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 receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.
 
(E) = Article in English 

Politics

• According to Asr-e Iran, Mehdi Karrubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi, opposition leaders under house arrest, were allowed to see their families on the occasion of the New Year, on March 20th.
• Jomhouri-ye Eslami editorializes:
  • "Following the president making fun and ignoring the parliament rather than answering their questions... he appointed an individual accused in the Kahrizak [case, reference to judge Mortazavi] as head of the Social Security Organization... It was announced that the cash handout was transferred to the people's accounts... but the amount has not yet been transferred... Such acts of the president... has raised the protests of the parliamentarians... The president should abide by the law."

Diplomacy

• Rafsanjani discusses Iran/United States relations and other countries:
  • "In the final years of the Imam [Khomeini] I wrote a letter to him. I did not type it, and since I did not want anyone else to read it I gave it to the Imam myself. In that letter I discussed seven issues with the Imam and wrote that it would be better that you, in your lifetime, solve these issues, which otherwise may become obstacles to the [future] path of the country..."
  • "One of these issues was relations with the United States. I wrote that the way that we have now, which is not talking with the United States and not having relations, was untenable. The United States is a prime power in the world, what difference is there between Europe, China, and Russia and the United States? If we negotiate with them, why should we not negotiate with the United States? Negotiations does not mean surrender. We will negotiate. If they accept our position, or if we accept their position the issue is over."
  • "Our relations with Saudi Arabia has not reached a dead end... Had Saudi Arabia good relations with us, would the Westerners be able of sanctioning us? Only Saudi Arabia is capable of filling Iran's space [in oil exports] since the world economy can't function without oil. I still believe it is possible to have good relations, but there are people here [in Iran] who, as you see, do not desire it so."
  • "Likewise with Egypt. Following the passing of the Imam, in Supreme National Security Council we passed [a resolution] to establish relations with Egypt. [But] there were some who went to the Leader [Khamenei] and said: 'Since the Imam [Khomeini] issued a decree severing our relations [with Egypt] after Camp David [accord, reestablishment of relations with Egypt] would be opposition to the Imam [Khomeini]... Therefore it came to naught..."
  • "Mr. Niazoff, whose country is the most important natural gas country in the region, told me: 'You come and trade Turkmenistan's natural oil...' We are negotiating, but the time of my government was over and others [the Khatami government] did not follow it up. In Tajikistan, in Kazakhstan, with that greatness, they would share their secrets with us. They were an important space center for the former Soviet Union... They would share [intelligence] about it all... In Azerbaijan they wanted to have good relations with, but alas..."
  • [Commentary on the Mykonos terror plot in Germany]: "They [the European governments] knew that it was not the desire of and strategy of the government. Imagine that a terror plot takes place, but they would not make an issue out of it. But there were some extremists, there always have been. The Mykonos [affair] which you mention is one of those issues. There has always been issues like this, also during the era of the Imam [Khomeini]. Despite the Imam not agreeing with such things. Once a shipment of explosives was discovered in a neighboring country and this too had an adverse impact on us. Yes, I do thing that there still are rogue elements, but this is not the policy of the country."
  • The journalist asks Rafsanjani if there are things that he would have done otherwise had there been opportunity to redo them:
    • "I wanted us to have relations with Egypt, which we did not manage. I wanted to start negotiations with the United States, based on our conditions, but they did not allow it and it was very sad. Turkmenistan's natural gas was meant to be exported [to the world market] through Iran... but it was not agreed upon. But we wanted these things to happen..."
  • "If the regime does not follow an adventurist path, such things [support to Hamas and Hezbollah] would be tolerable [for the world]."
  • "We do really not want a nuclear weapon... there are negotiations, and I do not see a dead end in this path."
• Readers ridicule Asr-e Iran's story reporting a poll in Egypt in which a majority of the Egyptians declare readiness to receive development aid from Iran rather than the United States.

Military and Security

• Masoud Jazayeri, General Staff deputy: "The time has come to teach a lesson to the foreign forces engaged in the revolts in Syria... The reactionary Arab [regimes] and other countries playing a role in the unrest in Syria must be taught a lesson... the United States and Britain will be punished for instigating revolt in Syria." 
• In statement, the Revolutionary Guards declares its readiness to engage in "any self sacrifice" in the face of "any type of threat and danger."
• Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi says the protests in Syria are "totally different from the Islamic awakening in other Arab states," are not "popular" and that the Islamic Republic has "precise information" about "Israel instigating the bombings in Syria." 
• Gholamreza Karami, parliamentary Defense Committee chairman: "Saudi Arabia treats Iran boldly, and Tehran expects Riyadh to correct its language... We expect the Saudi regime to think about the consequences of its anti Iranian moves, and its contribution to the American jigsaw puzzle... Syria is in the front line of the fight against Israel and Iran will, along with the Syrian nation, not allow the United States, Israeli and Saud conspiracies to bear fruit in Syria." 
• Amir Abdollahian, Arab and African Affairs deputy at the Foreign Ministry, meeting Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah, discusses Syria:
  • "The reform scheme of president Bashar Assad is the most suitable political solution... Syria has successfully left the crisis behind and the enemy plots to weaken the resistance have been foiled..."
• A dam in Kerman built by the Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base of the Revolutionary Guards, collapses prior to its completion.

Nuclear Issue

• Fararu News analyzes the impact of U.S. policies on nuclear negotiations with Iran:
  • "The sanctions will certainly not have a positive impact on the negotiations and will lead to lack of cooperation of Iranian authorities..."
  • "The West's measures [to boycott Iran's oil exports] may temporarily lead to reduced oil production in Iran, but not in an unlimited way..."
  • "Sanctions and threats did not help in the case of North Korea..."

Economy

• Parliamentary Energy Committee Chairman Emad Hosseini, calls planned increases of gasoline prices "illegal," stresses that the reform of the subsidies was not meant to lead to rising gasoline prices.
• Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani calls the government's increasing the amount of the cash handout "illegal," warns against "a storm of inflation."

Trade

• According to Fars News, South Africa has increased its oil imports from Iran.
• Turkey is planning to reduce oil imports from Iran.
• Abrar reports reduction in Iran's exports to four continents compared with a year ago. 
• Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi:
  • "Sanctions against Iran's oil industry have been defeated and will not prevent development of this industry..." Qassemi adds that he has received "special prerogatives to bypass the sanctions regime."
• Shakour Akbarnejad, parliamentary Economics Committee member:
  • "We give too many advantages to the Chinese, meaning that the government gives concessions to the Chinese in order to get some concessions [from China]. However, unfortunately, they do not get any concessions in return and the Chinese don't abide by their promises. Now that we have good products, be it $5 more expensive than low quality Chinese products, we should not create obstacles in the path of domestic production by allowing unmeasured imports..."

Religion, Society and Culture

• Al-Mahdi Charitable Society arranges a literary conference called "Describing the Flower," aimed at praising Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Photos of the Day

• Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi during the Iran/Iraq war.