In a six-part antisemitic lecture series in late 2018, Mehdi Taeb, a close associate of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, discussed the Jews, "Zionism" and "Zionists," how Jews should be treated, "the Jews' ability to organize and exploit," and more. Later, he posted a series of excerpts from one of the lectures on his Instagram account.[1] For more about the lectures, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1499, Antisemitism In Iran - Part II: Supreme Leader Associate Mehdi Taeb In Lecture Series On The Jews: Your Greatest Sworn Enemy The Jews; If The Spearhead Is Aimed At The Jews, The World Will Be Freed, January 27, 2020). Taeb heads the Ammar Headquarters think tank that advises the Supreme Leader and draws up strategies for suppressing anti-regime activity inside and outside Iran, and its role, according to its deputy commander, includes "monitoring the fulfillment of Khamenei's demands, coordinating among the Islamic Revolution forces, overseeing the [regime's] organizational activity, monitoring the activity of the front that opposes the Islamic Revolution, identifying overt and covert enemy activity and enemy agents within Iran, and raising [public] awareness in the arena of internal developments."[2] Taeb also maintains a Telegram account. As of this writing, Taeb's Instagram account has 59 posts and nearly 13,000 followers. It has been operating since September 2018. Taeb's Instagram account. In the lecture that was excerpted on Instagram, which was originally delivered on September 27, 2018, Taeb says: "'Zionists' is the name of a cult that seeks to control, situate itself, and settle in Zion. Zion is the name of the sacred tomb in which Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located, and the Zionists want to control this Zion... "What does the word 'Jews' mean? This is a term that comes from the Quran, and it is the name God decided to give the cult called the Zionists. In order to answer this question, [we must examine] whether the term 'Jews" existed before the Quran. Did the Quran call this cult by the name [Zionists]? It should be said that what is certain is that the Quran uses the term 'Jews' but [that term] this does not appear in the New Testament or in any of the books of the Torah." The following are the excerpts of the lecture on Taeb's Instagram. Instagram.com/p/By3F2fXBfLP/, posted June 18, 2019. Instagram.com/p/By8DtuRgDSl/ posted June 20, 2019 Instagram.com/p/BzIaItvgb6J, posted June 25, 2019. Instagram.com/p/BzQS59OAUbh/, posted June 28, 2019. Instagram.com/p/BzYDlMBAELf/, posted July 1, 2019. Instagram.com/p/BziFWfRgBO6/, posted July 5, 2019. [1] Instagram.com/taeb_ir, accessed January 31, 2020. [2] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1499, Antisemitism In Iran - Part II: Supreme Leader Associate Mehdi Taeb In Lecture Series On The Jews: Your Greatest Sworn Enemy The Jews; If The Spearhead Is Aimed At The Jews, The World Will Be Freed, January 27, 2020.
February 3, 2020