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

• Rafsanjani stresses rule of the people in Iran:
  • "The people had done the revolution themselves and had wholeheartedly accepted the leadership of the Imam [Khomeini]. They had no problem working with the Council of the Revolution for a long time, but the Imam had a special view and believed that we should give the affairs of the state to the people as soon as possible. The people should take the decisions themselves. They should think themselves and they should execute it in cooperation with the regime. It should be clear to them that it is their own work. This is the spirit of Islam; this is what the world of today calls the rule of the people for the people."
  • In response to a question whether Iran should be a democratic or Islamic country: "Back then [in the immediate aftermath of the revolution] there were such discussions. When we wanted to shape our regime through referendum, there were discussions in the Council of the Revolution. There were some who talked of a democratic republic, others talked of an Islamic Republic... but the Imam said that the people should decide.", also here:
• Khorshidi, Ahmadinejad's son in law:
  • "Presidential advisers used to be ceremonial... Now they fulfill a specific function and work as specialists and experts... [In the past] there was no mechanism for them to know what the president demanded. Of course, Mr. President would once in a while give them assignments, but the advisers were not present in the decision making processes... In the new structure, the process and substance is clarified...”
  • "Yes, the president does make sensational statements, but those issues would not have become the center of public debate..."
  • "He [Ahmadinejad] still teaches at postgraduate and doctoral level... This is the source of his monthly income. Mr. Ahmadinejad does not receive a single rial for the presidency..."
• Sadeq Kharazi, former ambassador to France, and Manouchehr Mottaki, former foreign minister, accuse each other of incompetence and nepotism.

Diplomacy

• Ahmadinejad criticizes U.S. interference in the Middle East:
  • "The former American government used the false excuse of September 11th to invade the region in order to save the capitalists and capitalism. They shed blood in the region. Two historical states and two great nations were subjected to the heaviest inhumane attacks... They tested all their weapons in these areas and committed crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan which has made all the criminals of entire history look good. But the wave of awakening of human beings has neutralized their schemes... and soon the face of the president of the United States was revealed as the most despised face in the world..."
  • "Iran has always desired to expand relations with all governments and nations with the exception of the Zionist regime. As we have earlier declared, we are interested in expanding relations with Egypt."
  • "We are not happy to see them [two American citizens] imprisoned, but when an unlawful act has taken place the Judiciary must address it."
  • "The United States and allies desire to obscure their own role as the invaders of Libya. Therefore, they have asked the NATO to function as figurehead. This is how they want to flee from punishment. It would have been better if the Security Council had established a seriously non-partisan group trusted by both parties in Libya to start negotiations..."
  • "Today, in Yemen and in Libya, the hands of the United States and its allies are visible in expansion of the conflict."
  • "Iran does not consider this statement [by the Gulf Cooperation Council accusing the Islamic Republic of intervention in the internal affairs of the GCC states] a legal document. It is clear that it was passed because of political pressures by the United States and its allies."
  • "Anyone who aligns himself with the United States will lose."
  • "Deploying arms in Bahrain is not the right thing to do and there is no point in it. Saddam did this before but did not benefit from invading neighboring countries... Invading other countries is an ugly act and the government of Bahrain, too, is committing an ugly act by killing its own population. It would be better if the government of Bahrain cooperated with its people and arranged elections to avoid such problems."
• Ahmad Mousavi, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Damascus: "These events [the protest movement in Syria] constitute the second scene of the sedition in Iran planned by the enemy... The enemy has targeted the security and tranquility of Syria."
• [E] A senior Iranian lawmaker censures Ahmadinejad’s invitation to Jordan’s King Abdullah to visit Tehran, calling it “inappropriate.” [E] Iran and Turkey call for the urgent cessation of foreign military intervention in Bahrain and a way out of a crisis that has disrupted the small Persian Gulf island country.
• [E] Iranian and Russian officials met to discuss Afghan affairs in Moscow, underlining the necessity for further cooperation among nations to help restore security and stability to the war-torn country.

 Military and Security

• Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi says his ministry will address the issue of a "rogue group breaking the law in the name of the Guardian [Supreme Leader Khamenei]."
• Yadollah Javani, Revolutionary Guards Political Bureau chief, slams the Bahraini authorities: "In reality, they are trying to show that domestic issues of their country are externally motivated, for example, by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The reality, however, is different and [it] has to do with the wave of awakening in Arab and Islamic countries of North Africa."
• According to the Green Movement, the main headquarters of "Iran's Cyber Army" is fully under the control of the Revolutionary Guards' Counter Espionage Directorate. According to this report the Cyber Army unit is physically located in the Afsariyeh neighborhood of Tehran near a military prison of the Revolutionary Guards in Qasr-e Firouzeh. Other locations of the Cyber Army include a building near the Palestine Square in Tehran, and a third in Tehran Pars. According to this report, Kharazm Middle East Communications is a front company of the Revolutionary Guards' Counter Espionage and is involved in cyber espionage and electronic warfare projects.

Economy

• Central Bank Director General Bahmani says  "four zeroes will be removed from the Iranian currency."
• Ahmadinejad says he has never promised to release the name of corrupt individuals.

Trade

• [E] Ambassador to Japan says Iran is ready to provide fuel for Japan.
• [E] Chairman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) says no Iranian ships would be seized as a result of the US-pushed sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.
• [E] Iran announces no plan for OPEC emergency meeting over rising crude oil prices.

 Religion, Society and Culture

• Author Ali Moazenni says "self-censorship has paralyzed authors and artists."

Photo of the Day

• Ahmadinejad's New Year press conference.