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

• Supreme Leader Khamenei addresses the people of Gilan:
  • "The slogans of the Iranian nations are global and they aim to sever the arms of the imperialists from the country... The main reason behind the anger and conspiracies of the imperialists against this nation is very this issue. Last year's sedition was one dimension of the conspiracies of the enemy."
  • "The only way to get rid of the evil enemies is to take away hope from them... The great sin of those involved in last year's sedition was to give hope to the enemy."
    • Supreme Leader Khamenei in his theological class: "Talking behind other people's back in the media...is not allowed."
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting director Ezatollah Zarghami:
    • "During the sedition, the Basij was in the arena with its entire being. The Basij even had to fight with sticks and batons during the street fights. Photos taken of the Basij in this period depicted them as an anti-popular force and it really appeared so since individuals dressed in Basij uniform and the [Palestinian] scarf were on the one side and civilians were on the other side. Through a heavy propaganda effort they attempted to depict the Basij as an anti-popular force... Therefore, after the sedition of 2009, one of the policies of the Basij was to improve its image in society..."
  • An unnamed Intelligence Ministry deputy accuses foreign embassies and the VOA Persian and BBC Persian of orchestrating the post-election unrest of 2009.
• According to Mehdi Kalhor, Ahmadinejad’s media adviser, Ahmadinejad has dismissed him and 13 other presidential advisers. The dismissed advisers include:
  • Rouyanian
  • Vaziri Hamaneh, oil and gas adviser
  • Ali-Asghar Zarei Najafdari, cultural adviser,
  • Hojjat al-Eslam Haj-Ali Akbari, youth adviser
  • Abolfazl Tavakoli-Bina, commerce and guild adviser
  • Mohammad-Reza Etemadian, commerce and guild adviser
  • Mehdi Chamran, city council adviser
  • Mojtaba Rahmandoust, veteran affairs adviser
  • Sousan Keshavarz, educational affairs adviser
  • Mehdi Mostafavi
  • Davoud Danesh-Jafari, economics adviser
  • Satar Vafai
  • Ali Montazeri
  • According to Farda News' analyst, Ahmadinejad's purge is another sign of Mashaei's increasing influence.
  • Tavakoli-Bina says he was appointed adviser to the Ahmadinejad cabinet on the "instruction of the Supreme Leader."
• Other news stories related to Mashaei's influence on recent cabinet dismissals:
  • One week prior to Mottaki’s dismissal, Ahmadinejad had a meeting with the Supreme Leader in which Ahmadinejad complained of lack of coordination between the government agencies as well as about the proposal to change the foreign minister.  No decision was taken.
  • The Monday before Mottaki’s firing, Ahmadinejad had another meeting with the Supreme Leader and while leaving the Office of the Supreme Leader, Ahmadinejad "told one of the members of the Office of the Leader that he has forgotten to talk about sacking of Mr. Mottaki with Ayatollah Khamenei and asks him to mention this to him."
    • Supreme Leader Khamenei, in a private conversation with a senior regime official, "stressed that dismissal of Mottaki was not coordinated with him, and that the appointment of an acting Foreign Minister had not been approved by him."
  • Jahan News also considers dismissal of Manouchehr Mottaki as Mashaei's "schemes."
    • Ala al-Din Boroujerdi, parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chairman, is a candidate to take over the Foreign Ministry.
  • As Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization director Hamid-Reza Baghaei's attempts at persuading his sister-in-law Farahnaz Torkestani to take over the National Youth Organization came to naught, Baghaei tries to persuade Azadeh Ardakani, his and Mashaei's previous English teacher and current Iran National Museum director, to fill that position.
  • National Youth Organization director Mehrdad Bazarpash dismissed because of his conflict with Mashaei.
  • Mohammad-Jafar Behdad, the Office of the President's political deputy, and Hojjat al-Eslam Mohammad Barzegar, the Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards in Bandar Abbas, engage in a public row over Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei in front of the local guardsmen.
  • Asr-e Iran columnist Reza Ghabishavi: "Mashaei was not interested in discussing if music is religiously prohibited or allowed... he and many other authorities are... interested in diluting attention of the public from the fundamental issues of the country. Unfortunately, others are trapped and begin reacting and discussing [Mashaei's statements.]"
• According to "an informed source," Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani has left London for Dubai to meet Nafiseh Eshraghi.
• Zahra Eshraghi, wife of Mohammad-Reza Khatami and Grand Ayatollah Khomeini's granddaughter, says Ebrahim Yazdi, imprisoned Iran Freedom Movement activist, is her "spiritual father."

Diplomacy

• Hojjat al-Eslam Rahimian, the Supreme Leader's representative to the Martyr Foundation, recalls his conversations with Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah concerning the post-election unrest in Iran:
  • "The great holy warrior Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah told us that during those nights he was concerned because the world media was controlled by the Zionists. Sleep did not come to tens of millions of Muslims and free non-Muslims. Many devout cried until the morning and prayed for the regime..."
• [E] A prominent Iranian legislator on Monday asked the country's officials to seriously review ties with Britain, and said the hostile stances and animosities shown by the British government towards the Iranian nation in recent years have left Tehran no other option but cutting ties with London.

Military and Security

• IRGC Chief Mohammad-Ali Jafari says the Supreme National Security Council has "transferred the authority to guarantee security to the people themselves," adds "the Construction Base of the Revolutionary Guards" has engaged in large projects to secure growth in Sistan va Balouchestan province.
• Basij Chief Mohammad-Reza Naghdi, says "4,000 seditionists have returned to the bosom of society."
• IRGC Air and Space chief Amir-Ali Hajizadeh says the IRGC has downed two drones in the Persian Gulf.
• Kazem Jalali, parliamentary National Security Committee spokesman, refutes rumors on "suicide of [former former deputy defense minister Ali-Reza] Asgari... in a Zionist prison."
• [E] Fars News Agency claims the US spy agencies have intensified their intelligence operations against Turkey and Brazil after the two countries insisted on their independent policies and played a key role in Iran's nuclear issues.

Nuclear Issue

• Academic Sadegh Zibakalam says Ahmadinejad is not interested in increased sanctions against Iran, says Iran will show greater flexibility during the Istanbul negotiations.

Economy

• According to Asr-e Iran, the price of textiles in Tehran has increased 120%.

Trade

• Authorities in Norway confiscate assets of Sepah Bank in Oslo.

Photos of the Day

• Alireza Asgari during the war with Iraq.