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

• The Revolutionary Tribunal opens legal proceedings against 32 individuals allegedly involved in the Saderat Bank $1.5 billion embezzlement case. The key individuals involved are the owners of the Aria Investment Company, the four sons of Mansour-Khan Amir-Khosravi, landowner from Amarlou area in Roudbar. Also here.

Diplomacy

• Asr-e Iran releases the Persian translation of Mojtaba Amani's interview with Al-Ahram. Amani is the head of the Iranian interest section in Egypt:
  • "We are ready for an immediate resumption of diplomatic relations with Egypt."

  • "Iran is ready to provide immediate economic aid to Egypt so that this country can resist Washington in the face of American threats of severing economic aid to Egypt."

  • "Iranians are thirsting for traveling to Egypt. Resumption of relations would mean 5,000 Iranian tourists visiting Egypt annually."

  • "As a confidence building measure, one can subject Iranian visitors to Egypt to security surveillance so the Egyptian authorities can be sure of them. During Saddam, Iranian pilgrims would go to the sacred shrines [in Iraq] under similar conditions."

  • "I stress this: The existing instability and insecurity in Egypt would not prevent Iranians from visiting Egypt. Iranians are used to travel under insecurity. For example, Iranians travel to Iraq without fear."
    • Asr-e Iran's columnist wonders why the Islamic Republic is begging for resumption of diplomatic relations with Egypt.

• Shi'a News warns against "a new wave of arrest of Islamists in Nardaran" in the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

• Police in Baku arrest Fars News' reporter.

Military and Security

• Commander Mohammad Hejazi, General Staff Logistics and Industrial Research commander: "The change of strategy announced by the Supreme Leader means that we will not wait until the enemies take action against us... Whenever we feel that the enemies want to threaten our national interests and are about to take a decisive action, we too will use all our tools to preserve our national interests and retaliate against them... In the case of the foolishness of the Zionist regime, we have the means to deal with it in any ways."

• Iran Press News releases passport photos of two Iranian terror suspects in Thailand. 
  • [E] Fars News: The wife of Martyr Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast, who was assassinated by Mossad agents in Tehran in January, reiterated on Tuesday that her husband sought the annihilation of the Zionist regime wholeheartedly.

  • [E] Fars News: An Iranian spokesman on Tuesday stressed Tehran's preparedness to cooperate with Thailand's probe into the recent bombings in Bangkok, but meantime said that Israel is using the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) to demonize Iran. 

• Ramezan Sharif, Revolutionary Guards Public Relations commander:
  • "The Islamic Republic of Iran has the power and capabilities of countering threats. Therefore, the United States and Israel don't dare to attack. Should they do so, it would have terrible and unimaginable consequences for them."  

  • "In the near future, the revolutionary anger of the people of Arabia will spread to the Saud family since the foundations of unjust rule will be ruined." 

• A certain Mr. Ahangaran, Intelligence Ministry technical deputy, says the Stuxnet virus has affected "16,000 computers in Iran," and adds that Iran can't update its antivirus programs because of the international sanctions regime.

• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, Representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards, says the IRGC will soon establish a "theological seminary" in order to educate "theological students armed with the science of the day."

Nuclear Issue

• Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi:
  • "In these negotiations [with the 5+1 Group] we are looking for a mechanism to resolve Iran's nuclear issue in a win-win situation. We too understand the conditions of the counterpart and we know that the counterpart is looking for ways to leave the issue honorably. We too are ready to create the conditions so they can honorably leave. We will go to this meeting with a positive view and in good faith and we hope that the counterpart too shows its good faith."

Trade

• Iran stops oil exports to Britain and France.

• Mohsen Rezaei, Expediency Council secretary:
  • "It is not entirely correct that we have always been under sanctions regimes. Even during the war [with Iraq] we did not have the sanctions that we have had during the past five years... I predict that the sanctions will continue five more years. Therefore, we must learn to live under the conditions of the sanctions..."

Photos of the Day

• Empty chairs at the Islamic Resistance Front's debate at Tarbiat Modarres University in Tehran.