In the late 1990s Vahid Haghanian’s name was sporadically mentioned in the context of appearing on behalf of other officials and politicians in the Islamic Republic. He then cemented his position in the early 2000s, appearing at high-level meetings, such as those held to arrange commemoration ceremonies for Ayatollah Khomeini, as an authorised representative of the office of the Supreme Leader. During the 2009 presidential election, Haghanian again functioned as a formal channel of communication with the Supreme Leader. Ardeshir Amirarajmand, an advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi, said Mousavi's campaign staff were liaising with the office of the Supreme Leader through Vahid Haghanian, and that Mousavi had contacted Haghanian several times on the day of the vote to point out the apparent lack of ballot papers.
