Mossad Leaked Compromising Photo of Senior Iranian Minister

Israeli media is now reporting that the Mossad orchestrated the leak of a compromising 2011 photo of senior Iranian official Rostam Qasemi (also spelled Rostam Ghasemi), which triggered his swift resignation from Iran’s government in November 2022.

Qasemi, a high-ranking IRGC commander, former Oil Minister, and close associate of President Ebrahim Raisi, was serving as Minister of Roads and Urban Development at the time. During the peak of the nationwide anti-hijab protests following Mahsa Amini’s death, someone opened his phone and the old photo surfaced publicly: it showed him embracing a young woman (not his wife) without a hijab while on a trip to Malaysia.

The image, which the Mossad had reportedly held since 2011, was released at a precisely timed moment, igniting public fury over the regime’s hypocrisy amid its harsh crackdown on women refusing to wear the hijab. Qasemi resigned within days as outrage spread across Iranian social media.

According to the reports, the operation was carried out by a new Mossad unit for influence and psychological operations established under Director David “Dedi” Barnea in 2021.

Senior officials explained the strategic shift: “Causing the dismissal of a senior figure in Tehran is far cheaper, simpler, and easier than a complex assassination operation. Exposing embarrassing details removes them from the circle immediately.”

The revelation highlights Mossad’s evolving tactics, moving beyond kinetic strikes to information warfare and targeted leaks designed to sow internal discord and discredit regime figures at minimal cost and risk.

Qasemi died of a heart attack in December 2022, shortly after his resignation. The Mossad’s involvement in the 2022 leak had remained classified until now.