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

Military and Security

• Mostafa Ahmadi-Rowshan, commerce director at Iran’s Natanz nuclear site, was assassinated on Wednesday at 08:30 a.m. local time in Tehran. According to Fars News, a motorcyclist attached a magnet bomb to Ahmadi-Rowshan's car. The blast killed Ahmadi-Rowshan and wounded two other passengers in the car. 
  • Nasim Online points out that Ahmadi-Rowshan was assassinated on the second anniversary of the assassination of Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, another Iranian nuclear scientist.
  • Sharif University of Technology announces that Ahmadi-Rowshan had a degree in chemical engineering from the university. 
  • Alef News releases the titles of Ahmadi-Rowshan’s scientific publications. 
  • First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi accuses "the Zionist regime" of plotting the assassination.
  • Safar-Ali Baratlou, Tehran Province security secretary, says "it is the work of the Zionists... It seems like the Zionists are trying to reduce public participation in elections..."
  • Parliamentarians condemn the assassination by chanting "Death to America," "Death to Israel," and "Death to the Hypocrite [reference to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization]."
• Hossein Alaei, founding father of the Revolutionary Guards Navy, publishes an open letter in Ettela'at  in which he indirectly compares mistakes of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi's:
  • "The government’s continued violent methods and severe suppression of the protests led the people to direct their opposition against the person of the Shah..."
  • "Open letters to the Shah... continued until the people decided to stop a lifelong dictator rule..."
  • Alaei also says the Shah should have asked himself these questions:
    • "Had I allowed the protesters to rally peacefully, and had I not accused them of demonstrating their power and mobilizing their forces, would they not have ended?"
    • "Had I ordered the authorities not to shoot the protesters, and instead calmed them with a strategy, would I not have reached better results?"
    • "Had I – instead of forcing the grandees into house arrest and exiling in faraway towns, and imprisoning political activists – opened the path of negotiation with them, would it have led to my escape from the country?"
    • "Had I not insulted people’s intelligence by accusing them of having been incited by foreigners, would I myself be forced to seek refuge among foreigners?"
    • Alaei concludes: "Dictators consider themselves the eternal right to rule over the people. When the palace is encircled by sycophants, there is no opportunity to ask such questions."               
      • Fars News slams Alaei's letter and accuses him of befriending "seditionists," and condemns Ettela'at for publishing the letter.
      • Basirat News calls Alaei "an old hyena" who uses his war record to deal blows to the revolution.
      • Jahan News accuses Alaei of being "the main pillar of the 2009 sedition."
      • Neda-ye Enghelab writes that Alaei was "thrown out of the Revolutionary Guards because of his bad reputation."
      • Ahestan accuses Alaei of being "blind" since he compares the Shah's regime with the Islamic Republic. 
• Mehdi Rabbani is appointed Revolutionary Guards Operations Commander.

Politics

• Bultan News releases the names of 33 incumbent parliamentarians who have been disqualified for the March 2012 parliamentary elections.
  • Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani negotiates to reduce the number of disqualified parliamentarians.
    • Larijani adds that not all the names on the list are disqualified.
• Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani says the parliament has established a parliamentary supervisory committee to monitor the 2012 parliamentary elections. 

Diplomacy

• Ali Ahani is appointed the Islamic Republic's ambassador to France.

Photos of the Day

• Crime scene: Assassination of nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Rowshan. Also, here.