Hossein Marashi ( fa, حسین مرعشی; born 17 November 1958 in

Rafsanjan Rafsanjan ( fa, رفسنجان, also Romanization, Romanized as Rafsanjān and Rafsinjān; also known as Bahrāmābād) is a city and capital of Rafsanjan County, Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 136,388, in 33,489 f ...

) is an Iranian politician. He served as the Iranian Vice President for Cultural Heritage and Tourism from 2003 to 2005. Prior to that, Marashi represented

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

in the

Iranian parliament The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The P ...

. He strongly backed opposition candidate Mousavi in the 2009 Iranian election. Marashi is also reportedly a close ally of

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...

, another former president. He has been secretary general of the Executives of Construction Party. He has been named the head of vice-president

Eshaq Jahangiri Eshaq Jahangiri Kouhshahi ( fa, ‌اسحاق جهانگیری کوهشاهی, ; born 21 January 1958) is an Iranian politician who served as the sixth first vice president from 2013 until 2021 in Hassan Rouhani's government. Jahangiri was the ...

's campaign. He was the head of the province of Kerman for nearly nine years. He founded a Kerman-based charity by the name of Mol-Al-Movahedin Charity (or Non-Profit) Institute, which owns

Mahan Air Mahan Airlines, operating under the name Mahan Air ( fa, هواپیمایی ماهان, Havâpeymâyi-ye Mâhân), is a privately owned Iranian airline based in Tehran, Iran. It operates scheduled domestic services and international flights to ...

, an Iranian private airline. In 2011, the charity was involved in a scandal when it was accused of buying airplanes on behalf of Mahan Air. The airline had been facing sanctions by the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

for allegedly transporting weapons and advisors to troubled areas such as Syria and Yemen. The claim that firm had any connection with these political actives was denied by members of its board, and Marashi himself. As the head of the

Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Organization ( fa, وزارت میراث فرهنگی، گردشگری و صنایع دستی ایران, ''Vâzart-e Miras-e Ferhengi-ye, Gârdâshigâri-ye vâ Sânai'-ye Dâsti-ye Iran'') is ...

, Marashi increased the budget of the organization. However, some of Marashi's opponents believe that he was responsible for the disappearance of invaluable historical pieces, and the destruction of historical buildings. These opponents claim that despite public pressure, he never took any action to stop the destruction of historical artifacts. Marashi supported the construction of the controversial

Sivand Dam Sivand Dam is a dam built in 2007 in Fars Province, Iran.Pasargadae Pasargadae (from Old Persian ''Pāθra-gadā'', "protective club" or "strong club"; Modern Persian: ''Pāsārgād'') was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great (559–530 BC), who ordered its construction and the location of ...

. The dam was constructed in proximity to the ancient city, and experts believe that if the dam burst, it could destroy several

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...

. On March 19, 2010 it was announced that Marashi had been jailed in Iran, when a court of appeals upheld his one-year prison term. He was released from prison earlier than that, on January 25, 2011.Marashi Jailed BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8576834.stm Marashi is a cousin of former president Rafsanjani's wife,

Effat Marashi Effat Marashi ( fa, عفت مرعشی) is the widow of Iranian politician and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. 2009 protests In 2009, during election protests she was quoted as saying: "If people see that he governmenthas cheated, the ...

References

External links

* *http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2005/09/050902_ra-jb-iran-pasargad.shtml 1958 births Heads of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Living people Executives of Construction Party politicians Members of the Reformists' Supreme Council for Policymaking Members of the 5th Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 6th Islamic Consultative Assembly People from Kerman Province Iranian campaign managers {{Iran-politician-stub