Case file · Witch trials
Ahmadinejad aides accused of sorcery
In May 2011 Iranian clerics and media close to Ayatollah Khamenei accused allies of President Ahmadinejad, around his chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, of sorcery and summoning jinn; several were arrested.
2011 CE · 35.70, 51.42 · status: official
The account
The charges came amid a power struggle between the president and the supreme leader, and were widely reported by international newspapers.
The sceptical view
Observers read the sorcery accusations as a political weapon.