Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh, Ahmad Majidyar and Michael Rubin.  To subscribe to this daily newsletter, please visit this page, fill out the "New Subscribers" section, and check "Iran News Round Up" listed under "Projects." 
 
(E) = Article in English

Politics

• The ministries of roads and housing merge into one ministry, as do the ministries of industry and commerce.
• Rafsanjani considers resigning from the Expediency Council.
• News stories related to the CD-Rom "Emergence [of the Imam of the Era] is Near," and Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei:
  • A website called Dar Jostejou-ye Haqiqat [In Search of the Truth] releases a conversation with Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi in which he says Khamenei has called the CD-Rom"insulting."
  • Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards: "The CD 'Emergence is Near' is not learned, is superficial and must not be distributed in the Guards and the Basij."
  • Religious praise singer Said Haddadian attacks Ahmadinejad and Mashaei, calling the latter an "ass."
  • Mahramaneh News, close to Mashaei, defends Cyrus the Great, condemns the late Ayatollah Khalkhali's claims that the Persian emperor was gay.

Diplomacy

• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister calls for an immediate Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting to discuss recent regional developments and instability.

Military and Security

• Ahmadinejad "accepts" Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi's "resignation" from the Intelligence Ministry, appoints him "presidential intelligence adviser."
  • Moslehi remains Intelligence Minister due to opposition of the Supreme Leader to his resignation.
  • According to Jahan News, Moslehi decided to resign from the Intelligence Ministry because of Ahmadinejad's unhappiness with Moslehi's dismissal of a certain Hossein Abdollahi, who was planning and budget section head. Jahan News also writes that Abdollahi was close to Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei.
• According to Iranyar News, Ali Shirazi is replaced by a certain Hojjat al-Eslam Ramazani as Defense Ministry counter-espionage chief.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards:
  • "[On the candidacy of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei:] There are two years left to the presidential election, but the thought of 'the school of Iran' is not only incomprehensible, it can't even be explained and we must remain vigilant towards it... Entering the realm of politics requires a degree of maturity which Mr. Mashaei may lack."
  • "We still see that Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani] in a letter to the head of the sedition, meaning Mr. Mousavi, used the expression 'servant' [of the people] and the like. It is therefore not clear what Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani] is thinking."
  • "House arrest of the heads of sedition is the best way to deal with them."
• Vigilante leader Hossein Allah-Karam threatens Saudi Arabia with "martyrdom operations" should Saudi forces not leave Bahrain.
• Revolutionary Guards Deputy Hossein Salami says the Guards will "consolidate" its new structure rather than begin new structural changes.
• Rafsanjani publishes the latest volume of his memoirs titled Payan-e Defae, Aqaz-e Baz-Sazi [The End of Defense, Beginning of Reconstruction] covering 1988/1989. Rafsanjani recalls the circumstances of Iran's acceptance of the ceasefire agreement with Iraq:

• "After the fall of al-Faw and the astonishing retreat of our forces... I went to the South and had comprehensive negotiations with the commanders, experts and the combatants. They explained the retreat was the result of a shortage of forces and the enemy's extensive use of chemical bombs. Following the retreat of the forces from the Karbala V zone and Majnoun Island, I had other trips... and the realities of the front became more apparent and blunt statements of the more brave commanders gave more information... Following the unacceptable retreat from Mehran, I went to the west, where I had more to do with the Army, where lack of forces and materiel and lack of volunteer forces were mentioned as the reason behind the weakness... I heard the bluntest assessments from [Admiral of the Revolutionary Guards] Mr. [Ali] Shamkhani and Martyr Ahmad Kazemi [of the Revolutionary Guards.]"
• "Following negotiations with the commanders of the Guards and Army and clarifying the preconditions for continuing the war, Mr. Mohsen Rezai [Revolutionary Guards' chief] wrote all the necessities of the front, and the conditions for success... I discussed his letter with the heads of the branches [of the government] and after investigation and calculation, it was agreed that the country was not capable of providing for such needs... We sought the council of the Imam [Khomeini] and discussed Mr. Rezai's letter... and the Imam was persuaded that we were incapable of mobilizing those resources... However, the one factor which convinced the Imam most was the account of the chemical bombardment of Halabje and Sardasht and it was predicted that Saddam and his henchmen would - with green light from the superpowers - employ weapons of mass destruction even in cities like Tabriz, Isfahan, Qom and Tehran... while we could not retaliate against the people of Iraq."
• Following killing of more than 20 members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization in clashes with Iraqi armed forces trying to enter Camp Ashraf, Mousa Afshar, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Paris, says Mojahedin-e Khalq does not "insist upon remaining in Iraq."
• [E] Iran set to construct new destroyer, in line with the country’s drive for military self-sufficiency.
• [E] Security forces dislodge a terrorist cell affiliated to the Pakistan-based Jundallah group while arresting five terrorists in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan va Balouchestan.
• [E] Seven Iranian engineers kidnapped by Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan.

Media

• The Islamic Republic plans to launch a country-wide intranet called "Halal internet" which would block access to unauthorized websites.
• Pro-Ahmadinejad blogger Omid Hosseini distances himself from the president after increased clerical criticism of Ahmadinejad.

Trade

• [E] Iranian MP says Iran is ready to engage in energy trade with the West, citing: “Should Western countries enter oil trade in a manner which benefits both the supplier and the customer, the Islamic republic will help create a lasting energy security.”

Photos of the Day

• Supreme Leader Khamenei receives army commanders.