Mehdi Jahangiri Brother of Iran VP, The Story of Jahangiri Family, From Eshaq to Mehdi Jahangiri

SHARGHONLINE: Eshaq Jahangiri and Mehdi Jahangiri are the most well-known among the other Jahangiri brothers. Eshaq has held several key positions since the beginning of the revolution, including being a Parliament representative, governor of Isfahan, and later serving in the Iran Reformist government's Ministry of Industries. Mehdi Jahangiri Brother of Iran VP, Eshaq Jahangiri, is the founder of Tourism Bank and Tourism Financial Group.

Jahangiri Family, Father and five sons

Eshaq Jahangiri and Mehdi Jahangiri are the most well-known among the other Jahangiri brothers. Eshaq has held several key positions since the beginning of the revolution, including being a Parliament representative, governor of Isfahan, and later serving in the Iran Reformist government's Ministry of Industries. Mehdi Jahangiri Brother of Iran VP, Eshaq Jahangiri, is the founder of Tourism Bank and Tourism Financial Group.

To reach Kohshah, a rural mountain located between Baft and Jiroft cities, one must travel north

from Hajiabad in Hormozgan province or south from Orzueeyeh in Kerman province. Kohshah

village is situated among mineral mountains and surrounded by bitter almond and olive trees. 

The area is deprived and has limited transportation options. Despite the village name coming

after the family name of the first vice president, Eshaq Jahangiri Kohshahi was not born there.

His family origins are believed to be somewhere between Baft, Jiroft, Hormozgan, and Sirjan.

Hassan Jahangiri, Mehdi Jahangir's Father

Hassan Jahangiri, the father of the family, used to work at the Abdasht chromite mine, which was

one of the mines in Esfandagheh. However, his time in Esfandagheh and working in the mine

ended before the birth of his sons, Eshaq and his four other brothers, and the Jahangiri family

moved to Sirjan. After leaving the Abdasht Mine, Hasan Jahangiri worked as an employee at the

Agriculture Department of Sirjan until his retirement. Hassan Jahangiri lived in Sirjan for most

of his life, until his death in July 2010.

Eshaq Jahangiri remembers his father as someone more tolerant than his mother when Ishaq was in charge of the Kerman Jihad and had to go to the front line of the Iran-Iraq war all the time.

Eshaq's mother worried he would be martyred after his brothers Yaqub and Muhammad, but his

father was more understanding.  

The first martyr of Sirjan, Muhammad Jahangiri

The Jahangiri family had five sons, including Eshaq and Mehdi who were relatively more

famous, and Ibrahim who was less known in the country. Unfortunately, two of the Jahangiri

brothers were martyred. One was killed in the early days of the war, and the other in the Badr

operation in 1984. Eshaq narrates the story of his brother Muhammad's martyrdom: "My brother

went to Hoveyzeh and fought alongside Chamran in the irregular wars. He was martyred in

Sosangerd in November of 1980. When I received the news of his martyrdom, I was in charge of

Jihad Jiraft and immediately went to Kerman, but Muhammad's body had not arrived yet. It took

400 days until Sosangerd was liberated and Muhammad's body was finally returned to us".

Ebrahim Jahangiri, who is also a member of the same family, has a similar story. When he

campaigned for the election of the Islamic Council, he was disqualified due to some reasons. In

his campaign video, he mentioned his brother, who was the first martyr of Sirjan. Ebrahim's

brother's sacrifice for his country remains an important part of their family's history and legacy.

When the ceremony of the martyrs was to be held, those responsible were not familiar with the

proper way to conduct it. At the time, I was the principal of Bastani Parisi Elementary School. It

was there that I received news of my brother's martyrdom through the Sirjan Gendarmerie. They

instructed me to come to Sirjan, where my friends and I were informed of his passing.

Muhammad Jahangiri was part of the Kerman soldiers and bravely fought on the front line of the

Iran-Iraq War, but unfortunately, he was martyred. He was born in 1962 and was the fourth child

of the Jahangiri family. His older brother, Yaqub, was born in 1959 and was also martyred in

1984. 

