Bonyad

Bonyads are parastatal charitable foundations unique to the Islamic Republic of Iran, born from the Iranian Revolution of 1979 when the new government confiscated Pahlavi Dynasty wealth and channelled it into endowments serving the poor, war-disabled, and pilgrims. The largest, Bonyad Mostazafan (Foundation of the Oppressed), absorbed hundreds of enterprises overnight. They are registered as charities yet run commercial empires spanning construction, agriculture, hotels, and manufacturing.

Bonyads sit outside the elected government's budget, are tax-exempt, and report directly to the Supreme Leader rather than Parliament. They control an estimated 20-40 per cent of Iran's non-oil GDP. The Foundation of Martyrs, a key bonyad compensating families of the military dead, operated in the same patronage network as Gholamreza Soleimani, the Basij commander killed alongside Ali Larijani in an Israeli strike on Tehran .

The structural paradox is that institutions founded to serve the dispossessed have become instruments of patronage and sanctions evasion, shielded from audit by their theological mandate. As Ali Khamenei's grip tightens under wartime pressure, bonyads become critical to funding parallel power structures that will outlast any negotiated settlement.