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

• According to Farda News, Ahmadinejad is considering dismissing Interior Minister Mohammad Mostafa Najjar. 

Diplomacy

• Tehran temporary Friday prayer leader Hojjat al-Eslam Sediqi:
  • "Unfortunately there is evidence that, in the Egyptian election, Ahmad Shafiq, one of the prominent elements of the corrupt Mubarak regime, found a way to the second round of election as a result of Saudi Arabia's intervention, investment and manipulation of the vote... One expects the learned Egyptians, religious scholars, and Egyptian revolutionaries who entered the arena by sacrificing their blood, to take this issue more seriously and give hope to the Muslim people of Egypt by encouraging them... It is expected that the [Muslim] Brotherhood people present a clear program and make resistance to the Zionist regime and the United States their main slogan in order to achieve unity and order... This country [Syria] is moving towards reforms. It has put its constitution to referendum and a legislative assembly has been elected. While popular presence of the Syrian people in election is manifest to the world, preventing the reform process and arming certain groups is nothing but meddling in the internal affairs of this country..." 
• [E] The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that the country's President Hu Jintao has officially invited Ahmadinejad to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). 
• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday submitted Ahmadinejad's invitation to Singh to attend the upcoming summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran. 

Military and Security

• Yahya Rahim Safavi, former Revolutionary Guards commander currently adviser to the Supreme Leader:
  • "From a military analysis point of view, the possibility of a military war against Iran in the near future is minimal – either by the United States or the Zionist regime. But our armed forces should always be prepared and should strengthen themselves by preparing their offensive and defensive capabilities because we don't know about future and we must be prepared for the unexpected... Let me at least say that the domestic political situation in the Zionist regime and the domestic political situation in the United States, coupled with the economic condition of the two countries, are not in such a way that they would want to start a new war in the region. Of course, they may be able to start it, but ending it would be in Iran's hands and not in theirs. The Americans are facing elections in November and Mr. Obama is seeking reelection. Therefore, he does not desire to start a new war without Congressional and popular support. Even the United States military has declared that there will be no war with Iran... When it comes to the Zionist regime, the Netanyahu cabinet is a weak one... Should they want to make a military move against Iran, defection within the cabinet is a possibility. The domestic situation of the Zionists is such that if they want to start a war against Iran, it is possible that a million Jews of that country, who are very vulnerable, would want to flee Israel during the first couple of weeks... In the very near term at least, I do not expect a great war since the Zionists are extremely vulnerable. Before, only Hezbollah and Hamas had lined up against it, but now 75 million people of Egypt have been added to it and the gas pipeline has been shot. The people of Egypt are anti-Zionist, just like the people of Iran, which is a great danger next door to Israel... We will intelligently hit them at an appropriate level retaliating at the same level as their military operations and threats against us. But we will act in an intelligent way, meaning dealing blows at the same level as their hits. We do not have direct access to the land of the United States, but the Americans have bases and many interests in the region... who are all within Iran's reach. The Americans know this very well... Should the Israelis desire to hit us, Hezbollah would most likely operate against them. I consider Mr. Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah the soldier of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution. From Iran's side, there is no limit and our long range missiles can counter [Israel] very easily. No place in Israel is outside the reach of our missiles... One must pay attention to the fact that the enemies want to depict Iran's situation as a country moving towards war and in which there is no stability. Iran, however, is a strong and stable state... I believe that the Americans, the Israelis, some European countries and some countries of the Persian Gulf, particularly Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have made Turkey their representative to weaken or force Bashar Assad's regime to capitulate... What Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are doing in Syria is to the benefit of the Americans and the Zionists and aims to weaken the resistance, which are Syria, Hezbollah and Iran... They thought that Syria would collapse within two to three months, but with Iran, China and Russia's spiritual support, the Assad regime has managed to stay in power which shows their strategic defeat. I believe that the Saudis will meet their defeat in Syria just as they did in the Iraqi election and just as they did while intervening in the domestic situation of Lebanon."   

Nuclear Issue

• [E] Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Kazzem Seddiqi reiterated Iran's rights to access peaceful nuclear technology, and stated that Tehran will not give up even an iota of its inalienable rights. 

Iran in the Afghan Media

•  A ceremony to commemoration Ayatollah Khomeini’s 23rd death anniversary in Kabul met with stiff resistance of university students, who tore down billboards of the Iranian revolutionary leader erected in western Kabul and condemned Iran’s growing influence in Afghanistan. “This is Kabul; not Iran, not Qom,” read one placard carried by the students. 

Photo of the Day

• Basij membership card of Said Jalili, Supreme National Security Council secretary.