Iran News Round Up

President Hassan Rouhani said that “governmental, non-governmental, and armed forces institutions need to divest their economic businesses” during a press conference on February 6. Rouhani said that “all sectors of the government, especially banks, need to divest their economic businesses,” stating that “this is the only way to save the economy.” Defense Minister Amir Hatami stated on January 20 that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly ordered the Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) to direct the IRGC and Artesh to “exit irrelevant economic activities” and to divest their economic holdings, although IRGC officials later denied knowledge of the Supreme Leader’s alleged order. The IRGC owns -- directly and through its numerous subsidiaries -- businesses involved in a myriad of financial sectors, such as oil and gas, mining, banking, telecommunications, construction, and automobile manufacturing.

• On the recent protests: Rouhani responded to a reporter’s question on whether he has taken any actions to resolve concerns raised during the recent widespread protests in Iran concerning inflation, high costs, and the ineffectiveness of some government officials. Rouhani stated that the “people’s complaints were not only about economics [but that] people also had a lot to say about societal, political, and foreign relations” issues.
• On cyberspace and messaging applications: Rouhani welcomed opening Iran’s access to cyberspace. Rouhani stressed that the government’s intent to strengthen homegrown networks and applications is not an attempt to monopolize cyber activities. Rouhani said that both “foreign and domestic networks, applications, and messengers [need to be] present” in Iran and that the people should utilize various options. Rouhani stated that time for shutting down and restricting messaging applications has passed and called on Iranians to become cyber-literate. Senior hardline officials have called for the state to impose harsher restrictions on social media and messenger applications since the recent widespread anti-regime protests.
• On oil revenue and taxation: Rouhani said that Iran must reduce its reliance on oil profits and instead fund the country’s budget with tax revenue. Rouhani called for an “expansion in the population of taxpayers” and stated that “everybody needs to pay taxes… with no exceptions.” Rouhani suggested that unclear and imprecise taxation practices result in unhealthy competition and can prevent “the transformation and mobility of the private sector and the people’s economy.” Many charitable foundations (bonyads), such as Astan Quds Razavi, maintain a tax-exempt status despite their involvement in a multitude of non-charitable business activities and large ownership of property. (ir)

President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met separately with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss regional developments in Syria and bilateral relations on February 7 in Tehran. Rouhani accused unidentified actors of seeking to geographically divide the region, specifically in northern Syria, “after [their] failure in northern Iraq.” Rouhani reiterated Iran’s support for a unified Syria and called for increased counter-terrorism efforts in the region. Rouhani also expressed interested in facilitating bilateral trade between Iran and Turkey using local currencies and to improve banking ties between the two countries. Rouhani welcomed the presence of Turkish investors in Iran’s energy sector. Cavusoglu noted that Turkey’s recently-launched Operation Olive Branch against U.S.-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin, Aleppo Governorate, Syria is temporary and only targets terrorists in the region. (IRNA) (IRNA)

Mike Saidi demonstrates how the recent protests highlighted weaknesses in the readiness of Iranian security forces in a dataset using videos submitted by Iranian protesters. View the dataset here and the graphics here.