Iran News Round Up

Artesh and IRGC air forces participate in joint-military drills near the Strait of Hormuz. The Artesh Air Force and IRGC Aerospace Force staged preparatory drills on September 19 near the Strait of Hormuz, before the start of the annually-celebrated Iran-Iraq War Sacred Defense Week on September 22. The Artesh Air Force and the IRGC Aerospace Force staged the military drills at the Shahid Abdol Karimi Ninth Artesh Tactical Airbase in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province. The Artesh and IRGC navies will also participate in a parade on September 22 in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as part of Sacred Defense Week processions. IRNA reported that 600 small and heavy boats will participate in the parade. (Defa Press) (Defa Press) (IRNA)

Legislation prohibiting retirement-age individuals from government jobs implemented. President Hassan Rouhani announced the implementation of Parliament- and Guardian Council-approved legislation prohibiting retirement-age individuals from holding positions other than top leadership offices in government on September 18. Parliament and the Guardian Council both approved the legislation on July 25 and August 15 respectively. The newly-implemented law may result in the *removal of the recently-elected Tehran City Mayor Mohammad Ali Afshani from office. Iranian officials have advertised the legislation as a means to promote the participation of youth in government and to increase employment opportunities for young Iranians. Iranian media noted on July 29 that Tehran City Council head Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani may replace Afshani due to the legislation. Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani is the son of late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. (President.ir)

Iranian officials confer with Iraqi government formation actors. Iranian Ambassador to Iraq and former IRGC Quds Force official Brig. Gen. Eraj Masjedi condemned the Iraqi protesters who set fire to the Iranian consulate in Basra, Iraq on September 7 during meetings at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Masjedi met separately with unidentified Iraqi Badr Organization members and affiliated Iraqi Council of Representatives (CoR) parliamentarians on September 15, Iraqi National Wisdom Trend Central Council members on September 16, and also with Iraqi Prime Minister senior advisor Walid al Hilli on September 17. Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also spoke with newly-elected Iraqi Council of Representatives (CoR) Speaker Mohammad al Halbousi on September 16. (IRNA) (IRNA) (IRNA) (ICANA)

Salehi seeks to secure international cooperation on nuclear energy during Vienna visit. Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Ali Akbar Salehi discussed nuclear cooperation in separate meetings with China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) Director Zhang Keijan, Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexei Likhachev, British Defense Ministry Chief Scientific Advisor on Nuclear Science Robin Grimes, and French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) General Administrator Francois Jacq during an official visit to Vienna, Austria from September 17 - 19. Salehi traveled to Vienna to participate in an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference. Salehi and Grimes discussed British participation in the redesign of a heavy-water nuclear reactor in Arak, Markazi Province in order to limit the amount of plutonium the reactor produces as a byproduct. Salehi also discussed power plant construction plans with Likhachev. Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian announced on August 25 that Iran and Russia have begun talks to construct a nuclear power plant capable of generating 3,000 megawatts (MW) in Iran. (IRNA) (Associated Press) (E) (IRNA) (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Zarif and Cavusoglu discuss Russia-Turkey Idlib agreement. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed the Russia-Turkey agreement on Idlib Governorate, Syria during a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on September 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to establish a 9 to 12 mile demilitarized zone in Idlib Governorate during a meeting in Sochi, Russia on September 17. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghassemi separately expressed Iran’s support for the agreement. (IRNA) (Defa Press)

Khamenei appoints Shah Safi as Artesh second coordination deputy. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Artesh Brig. Gen. Hassan Shah Safi to the position of Artesh second coordination deputy on September 12. Shah Safi will serve under Artesh Coordination Deputy RADM Habibollah Sayyari. Shah Safi previously served as the Artesh Air Force commander until Khamenei appointed Artesh Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasir Zadeh to replace Shah Safi on August 19. (ILNA)