Ebrahim in the fire, The story of Ebrahim Jahangiri

The first child of the family is Ebrahim. He was born in 1957, just a year before Eshaq. Until two

years ago, Ebrahim Jahangiri was not very well-known, and hardly anyone had heard of him

before 2013. He was one of the first administrators to be appointed in Kerman province during

the presidency of Hassan Rouhani. In the Iran reformist government, he served as the deputy

director of the Kerman Education Department and retired during the 9th and 10th governments.

Just a few months after the presidency of Hassan Rouhani and even before the introduction of the

new governor of Kerman Province, he was invited to work as the director general of the Kerman

Education Department. Ebrahim Jahangiri, who, according to those around him, is the calmest

among the Jahangiri brothers, soon appeared in another role. In 2014, more than a year before

the 10th Iran Parliament elections, he was introduced as the official candidate of the Sirjan

Reformists in the Iranian Parliament elections by the Sirjan Reformists Party.

Ebrahim Jahangiri entered the parliament elections after his reformist friends voted for him in a

meeting, making him the top candidate for Iran's parliament elections. However, he was not

informed of their decision and only found out through virtual networks. Ebrahim's journey

towards qualification for the Islamic Council was filled with obstacles and even he still doesn't

understand why he wasn't approved. Despite rumors that he would be allowed to run, he was

ultimately disqualified, leaving Sirjan's reformists with no alternative candidate.

Eshaq Jahangiri, From the early days till the Vice presidency of Hassan Rouhani

After Ebrahim, Eshaq is the second child in the family. When he travels from Sirjan to Kerman

for university studies, his academic life becomes completely overshadowed by his political

activities. Eshaq studied physics at Kerman University and became part of the politically active

student group known as the Islamic Student Society. This group engaged in political campaigns

even before the revolution. The group consisted of religious youths such as Seyyed Hossein

Marashi, Yadollah Eslami, Mohammad Ali Karimi, and Eshaq Jahangiri. The members of this 

organization had an intellectual and organizational connection with Kerman's governor at that

time, Hamid Mirzadeh, which led Hossein Marashi to become the political-security deputy of the

Kerman governorate in the first few years after the revolution's success.

After Marashi's tenure, many members of the Islamic community found new political positions.

When Gholamhossein Karbaschi became the Mayor of Tehran after serving as Isfahan's

governor, Eshaq was appointed as the governor of Isfahan during Hashemi Rafsanjani's

Presidency. Eshaq also served as minister of the Ministery of Industries and Mines during the

reformist government before Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president. Among the Jahangiri

brothers, Eshaq is the most politically active. He is not hesitant to participate in the Congress of

Executives of Construction Party (One of Iran's Reformist Party) as the first vice president. Eshaq

was also one of the first founders of the Party and is a member of the Baran Foundation

(Founded by Mohammad Khatami).

Mehdi Jahangiri Brother of Iran VP or entrepreneur,banker, and the founder of Tourism Financial Group

Hasan Jahangiri has a youngest son named Mehdi Jahangiri. He is the most frugal among all the

Jahangiri brothers. In 2015, there was an important meeting between Mahdi Jahangiri and Eshaq.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of a joint gathering of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce

and the Vice President. According to the Kerman Economy Weekly, the meeting was attended by

the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran and the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Mining,

and Trade, making it a significant event. The conversations between Eshaq and Mehdi Jahangiri

were documented by numerous photographers. It is important to note that the elder brother is the

representative of the government, while the younger brother is the vice-chairman of the Tehran

Chamber of Commerce.

Mehdi Jahangiri Brother of Iran VP established the Tourism Financial Group and later founded

the private company, "Semga" (Cultural Heritage and Tourism Investment of Iran). Through

Semga, he created several companies, including the Tourism Bank, Cultural Heritage and

Tourism Investment Company of Iran, Bonab Sanat Steel Complex, Negin Investment Company,

Mahan Mining and Industries Company, Omid Ofoq Tourism Development, Iranian Ofoq

Tourism Company, Karad Applied Scientific Training Center, Iranian Tourism Club Company,

Pars Tourism Card Company, Iran Tourism Information Technology Development Company,

Pars Ziggurat Service and Welfare Complex Development Company, and Aria Ziggurat Tourism

Development Company. This financial reserve, along with his family's assignment to the

government of Tadbir and Omid (Hassan Rouhani), gradually provoked criticism among the

fundamentalists.