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

• Hojjat al-Eslam Rasaei and Sadeq Zibakalam debate elections in an event in Tehran:
  • Zibakalam: "The election issue in Iran is fundamentally not about change. It is in reality some kind of a show and a political maneuver showing the society that large popular participation is a sign of happiness with the government..."
  • Rasaei: "The people may be unhappy with the performance of a single person, but they are happy with the regime in general..."
  • Zibakalam: "How many newspapers were shut down in Tehran during your tenure? How many students were barred from studying? How many families are unaware of the whereabouts of their children? What did you do for them...? You didn't do anything to solve the economic problems of the people during the past 4 years. Be sure that the same 2-4% who voted for you 4 years ago will vote for you this time."
  • Rasaei: "Of course I don't do anything for students who set ablaze mosques, attack banks and threaten the security of the country. I'll capture them!"
  • Zibakalam: "See how the people's vote is bought in the provinces by giving people beans, cooking oil and a free meal..."
  • Rasaei: "[Answering a student question about beating the protesters in 2009 while riding on a motorcycle] I did ride a motorcycle and saw there were only 600 to700 protesters."
  • Zibakalam: "The suppression of the protesters was planned..." 
• Hojjat al-Eslam Morteza Agha-Tehrani, parliamentarian, explains his personal wealth: "Fundamentally, I have never and I do not need much material assets and I believe God takes care of clerics... I do not desire to get votes." 

Diplomacy

• Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian congratulates Syria on "vast popular participation in the constitutional referendum." 
• [E] Fars News: Iranian Ambassador to Yerevan Seyed Ali Saqqaeeyan warned of the Zionist regime's creeping infiltration into the South Caucasus region through its movements in Azerbaijan. 

Military and Security

• Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says Iran has not shown its military might, and that it keeps it secret until the day of need. 
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, Representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards:
  • "Three issues can impact [the parliamentary elections]. First, an external factor pursuing two goals: Regime change, which they could not achieve and I doubt they still have any hope left. Second, change of behavior, meaning that they want to force Iran to change its behavior and retreat from its positions. Change of behavior also encompasses change in thought and beliefs. When thought and belief changes it also leads to change of behavior. When people change their behavior it results in change of the regime. This is the goal they are pursuing..."
  • "They can use a couple of things in this regard. One is to depict the sanctions as bigger than it is, and to make the people believe that the sanctions are getting tougher and will create more trouble. This is psychological warfare... Second thing is to make the people not participate in the election. This means decrease in participation which the enemy is pursuing energetically. Third, urging domestic elements to instigate insecurity and challenge the election."
  • "Domestically, two factors could have impact: One is the sedition [the reform movement], and the second the current of deviation [reference to Ahmadinejad]. The second could somehow create trouble. The two have common denominators, even with the external factors. When it comes to change of behavior, change of thought and structural change, they have common denominators with the foreign [factors]..."
  • "It is possible that they can do things to reduce participation..." 
• Yadollah Javani, Revolutionary Guards Political Directorate commander, urges the public to vote for parliamentary candidates with the following qualifications:
  • "1. [They] should be men [and women] of the people… Those who distinguish themselves from the masses and consider themselves superior, the palace dwellers, and aristocrats can't think of the people."
  • "2. They should be revolutionary. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must advance the revolution and the Islamic regime. Parliamentarians must have a revolutionary spirit, and must believe in the Islamic revolution, the divine ideals of the late Imam [Khomeini] and the high goals of the Islamic Republic…."
  • "3. They must follow the guardian. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must strengthen the front of guardianship. The parliamentarian must believe in the absolute guardianship of the jurist, must obey the guardian jurist of the era His Holiness Grand Ayatollah Imam Khamanei... Those who do not consider the words of the Leader as the final words can't be followers of the guardianship."
  • "4. They must fight against [Global] Arrogance [reference to the United States]. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must strengthen the front of the revolution and the Islamic regime in the face of the Global Arrogance and the hegemonic regime. He [or she] must have an anti-Arrogance spirit and must always see him [or herself] in the arena, in the front line of the fight against the United States, the Zionist regime and other hegemonic states who are fighting against the revolution and the Islamic Republic."
  • "5. He [or she] must be pious and virtuous. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must be the symbol of the collective piety. The parliamentarian must be pious and virtuous and abide by Islamic ethics in words and deeds. They should abstain from lies, defamation, and libel and in all their works they must think of God."
  • "6. They must oppose the sedition [the reform movement] and the deviants [Ahmadinejad supporters]. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must have a clear, transparent and decisive position towards the sedition and deviations. Facing the seditionist movement and main elements of sedition on the one hand, and the deviant gang on the other, the parliamentarians must have a transparent, blunt and decisive position."
  • "7. He [or she] must not be dependent on centers of [political] power and wealth. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must have a decisive position towards various forms of corruption and it should be the vanguard in the fight against corruption. The parliamentarian must not be dependent on the centers of power and wealth. Dependency of the parliamentarian on the centers of power and wealth inhibit him [or her] in the fight against corruption."
  • "8. He [or she] must have insight and [must be] well informed. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must act in a timely fashion and have superior intelligence on Iranian and global matters..."
  • "9. He [or she] must be efficient. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must be efficient, and advance the revolution and the country. The parliamentarian must have expertise, abilities and experience in representative matters."
  • "10. He [or she] must not fear the enemy. The Islamic Consultative Assembly must not fear the enemies and should not shake in the face of their threats..." 
• Hamid-Reza Moqaddamfar, the Revolutionary Guards Cultural and Societal commander, addressing the students at Imam Sadeq University says "presence of 16 conservative lists is a source of concern." He also said that he would vote for the conservatives, and stressed that the Voice of the People [Seda-ye Mellat] headed by Ali Mottahari is "totally wrong, tries opportunistically to get votes by criticizing the government." Moqaddamfar concluded that 60% of the eligible voters would participate in parliamentary election. 

Trade

• Central Bank Director Mahmoud Bahmani says Iran is ready to accept gold in return for its exports. 

Religion, Society and Culture 

• Farajollah Salahshoor, filmmaker, confusing the Oscar with the Nobel prize, criticizes Asghar Farhadi for accepting a prize from "an institution which gives peace prizes to Israeli leaders."

Photo of the Day

• United Principled Front conference.