(Bloomberg) --
The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ biggest commercial enterprise has resigned to run in Iran’s June presidential elections, the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.
Saeed Mohammad headed the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters behind many of Iran’s large domestic infrastructure projects. While he lacks political experience or any significant public profile, Mohammad is a veteran of the Guard with solid military credentials and close ties to the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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As managing director of Khatam, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2007, Mohammad oversaw hundreds of subsidiaries and a staff of tens of thousands. During his tenure the company took on Oil Ministry projects that foreign corporations abandoned after the U.S. quit world powers’ nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions.
The fate of that moribund accord will be a central theme in the June 18 elections, which are widely expected to be dominated by conservatives broadly opposed to engagement with the U.S.
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