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

• Parliamentarian Ali Mottahari, disqualified from participating in the 2012 parliamentary election, complains to the Interior Ministry. Mottahari is accused of "not believing in Islam," "not being a practitioner of Islam," "not being loyal to the Constitution," and "not being loyal to the progressive principle of absolute guardianship of the jurist."

Diplomacy

• Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the message of the United States concerning the Strait of Hormuz has been communicated to Iran from "three channels" but not from Turkey. Mehmanparast adds "if necessary, we will respond to it." 
  • Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani dismisses allegations that he has sent a secret message to the United States, and says "the Americans are imagining things!" 
  • Ali-Akbar Velayati, foreign policy adviser to the Supreme Leader, says there is no "news" in Obama's letter to the Supreme Leader. 
  • Yahya-Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to the Supreme Leader: "Should any threat be directed against Iran, we will use various political and other means to defend ourselves."

Military and Security

• Reactions to an open letter by Admiral Hossein Alaei, founding father of the Revolutionary Guards Navy and former IRGC Joint Force chief, in which Alaei made a comparison between the Pahlavi regime and Khamenei's suppression of the opposition.
  • The mobs attack Alaei's residence chanting slogans against him.
  • Asr-e Iran slams the demonstration in front of Alaei's home, and argue that the commander’s family members should not suffer for his actions. Most reader comments support Asr-e Iran's position.
  • A group of 12 IRGC commanders write an open letter condemning Alaei.
  • Commander Yadollah Javani, adviser to the Representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards, slams Alaei's article in Sobh-e Sadeq's editorial.
  • Saei Qassemi, former Revolutionary Guards commander, says Alaei's article has "broken the hearts of the Hezbollahis." He adds: "If one desires to leave the train of the revolution, you can't prevent him from doing so."
  • In another open letter in Tabnak, Alaei dismisses that his letter equated Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Alaei also accuses the press of abusing his open letter.
  • Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari says the article published in Alaei's name is not written by Alaei, but has been "dictated" to him. Shariatmadari adds that there is no textual difference between the writings of an "ardent opponent of the revolution," and the article, and one can therefore imagine that it has been "requested" by others.  
  • According to Deputy Defense Minister Majid Mir-Ahmadi, a former of colleague of Alaei in the Revolutionary Guards Navy, a group of IRGC commanders met Alaei last night:
    • "The comrades and former colleagues of Mr. Alaei were mostly concerned about the propaganda fuel which this article has created for the domestic and foreign counter revolution..."
    • "Mr. Alaei said that if my article has been interpreted in a way which has saddened the lovers of the regime, I apologize. I had no bad intentions. My goal was solely the Arab dictatorships learning from the destiny of the imperial regime in Iran. I did not think that anyone would consider the popular regime of the Islamic Republic with the previous dictatorial regime..."
    • "[Alaei said] I am sorry that the son of the treacherous Shah of Iran talks about the necessity of democracy in Iran. The Islamic Republic was against a dictatorial regime. I fought against the imperial regime from my youth and my hope was to establish an Islamic regime revolving around Imam Khomeini and based on the theory of the guardianship of the jurist..."
    • "[Alaei continued:] My father was a cleric and from my early youth he would take me to Imam Khomeini's classes at the Salmasi mosque in Qom. I have been and I am a believer in the regime of the Islamic Republic and the guardianship of the jurist..."
    • According to Mir-Ahmadi, Alaei had stressed that "he got to know Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before the revolution - in 1977, when Khamenei was prohibited from preaching in Mashhad – and that he was among the Guards commanders who had the most dealings with him."
    • Alaei reportedly also said: "I have the same devotion and follow his orders to the same degree as before and no change has taken place in me."  
• News stories related to the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan:
  • Mehrdad Bazrpash, who was the commander of the late Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan at the Basij unit of Sharif University, says Ahmadi-Roshan was engaged in the Islamic Republic's missile program.
    • Bazrpash also says that Ahmadi-Roshan was for a time engaged in the Defense Ministry, after which he was transferred to Iran Atomic Energy Organization where he had "sensitive responsibilities."
  • Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi says "the Mossad and the CIA will see Iran’s decisive answer," to the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists.
  • Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani says a number of people involved in the assassination have been arrested.
  • [E] Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi described the recent assassination of a young Iranian scientist as a futile action taken by the enemies to stop Iran's progress, and underlined that Tehran's response to such attacks would make enemies regret their terrorist actions.

Media

• Tabnak News produces a video to mock the VOA Persian program Parazit.

Nuclear Issue

• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members - the US, Britain, Russia, China and France plus Germany) are in discussion over a proper date for future talks. 

Photos of the Day

• Mobs attack Admiral Hossein Alaei's home.