Iran navy chief in hot water over rap video

THE commander of Iran’s navy has been questioned by the country’s security services after he allowed one of his warships to be used in a music video by a dissident rapper who has since been arrested for “promoting corrupt Western culture”.

Admiral Habibullah Sayyari allowed the singer Amir Tattaloo and his band to use a destroyer in the waters of the Persian Gulf for a song that defended Iran’s right to nuclear energy.

The song was released last year but Mr Tattaloo was subsequently arrested on charges of “promoting corrupt Western culture among Iranian youth”.

The admiral defended the decision to allow the destroyer to be used as music video set. “I have been questioned for issuing the permission to this singer who wanted to make a short music clip in defence of our nuclear right”, he told the Jame Jam newspaper.

“The truth is that I did not know the singer’s real name and when he was referred to us he had introduced himself as Amir Hossein Maghsodloo and I thought I had never seen any productions from him before so there should be no problem.” While the admiral has not said who has questioned him, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s own naval forces are responsible for intelligence and security matters of the combined forces.

According to Iranian media, Mr Tataloo made the song in the hopes of getting back into the good books of Iran’s morality police and eventually being allowed to perform at Milad Tower, an iconic venue in Tehran that is popular with affluent, young liberals.

Mr Tataloo was arrested in August and is awaiting charges.