Ahmadinejad-era chief of staff sentenced to six and half years in prison. Tehran Province Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Esmaeili announced the sentencing of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s First Vice President and later Chief of Staff Esfandiyar Rahim Mashaei to six years and six months in prison on September 12. The First Branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court system charged Mashaei for three different crimes, including collusion to commit a crime against the regime and spreading anti-regime propaganda. Security officials previously arrested Mashaei on charges of spreading propaganda against the regime in March 2018. Esmaeli also noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Court is still reviewing and may later announce other charges against Mashaei, including charges of espionage. Mashaei has a 20-day period to request an appeal. The court also sentenced Ahmadinejad-era adviser Ali Akbar Javanfekr to four years in prison. The Judiciary previously sentenced Ahmadinejad’s former Vice President Hamid Baghaei to 15 years in prison on March 13. Ahmadinejad has been a vocal critic of the Judiciary in recent months and has called for the resignation of Judiciary head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani. (ISNA)

Ansari travels to Geneva to discuss Syria. Deputy Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari traveled to Geneva, Switzerland on September 10 and met with Russian and Turkish diplomats to discuss the Syrian Civil War and the formation of a Syrian constitutional committee. Ansari met with UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, Turkish Deputy Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry Sedat Onal, and Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev. Ansari’s talks in Geneva follow a high-profile meeting in Tehran between President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 7. Putin and Rouhani blocked Erdogan’s attempt to institute a ceasefire ahead of the beginning of a pro-Syrian regime offensive in Idlib Governorate. Ansari’s meetings in Tehran precede the next round of Russian-backed Astana talks expected to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan on an unknown date. (IRNA)

Iraqi protesters in Basra, Iraq reportedly set fire to the Iranian consulate there on September 7 after massive protests erupted throughout the city earlier this month. The consulate was reportedly empty during the time of the attack, according to Iraqi security forces. Protesters also reportedly set fire to other pro-Iranian organizations, such as the IRGC-backed Badr Organizations headquarters in Basra. The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq reportedly ordered all Iranian citizens living in Basra to evacuate the city. (Telegram) (Twitter) (Instagram)

The Assembly of Experts invited President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani to attend a joint meeting to discuss economic issues on September 5. Ali Larijani and Sadegh Amoli Larijani were present for the meeting, but Rouhani declined the invitation. Ali Larijani presented a report on Parliament’s efforts in addressing the nation’s economic problems. Sadegh Amoli Larijani briefed Assembly of Experts members on judicial efforts in combating corruption and smuggling. Rouhani’s absence from the meeting follows his participation in a hardliner-instigated parliamentary questioning on August 28. Parliamentarians expressed their unhappiness with Rouhani’s responses on several economy-related issues. The Assembly of Experts issued a conclusory statement calling on officials to improve Iran’s economic situation, reduce unemployment, and stabilize the value of the Iranian rial, among other things. The meeting follows the devaluation of the Iranian rial to an all-time low of 138,000 rials per U.S. dollar on September 3. (Assembly of Experts) (Assembly of Experts) (Assembly of Experts) (Reuters) (E) 

Reformist Parliamentarian Mahmoud Sadeghi tweeted on September 6 that unidentified sources told him that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved of anti-money laundering (AML) parliamentary legislation. The Guardian Council previously rejected parliamentary-approved AML amendments on August 18, sending the legislation back to Parliament for revision. Khamenei expressed his disagreement with pending AML and counter-terror financing legislation that would necessitate Iran’s adherence to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on June 20. It is unclear if the current status of the amendments are in line with FATF-specified requirements to prevent Iran from FATF blacklisting. (Twitter)

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Artesh Khatam ol Anbia Air Defense Base commanders and leaders on September 2 on the annually-celebrated Air Defense Day. Artesh Khatam ol Anbia Commander Brig. Gen. Alireza Sabahi Fard presented a report to Khamenei on the air defense base’s operations and programs. Khamenei emphasized the importance of the armed forces’ readiness and stated that armed forces “must upgrade their human and equipment capabilities every day.” The meeting follows a Reuters report on August 31 that details the regime’s transfer of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM’s) to Iranian-backed forces in Iraq. (Khamenei.ir) (Reuters) (E)