The founder of Iranian online classified ads firm Divar has revealed that the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) intervened behind the scenes to block his plans for a stock offering, citing “qualifications” issues. The move comes as Iran struggles with an ailing economy and high inflation.
Divar, which boasts nearly half of Iran’s 90 million population as users, has been a success story in the country’s start-up sector. However, its founder, Hessam Armandehi, has faced opposition from government officials who accuse him of being influenced by Western powers. Armandehi has consistently pushed back against these demands.
The IRGC’s veto on Divar’s stock offering is seen as a significant development in the country’s growing tensions between business leaders and state institutions. “If they continue these kinds of policies, they are helping the collapse of the Islamic Republic,” said Mahdi Ghodsi, an economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.
The government has been under pressure to improve its economic performance, with inflation and unemployment rates among the highest in the Middle East. The IRGC’s growing influence over the economy has raised concerns about the erosion of private sector freedoms. “Let’s face it, these are a bunch of really incapable, corrupt entities and individuals,” said Sara Bazoobandi, a nonresident fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University in Germany.
The move against Divar is part of a broader trend of government pressure on start-ups to comply with state demands. Several major Iranian tech firms have faced similar pressures in recent years, leading to concerns about the country’s ability to attract foreign investment and support entrepreneurship.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/06/iran-economy-irgc-divar-armandehi