Iran News Round Up

Politics

• Sobh-e Sadegh columnist Reza Garmabedari discusses why former President Mohammad Khatami has presented his "conditions" for returning to power in the Islamic Republic:
  • "1. For the time being, the tactics of the seditionists have been defeated. They have no soldiers and they don't have people like Mehdi Hashemi [Rafsanjani] who can take care of recruitment.
  • 2. Karrubi and Mousavi are at the peak of isolation and are despised.
  • 3. This is an attempt to prevent further degeneration of the sedition after isolation and marginalization of Mousavi and Karrubi.
  • 4. An attempt to show the difference between himself and Karrubi and Mousavi.
  • 5. To create hope and cohesion among demoralized and scattered forces of the sedition.
  • 6. Filling the political gap following the isolation and marginalization of the seditionists.
  • 7. Marketing himself and hoping to get support from notable individuals within the regime.
  • 8. Sending messages and signals abroad in order to seek their support and prevent them from supporting others.
  • 9. Fleeing forward as Khatami and his friends have found out that the regime is patiently and systematically pursuing the end of the sedition."
• According to Mashregh News, Mashaei, who has "17 government positions" is also a student of management at Chabahar University and will soon defend his thesis.
  • Mashaei will also travel to Syria and Lebanon.
  • Asr-e Iran's analyst says Mashaei's diplomatic activity can no longer be considered "establishment of parallel institutions" since Iran’s formal diplomatic apparatus has "been annihilated."
• Ali-Akbar Javan-Fekr says advisors dismissed by Ahmadinejad themselves asked to be removed.
  • Media advisor Mehdi Chamran and Economics advisor Davoud Danesh-Jafari both deny having been advisors to the president.

Diplomacy

• Mashaei calls for establishment of an international Nowruz Headquarters to make Iranian New Years an international event.
• Ayandeh News reports diplomatic activities of Ahmadinejad's confidants: Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi visited Sudan last week, Commerce Minister Mohammad Abbasi visited Brazil to attend the inauguration its president, Hamid Baghaei, Iran Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts director, visited the President of Yemen; but Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah has not answered Mashaei's request for a meeting.
  • Hamid Baghayi says special envoys do not constitute a parallel institution to the Foreign Ministry.
  • Parliamentarian Kavakebian criticizes the role of Ahmadinejad's special envoys and asks the foreign minister to stop them.
  • Tehran-e Emrooz criticizes "institutionalization" of the role of special envoys of Ahmadinejad which "reduces the importance of the Foreign Ministry."

Military and Security

• Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says the Islamic Republic's submarines have been armed with cruise missiles.
• Masoud Jazayeri, General Staff Cultural and Propaganda deputy, addresses the "Soft Warfare Seminar" in Semnan:
  • "We must recognize that the war continues and we must understand this issue well... There is a conflict between the ruling regimes and the Islamic revolution. Whenever the dominant powers and the ruling regimes weaken and are totally annihilated because of the might of the Islamic Republic, we will achieve victory."
• Ramezan Sharif, Revolutionary Guards Public Relations deputy:
  • "British, Zionist and American websites have until now released tens and hundreds of stories about the close relationship and clear and reciprocated support of the Revolutionary Guards and the cabinet. On occasion, they falsely claim that the Guards suppress government critics. But today, in order to protect their interests, they ridiculously talk of confrontation between the Guards chief [Jafari] and the president."
• Basij Chief Mohammad-Reza Naghdi replaces Gholam-Hossein Kalouli Dezfouli with a certain Noushadi as Basij Cooperative executive director.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, the Supreme Leader's Representative to the Revolutionary Guards, addresses the officers at Imam Hussein War University: "The mistake of the elites throughout history has been that they replaced the divine leader and divine law with a false leader and false laws."
• Payam-e Enghelab warns against "conspiracies of the Mossad" and "the Jewish community" in the Republic of Azerbaijan against Iran.
• Sobh-e Sadegh discusses the role of the Foundation for the Defense of the Democracies.
• A certain Bahman Rigi is executed by the authorities in Zahedan.
• [E] Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani underlined on Tuesday that Iran plans to further boost its missile power in a bid to defend itself against the potential threats posed to the country by certain countries and regimes.

Economy

• Following a Guardian Council ruling, the President is once again member of the board of governors of the Central Bank.
• The Central Bank provides data on inflation over the past 74 years.
• According to Hamshahri, inflation has reached 10%.
• According to Tehran-e Emrooz, the government is planning to reduce the price of gasoline.
• [E] Iranian Minister of Economy and Finance Seyed Shamseddin Hosseini announced on Tuesday that the country's bourse has attracted a sum of $200 million of foreign investment, thanks to the Iranian market's security for investment.

Trade

• According to Reza Hamzehlou, Iran has increased its petrochemical exports to China and Western Europe.
• Investors from Ukraine, China and Poland express interest in investments in Iran's mining sector.
• [E] India plans to send a delegation to Iran in mid-January to work out a long-term solution at the central bank level for oil payments in currencies other than the US Dollar or Euro.

Photos of the Day

• Cruise missiles delivered to the Navy.