Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by AEI Critical Threats Project Iran Analyst Will Fulton and Iran Intern Amir Toumaj. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

(E) = Article in English

Politics

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei discussed the importance of Qur’an in Islamic society and said, “Qur’anic guidance and Islamic lifestyle must govern in an Islamic society…The culture of Islamic society must coincide with Qur’anic ethics and orders of the Infallibles [12 Shi’a Imams].” He added, “The adherence of most of the world’s people to Western culture is not a reason and criterion for adhering to this culture in Islamic society…. In an Islamic society, Qur’anic indicators and guidance must be adhered to.”
• Supreme Cultural Revolution Council member and Reformist presidential candidate Mohammad Reza Aref said, “If the [1999 student uprising] had been confronted with contemplation, calmness and moderation, the discourse of student confrontation with the government would not have entered the political discourse of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 
• National Security and Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Commission member MP Mohammad Saleh discussed cabinet appointments and said:
  • “If we want to move down the path of moderation espoused by the President-elect, the essence of the cabinet, which is made up of managers, must be moderates. Those who were involved in the [2009] sedition and challenged the system will certainly not have a place in Rouhani’s cabinet. [H]e is not someone who would use such individuals.”
  • “[W]e have not forgotten the [1999 student uprising]. This event was costly for the system, but we want to prepare the nation’s path of growth and progress in a calm environment and an environment that the people feel secure in regarding the fulfillment of their goals in the political, economic and cultural arenas.” 
• Senior cleric Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi criticized Wahabbis and said, “Takfiri Wahabis are killing brothers in Islamic countries, and reality it is they who are distancing from the Qur’an every day, while the best readers, memorizers and graceful Qur’anic reading sessions are ours, and these matters are…a strong fist against the mouths of Takfiri Wahabbis.”
• Combatant Clergy Association Central Council member Abdolwahab Mousavi Lari discussed the implications of the 2013 elections?:
  • “Rouhani’s election was the result of a Reformist outlook that does not accept the [country’] current condition…”
  • “We do not seek to have conflict with the world, the Iranian nation is a peace-seeking nation and it is natural that it must confront the world well and with goodness.”
  • “The people who came and voted for Rouhani did not [vote on the basis of whether] the Holocaust was the truth or a lie [rather their mindset was]: ‘I say that I do not care that some say it is a truth and that some say it is a lie. Hitler and members of his race must answer, and if it is a lie [then] the Zionists must answer.”
  • “I do not say [we] should question historical truths, but we must know how much that matter is related to us, and if it is not related to us, we should not enter the discussion so our interests face issues on the international level.”
  • “Today, one of the problems that Rouhani is facing is raising the level of the people's maximum expectation [of the government], and the two camps [Principlists and Reformists] exacerbate this problem.”
  • “Those close to Rouhani must help him understand why people are seeking transformation.”

Regional Developments

• In Baalbek, Lebanon, Lebanese Hezbollah officials buried the body of slain Hezbollah operative Hessam Mohammad al-Zarkali, who was “martyred [while undertaking] his jihadi duty in Syria.” 
• In a statement, the Qom Seminary Teachers Society condemned the recent Egyptian violence. It reads in part: “Conflicts among Egyptians will only result in the satisfaction of sworn enemies of the Islamic ummah, especially the Zionist[s] who have been damaged from the current of Islamic Awakening.” 
• Iranian media report that the Syrian Army continues to capture various areas around Idlib. 
• According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA), in recently released video tapes, the Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifeh Ibn Salman Al Khalifeh assured a torturer that he would be immune under the law. 
• ABNA reports the massacre of fifty-six villagers at the hands of “terrorists” in al-Mazra’e village in Aleppo province.
• The Lebanese Military Court has reportedly issued an arrest warrant in absentia for Salafi preacher Ahmad al-Asir and his deputy Fazl Shaker. 
• Fourteen Iraqi soldiers were killed in Western Iraq on the first day of Ramadan. 

Diplomacy

• Head of the National Security and Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Commission MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi discussed the recent Egyptian unrest and said, “Despite [the fact that] the Zionist regime and America' policies seek to create instability in Egypt, I think Egypt will overcome this era and reach stability.”
• In a telephone conversation with the new Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Ibn Hamd Al Thani, President-elect Hassan Rouhani affirmed the necessity of expanding relations between the two countries.
• Iraq reportedly agreed to increase its Iranian electricity importation to 150 megawatts and daily natural gas importation of 25 million cubic meters. 

Military and Security

• The Ministry of Intelligence released a series of security recommendations to Iranian citizens earlier today:
  • “Any communication with foreign nationals [and embassy members] without informing officials, whether inside or outside of the country, may result in your capture by foreign agencies.”
  • “Never ignore communication with God and seek His aid in all affairs, because the material life is very complicated and dangerous, and only He can accompany you on this path.”
  • “Never activate the ’blue tooth’ menu on your cell phone.”
  • “If you observe suspicious individuals, terrorists, or saboteurs, report the matter to security centers, especially Ministry of Intelligence News Headquarters at [phone] number 113.”
  • “If possible, follow them and ascertain their place of establishment without rousing suspicions.”
  • “If they have attached suspicious objects to vehicles or released them in public, do not approach the object, and report it immediately to the authorities.” 
• IRGC Ground Forces (GF) Deputy Commander BG Abdollah Araghi discussed previous deficiencies in IRGC-GF athletic programs and announced the ratification of new measures to encourage and expand athletic programs in the IRGC-GF. 

Economy

• Hengam Field by Gheshm Island, in the Persian Gulf, would reportedly yield between 30,000 and 45,000 barrels of oil per day, and an underwater pipeline would transport oil and gas from this field to Bandar-e Abbas refinery. Investment in this oil field would cost $720 million.
• Mehr News reports that Iran exported 1,126 vehicles worth $9 million in the past three months, and that strategic oil reserves surpassed 12 million liters. It is expected that six new oil reserve facilities will be operational by the end of the year.

Photo of the Day

• Partial Qur’an reading ceremony in Hazarat-e Abdolazim Hassani shrine.