Jay Solomon Fired From Wall Street Journal Over Business Deal With Iranian Source

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon has been fired due to ethical concerns related to a planned business deal with an Iranian source, according to an AP report.
Solomon is said to have been “offered a 10 percent stake in a fledgling company by Farhad Azima, an Iranian-born aviation magnate who has ferried weapons for the CIA.” Azima was a source for Solomon, who led the WSJ’s coverage of the Iranian nuclear negotiations between 2012 and 2015, and who published a book on the subject in 2016.
Azima himself was the subject of an Associated Press investigative story published Tuesday, and his connections with Solomon were discovered over the course of the investigation.
Hellllooo https://t.co/4yUZxCOHTO pic.twitter.com/PesZbbeYKy
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) June 21, 2017
The WSJ says it was “dismayed by the actions and poor judgment” of Solomon.
Solomon released this statement, denying business involvement with Azima:
Jay Solomon statement, says he never struck a deal with the arms dealer. pic.twitter.com/XEidq0n6VL
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) June 21, 2017
Contact Jesse Bernstein at [email protected] or on Twitter @__jbernstein
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
