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

• Presidential crisis:
  • All public offices close in Shiraz as the clash between supporters of Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader continues.
  • Office of the Supreme Leader refutes quotes attributed to Khamenei made by the representative of the Supreme Leader to Kashan.
    • So does the Revolutionary Guards.
  • Basij Chief Mohammad-Reza Naqdi says "the deviant current has no social base."
  • Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi warns against a "a new wave of freemasons," referring to "the deviant current."
• Haleh Sahabi, daughter of political activist Ezzatollah Sahabi, is killed by the security forces who were trying to disperse the crowd at the funeral of Haleh Sahabi's father.

Diplomacy

• Asr-e Iran criticizes Ahmadinejad's statements about his "readiness to visit Egypt as soon as possible," while the Egyptian authorities say it is too early to normalize diplomatic relations.
• [E] Iran calls foreign forces source of instability in Afghanistan.
• [E] Head of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi reiterated Iran's strong opposition to foreign military presence in Afghanistan, and stressed that Tehran will continue support for security in Afghanistan.
• [E] Ahmadinejad: "Today, even the most optimistic political elements in the region have come to the conclusion that our real enemies are the leaders of the United States and the Zionist regime."

Military and Security

• Esmail Qaani, Quds Force deputy, addressing members of the Basij of Theological Students at the Al-Qadir Cultural Institute:
  • "Today, as in the past, imperialism is struggling to foment conflicts between different ethnic groups and the sects of Shia and Sunni... What characterizes the new Islamic movement, which is the result of the Islamic awakening of the nations, is its Islamic color and one should not add ethnic color to these currents..."  

Photos of the Day

• Funeral of Ezzatollah Sahabi.