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.
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(E) = Article in English

Politics

• According to Asr-e Iran, a majority of former members of the Parliament's Oil Committee joined the Oil industry after the end of their parliamentary term. The list includes Ali Adyani-Rad, Hassan Shabanpour, Abdollah Kabi, Assadollah Gharahkhani, Emad Hosseini and Hassan Ghaffourifard.

Diplomacy

• Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi:
  
  • "From the past, we have been in touch with vast [number] of the parties [engaged] in the conflict in Syria and have had consultations. Now too we are ready to facilitate dialogue between the protesters and the government of the Republic of Syria... Bashar Assad, the president of Syria, has recently appointed an individual called Ali Heydar to an institution to engage in dialogue with the protesters... We too have announced that we are ready to facilitate dialogue between the protesters and the government of Syria."
  • Commenting on the latest diplomatic dispute between Canada and Iran over �remarks by Iran's cultural attach� in Ottawa, Salehi said: "We have always stressed to our compatriots... that they should follow the laws and regulations of the country of their residence."
• Hassan Mousavi, head of the Islamic Republic Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, accuses "Colonialism and the Global Arrogance of causing drought in southern Iran."�
• Hojjat al-Eslam Sheikh Mohsen Araki is appointed Center of Proximity of Islamic Sects director general.�

Military and Security

• Reports on the Revolutionary Guards Navy commanders' seminar in Mashhad:
  
  • Ali Fadavi, Revolutionary Guards Navy commander, discusses the closure of the Strait of Hormuz: "Although different authorities have made statements on this strategic area, what is important is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is capable of doing what it has said... Start of conflict depends on the degree of stupidity of the Westerners and it seems that they are not pursuing this option [military conflict] and have concentrated all their efforts on economic pressure and sanctions. However, we are prepared to deal with any situation, including their military option."
  • Hassan Firouzabadi, chief of the General Staff, addresses the seminar of the Revolutionary Guards Navy authorities:
    
    • "The Revolutionary Guards Navy is today the front line of the defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran..."
    • "Today all the American forces have gathered in Kuwait, Bahrain and the [United Arab] Emirates. Of course it's not in order to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such a plan would never occur to the minds of the leaders or the military of the United States...�"
    • Commenting on George Washington aircraft careers entrance to the Persian Gulf, he continued: "Whenever this career passes through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, the news agencies report that it wants to attacks Iran. But now this career has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and has entered the Persian Gulf and the commander of the United States Navy in the region two days prior to the event said: 'This career has joined the United States Navy in order to support the war effort in Afghanistan and in order to counter pirates.' One [the United States] could not have expressed it more clearly: 'Don't give us trouble.'"
    • Firouzabadi continued that one reason for the United States Navy to maintain its forces in the Persian Gulf region is to "keep them [the United States military personnel] from joining the Occupy Wall Street movement."
    • "For a long time the Americans have begged us saying: 'Tell us your codes for military operations.' For a year they have desired this through contacts with the government [of the Islamic Republic] and we say that we do not have plans to attack... They are concerned that we would attack. This shows the divine dignity of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
  • Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani:�
    
    • "The Arabs tolerated Iran under Shah, who was an ally of their enemies, but after the victory of the Islamic Republic, which accepted the cost of countering their enemies, [Iran] has felt the envy and sensitivities of some of them."
    • "The nature of this structure [of the Islamic Republic] was revolutionary, which led to the formation of uprisings, currents and Islamic movements. When Imam Khomeini in 1988 said 'We exported our revolution,' he was stressing upon the movements which had come to being in the world [as a result of the revolution in Iran]."
  • Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, Revolutionary Guards Strategic Center commander, stresses the Revolutionary Guards will enter "any field of activity" in order to safeguard the revolution and its achievements, should it feel the necessity.�
• Quds Online website quotes a VOA Persian TV debate of Iran by Alex Vatanka, Hossein Arian and AEI resident fellow Ali Alfoneh.
• [E] Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier General Hossein Salami said IRGC commanders see the US aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf as nothing more than "rusty iron."

Nuclear Issue

• Sadeq Kharazi, former ambassador to France, says "Russia's presence in the [nuclear] negotiations was wrong."
• [E] A senior Iranian legislator revealed the country's plan to use nuclear fuel in its vessels, and urged the government to enrich uranium to the needed levels to be used in such nuclear-powered ships.

Trade

• [E] Russia announced on Tuesday that the country is ready to open Letters of Credits (LCs) to help solve the problems created for Iran by the western sanctions.�

Photos of the Day

• People lining up in Bushehr to purchase frozen chicken.

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