With only two months remaining until the conclusion of the 45th term of the Tehran Zoroastrian Association’s board, Chair Afshin Namiranian described the period as calm and constructive. Despite the passing of two board members, no one submitted a resignation; the two new members who joined did so only out of necessity.
Namiranian highlighted the spirit of cooperation within the board:
“Once, Ardeshir Khosroviani told me he could no longer continue, but I encouraged him to stay. Another member, Farshad Gheibi, who joined later as a replacement, was often too busy with work to attend regularly. Still, throughout the term, no resignation requests were made. It was truly a smooth and harmonious period.”
Pourrostami: Members Were Wise and Responsible
Association spokesperson Faramarz Pourrostami echoed Namiranian’s comments, noting that the absence of resignations reflected the maturity of the board members:
“The members of this term were wise enough to understand the negative impact a resignation could have within the community. Yes, there were internal groupings and some lobbying, as is common in any collective work, but nothing was made public. This showed that members recognized the consequences of their actions and the effect they could have on the Association’s credibility.”
Association Chair: Staff Grew Stronger During the 45th Term
When asked about the biggest challenge faced during the 45th term, Chair Afshin Namiranian explained that the board had managed to partially resolve one of the association’s long-standing issues.
“Financial shortages have always been a problem for every term,” he said. “The board, elected by the community, represents the people’s conscience—so it doesn’t matter which twenty-one individuals are elected. The real issue lies in decision-making. Ideally, each board should bring together 14 or 15 areas of expertise, but in this term, we lacked some of those.
However, we turned this weakness into a strength. One of the key achievements of the 45th term was the empowerment of the association’s employees. We worked to develop staff into specialists. Some showed greater potential than others, but overall, the progress was significant. It may not yet be perfect, but the process has advanced.”
Speaking further about the staff, their responsibilities, and the organizational structure, Namiranian expressed complete satisfaction with their performance:
“In the secretariat, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. But in other areas, this may not always be the case. The reality is that unexpected issues often arise, and someone has to step in to handle them. We don’t have enough staff or experts for every task that comes up.”
Namiranian also pointed to the need for additional personnel:
“For example, we need at least a part-time staff member for public relations, someone for social work, and in our financial department, we definitely require a stronger manager.”
Association Spokesperson: Tehran Zoroastrian Association Is Unmatched Nationwide
Faramarz Pourrostami praised the association’s employees, emphasizing the organization’s unique scope:
“Given the exceptional nature of this association—which I can confidently say has no equivalent anywhere in the country—we must judge staff performance in that context. The employees are outstanding, and we are extremely satisfied with their work.”
Regarding the wide spread responsibilities of the Association, Pourrostami added:
“We oversee everything from the wedding hall to the cemetery. No other institution in the country manages such a wide variety of tasks—this level of diversity simply doesn’t exist elsewhere.”
He continued:
“Because of this diversity, the association relies on highly dedicated staff who have learned and taken on multiple roles. Ideally, we would have a secretariat chief like Colonel Dinyar Khosroviani, but such leaders are no longer cultivated today. We need a very capable secretariat manager, but finding one is extremely challenging.”
Chair Namiranian: The Association Needs a CEO
Afshin Namiranian likened the secretariat chief’s role to that of a CEO:
“The reality is that the association needs a CEO. One of my earliest strokes of luck at the start of the 44th term was having Rostam Fouladi as secretariat chief. But then the pandemic happened, and Rostam left.”
He stressed that the chair cannot serve as CEO:
“The difficulty lies in two areas. First, the CEO must handle day-to-day operations. Second, they must convince the board that they have the authority to act in this capacity. Finding the right person for this role is extremely difficult.”
Pourrostami: Keeping the Association Afloat During a Crisis Is an Achievement
Faramarz Pourrostami, spokesperson for the association, highlighted what he considers the greatest accomplishment of the 45th term, in response to a question from Farhad Ardeshiri Mobarakeh and in the context of the country’s economic challenges:
“Operating within a larger society, one of our major achievements has been keeping the association standing during these difficult times. Completing hundreds of tasks, both small and large, under such conditions is itself a significant accomplishment.”
During the discussion, I was able to ask one of the 30 questions submitted by Farhad Ardeshiri Mobarakeh. He introduced himself and requested that Amordad pose his questions directly to the association’s officials, while most other community members preferred to remain anonymous.
Namiranian: Keykhosravi Building Project a Success
When I mentioned that a community member had identified the completion of the Keykhosravi Building as the 45th term’s biggest achievement, Afshin Namiranian, chair of the Tehran Zoroastrian Association, explained that the building had been converted into a serviced apartment complex.
“I think we did a good job with the Keykhosravi Building,” he said.
He added:
“We leased the entire building to a single tenant, who developed it as a serviced apartment complex.”
I also asked why the association had not rented the Keykhosravi Building to young Zoroastrian couples, as they had done with the Sepehri Building in West Tehran, to provide similar housing options for young couples in East Tehran.
Namiranian explained that the Keykhosravi Building was originally designed with twenty units. The association had planned to rent ten units to young Zoroastrian couples and the other ten to older community members, creating a supportive environment where residents could look out for one another. He added:
“We faced a situation where completing the building required three to four billion tomans, and there was no immediate way to secure these funds.”
He noted that the association made significant efforts to raise the necessary money, even seeking input from community members. Eventually, they found a tenant willing to lease the entire building. An initial payment of three billion tomans was collected, and after the building was completed a few months later, an additional one billion tomans was received. The association currently holds an 18-month lease with the tenant, with a total upfront payment of four billion tomans.
Faramarz Pourrostami confirmed that the association had acted wisely:
“One of the achievements of the 45th term is that, given the circumstances, we utilized practical solutions to overcome challenges, including this financial shortfall. These accomplishments often go unrecognized, but they are significant.”
