Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by AEI Critical Threats Project Iran Analysts Marie Donovan, Paul Bucala, and Caitlin Shayda Pendleton with contributors Ken Hawrey and Alice Naghshineh. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

(E) = Article in English

Excerpts of these translations may only be used with the expressed consent of the authors.

Key takeaway: Friday prayer speeches across Iran commemorated the country’s missile program and the role of the Artesh ahead of Artesh Day on April 17.

Artesh Ground Forces Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan emphasized the missile program as critical to Iran’s survival during a speech before Friday prayers in Tehran. He referred to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, stating, “Those who say today that we have no need for missiles are the ones who told us at the beginning of the revolution that the Artesh does not need F-14 fighter jets, tanks, and submarines.” Tabriz Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, meanwhile, stated that Iran does not want “to reach a missile JCPOA.”

The Iranian embassy in Russia “denied the claims in Western media” that IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani is currently in Russia. Reuters reported that Soleimani flew to Moscow in order to discuss issues “including the delivery of S-300s and further military cooperation” with Russian political and military leaders, according to an unnamed “senior Iranian security official.”

AEI Must-Reads

• Katherine Zimmerman argues that Iranian activities in Yemen are actually part of a struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia for regional influence and discusses U.S. policy options in “Signaling Saudi Arabia: Iranian support to Yemen’s al Houthis.”
   
• Frederick W. Kagan discusses current and requested Iranian and Russian assets in the Middle East in “Iran’s Plans to Transform the Middle East Military Balance.”
   
• Frederick W. Kagan and Vice Admiral John Miller (USN, Ret.) examine how Iran’s military shopping list could force the West to alter how it operates in the Persian Gulf in “Iran is muscling up. We should push back.”
   
• Alice Naghshineh and Ken Hawrey have published a translation of an article from Iranian newspaper Shargh that provides insights into the Artesh’s evolving rhetoric towards the Syrian conflict and the organization of the Artesh 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade, elements of which have deployed to the conflict. Read the translation here.

Military and Security

• Pourdastan defends Artesh and missile program. Artesh Ground Forces Commander Brig. Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan emphasized the Artesh’s ability to counter terrorist threats against Iran and defended the historical role of the Artesh during a speech given before Friday prayers in Tehran. Pourdastan referred to “slogans at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution” that called for the “dissolution of the Artesh” and stated:
  • “Some repeated this slogan so often that some uninformed officials joined them… Those who say today that we have no need for missiles are the ones who told us at the beginning of the revolution that the Artesh does not need F-14 fighter jets, tanks, and submarines. Khamenei and some passionate officials became aware of this plot, however, and were able to bring the matter to the attention of Imam [Khomeini].” (Defa Press)
     
• Tabriz Friday prayer leader: Iran does not want a “JCPOA for missiles.” Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari warned that Iran’s enemies “want to reach a missile JCPOA from a nuclear JCPOA... The answers to this nonsense from the Americans are the missile and ballistic [missile] exercises.”
  • On the parliamentary elections in Syria: Shabestari praised the fact that “the government and the nation” of Syria “have been able to maintain their coherence in the face of” ongoing crises. Shabestari “said that the message of this election is that elections are the people’s right, and monarchical and hereditary countries of the region must go.” (Tasnim News Agency)
     
• Interim Tehran Friday prayer leader defends IRGC and Basij. Interim Tehran Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati defended the roles of both the IRGC and the Basij during his sermon on April 15. Jannati, who is also the secretary-general of the Guardian Council, stated, “If the IRGC and Basij did not exist, who would want to protect the nation? We must be aware of revolutionaries and counterrevolutionaries.” Jannati also praised the February 26 elections, contrasting the Iranian voter participation rate of 60 percent with the American voter participation rate “of 40 percent.” (Tasnim News Agency)
  • Separately, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Artesh commanders had a “passionate presence” at Tehran’s Friday prayers. (IRNA)
     
• Esfahan Friday prayer leader: The IRGC and Artesh must be “self-sufficient.” Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai Nejad stated, “The Artesh and the IRGC must prepare themselves in every way and be self-sufficient in this regard. Even if there were no enemy threat against us, we must [still] prepare ourselves. They [the Artesh and the IRGC] are obliged to prepare themselves in an affordable fashion, both in terms of manpower and weapons, not to fight but to defend themselves and intimidate the enemy…” The Esfahan Friday prayer leader said that there are a number of occasions approaching, including Artesh Day on April 17 (29Farvardin), for the Iranian people to recognize that the Artesh “has had an effective presence during elections. They have been attentive to the directives of the Imam [Khomeini] and the Supreme Leader [Khamenei] that the armed forces must be separate from politics and not follow a particular faction.” (Tasnim News Agency)

Regional Developments and Diplomacy

• Iranian embassy in Russia denies Soleimani trip to Russia. The Iranian embassy in Russia “denied the claims in Western media” that IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani is currently in Russia. Reuters reported that Soleimani flew to Moscow in order to discuss issues “including the delivery of S-300 [surface-to-air missile defense systems] and further military cooperation” with Russian political and military leaders. According to one of Reuters’ sources, Soleimani met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on April 15. (Fars News Agency)
   
• Rouhani meets with world leaders at OIC meeting. President Hassan Rouhani met with the heads of state from Oman, Brunei, Senegal, Afghanistan, Algeria, and other states during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul. Rouhani called for regional peace and stability and warned the OIC against taking any “divisive decisions” that could cause rifts among the Islamic community. Leaders from more than 50 states later accused Iran of supporting terrorism in the final communique of the summit. (Press TV)

Casualties in Iraq and Syria

• Two fighters from Sistan and Baluchistan killed in Syria.
  • Hossein Ali Kani and Aqil Shiabak were reportedly from Zahedan city, Sistan and Baluchistan province. No unit affiliation or rank was reported. (hajghasem.ir)