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

• Hojjat al-Eslam Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the Supreme Leader's chief of staff: "The day when the clergy has become isolated is the day of annihilation."
• Mohsen Rezai's reaction to house arrest of Mousavi and Karrubi: "We must all follow the path of the law, the leadership and that of brotherhood and we must follow the Leader. In such a way we will abstain from extremism."
• Mashregh News discusses Rafsanjani's political record.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ravanbakhsh, a student of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, slams Rafsanjani for not criticizing Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, and Mashaei for not condemning "the sedition."
• Ayandeh News analyzes elite reactions to the February 15, 2011 anti-regime demonstrations:
  • "In the wake of the events of the February 15, 2011 demonstrations, some of these faces [who had not previously condemned the regime protesters] such as Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, Mohsen Rezai, Nateq Nouri, Hassan Rowhani, Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, and Ali Larijani, took firm positions against the heads of the protesters. Some of them, for example Mohsen Rezai, took much firmer and more outspoken positions against the elites without insight than before. Rezai considered Mosavi and Karrubi 'the menial workers of America' and gave a few hours ultimatum to the heads of the protesters to clarify their position before the people had the right to take the job upon themselves and imprison them. Bahonar too gave Hashemi [Rafsanjani] a week long ultimatum..."
  • Ayandeh News depicts the following elite members as those who have still not condemned the "line of sedition": "Hojjat al-Eslam Hassan Khomeini, and Ayatollahs Javadi Amoli, Safi Golpayegani, Vahid Khorasani, Shobeiri Zanjani and Makarem Shirazi."

Diplomacy

• [E] Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says Washington cannot manage world affairs, adding that the US has no way out but to retreat in the face of the current popular uprisings in the region.
• [E] A group of Iranian university students gathered in front of the Libyan Embassy in Tehran, and strongly condemned the Libyan government’s violent crackdown on protesters. 

Military and Security

• Hassan Firouz-Abadi, chief of the General Staff, says all Basij members must be "trained military men."
• Hossein Salami, Revolutionary Guards deputy, addresses the Revolutionary Guards' Counter Intelligence seminar, discusses the fundamentals of counter intelligence effort.
• Yadollah Javani, Revolutionary Guards Political Bureau chief:
  • "Events of the past two years have shown that the regime of the Islamic Republic is facing a new counter revolutionary movement emerging from within the family of the revolution..."
  • "There were those who deceivingly chanted the slogan of following the path of the Imam [Khomeini] and called for reforming the society in the path of the revolution and there were also some who at some points followed them because of their deficient knowledge [of the line of sedition]..."
  • "But as the time passes, and as the sedition was acted out, their deviation and lies became apparent to all and those who had joined them in the beginning - because of their deceptive slogans - parted their ways from them. Today it has become crystal clear that this movement, which has a past revolutionary record, is a totally counter revolutionary current which has joined the external enemies and well known internal enemies."
• Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi says the Intelligence Ministry has "identified the headquarters of sedition."

Nuclear Issue

• Parliamentarian Hamid-Reza Katouzian condemns Russia's behavior while building the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Mahramaneh News warns against marriages between either illegal Afghan citizens or Chinese visitors, with Iranian girls as young as 11 in Qeshm Island.

Photos of the Day

• Tehran Friday prayers.