramazani and his brother Mahmoud have
"long and close ties to the Iranian regime," and that as
university students, they had participated in the 1979
takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He believes that
both the Turkmen government and the IDB are likely unaware of
Pars Energy's IRCG connection, but that "they should be,"
particularly since Turkmenistan continually emphasizes its
policy of "positive neutrality" in foreign affairs.
2. (C) Gieahpour had been invited to both the meeting on
January 5 between local Iranian expats/businessmen and
visiting Iranian president Ahmadinejad and the opening
ceremony the following day of the Dovletabad-Serakhs-Hangiran
gas pipeline. However, he said that, given the disappointing
results of the railroad tender, he had "no desire" to attend
either and declined the invitations.
PRO-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN TEHRAN: "TOTALLY
ORCHESTRATED"
3. (C) Gieahpour, who had just returned to Ashgabat after a
visit to Iran in December, said he had witnessed first-hand
the pro-government rallies that took place on December 30.
He said he saw busloads of IRGC members and supporters being
brought in from outside the city to take part. He also heard
from friends and acquaintances that government workers had
been required to participate in the events. Even some
elderly people he met on the streets told him that while out
in public and at government offices for other purposes, they
had been told to go out onto the streets for the rally. One
elderly woman he encountered seemed confused and reportedly
told him, "I'm not sure why I'm here."
IRGC: "ARMED TO THE TEETH"
4. (C) Gieahpour predicts that the IRGC, which h described
as "armed to the teeth," are so "dug in" in Iran that the
opposition Green Movement has almost no chance of prevailing
in its efforts to bring about significant change in the
country. He said that Supreme Leader Khamenei is "powerless,
controlled by the IRGC." He also predicts that Khamenei's
son Mojtaba, who, in his words, has no religious credentials
at all and "bought his degree" from the seminary in Qom, is
likely to succeed him when he dies. The only way to bring
down the IRGC, he said, is to stop the flow of money to it
from the many businesses it owns or controls inside and
outside of Iran.
5. (C) COMMENT: As we have no corroborating information
regarding Gieahpour's assertions about Pars Energy or the
Ramazani brothers, we cannot confirm the accuracy of the
allegations. An internet search indicated that Ahmad
Ramazani was a university student from 1985-87, which would
make him rather young at the time to have participated in the
Embassy takeover in 1979. END COMMENT.
CURRAN