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 Analysts Mehrdad Moarefian, Marie Donovan, Paul Bucala, with contributors Ryan Melvin and Mondona Salahshoor.To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

(E) = Article in English

Excerpts of these translations may only be used with the expressed consent of the authors.

Key takeaway:  Defense Minister IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan announced appointments to several senior Defense Ministry positions. 

Hossein Dehghan appointed a number of new deputies in the Defense Ministry, including IRGC Colonel Mohammad Assadi as the new Managing Director of the Bonyad Taavon Ministry of Defense. Assadi was previously the Managing Director of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, another major bonyad (foundation). 

IRGC First Lieutenant Hamid Javani of the 31st Ashura Division died today in a Tehran hospital forty days after sustaining severe injuries while fighting in Syria.

Executives from Royal Dutch Shell and Eni Petroleum met with Iranian officials to discuss possible investment opportunities in Iran’s energy sector should economic sanctions be lifted. Meanwhile, EU-coordinated P5+1 nuclear talks resumed in Vienna, ahead of the self-imposed June 30 deadline.

AEI Resident Fellow J. Matthew McInnis discusses Iran’s agenda during Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi’s visit to Tehran last week, and the Supreme Leader’s June 23 speech on nuclear redlines in his most recent blog post, "Iran to Iraq: Forget the United States, stick with us.”

Military and Security

• Defense Minister announces appointment of new deputies. IRGC Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan announced the appointment of several individuals to senior positions in the Defense Ministry. The Defense Minister named Amir Nasrallah Ezzati as Deputy Coordinator, IRGC Brig. Gen. Mehdi Farahi as Deputy of Logistics and Research Affairs, Mr. Morteza Mokhmabalaf as Deputy of Human Resources, and IRGC Colonel Mohammad Assadi as the Managing Director of the Bonyad Taavon Ministry of Defense. (Sepah News)  http://sepahnews.com/shownews.Aspx?ID=e3308a2e-fc26-4cd8-921f-5585ecbf5326

Regional Developments and Diplomacy

• Grand Ayatollah al Modarresi to meet with Supreme Leader. Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al Modarresi reportedly traveled to Iran on June 24 in order to meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (RAJA) http://www.rajanews.com/news/215705
   
• Nicaragua seeks closer cultural ties with Iran. Nicaraguan Ambassador to Tehran Mario Barquero Baltodano met with Massoud Soltanifar on June 23to sign a memorandum to promote cultural cooperation in various sectors. The Vice President and Head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization stated that the possibility of removing all sanctions could “witness opening of a new chapter in economic, social, political, and cultural cooperation,” with Nicaragua. (Kayhan) (E) http://kayhan.ir/en/issue/331/3
   
• Five Iranian fighters buried in Mashhad. Funeral processions were held in Mashhad on June 24for five Iranian fighters killed in Syria. Iranian news reported their names as Mojtaba Mirzai, Mohammad Hadi Hashemi, Mojtaba Hosseini, Hassan Farahani Karimi and Sarvar Hashemi. No rank or unit was given for any of the fighters. (IRNA) http://www.irna.ir/fa/News/81659317/
   
• IRGC member killed after sustaining injuries from blast in Syria. An IRGC First Lieutenant of the 31st Ashura Division died in a Tehran hospital forty days after sustaining severe injuries on May 15, while fighting in Syria. The funeral is set for Friday morning in the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province. (ABNA) http://fa.abna24.com/service/iran/archive/2015/06/25/689650/story.html
   
• Russia and Iran host meeting in Moscow. On Wednesday, Ambassador to Moscow Mehdi Sanaei met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Moscow. Morgulov described the ties with Iran as "profound," and stressed Russia's strong willingness to further develop joint political and economic cooperation with Iran. (Fars News Agency) (E) http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940404000401

Domestic Politics

• Tehran is constructing multi-purpose port near Strait of Hormuz. IRNA reports that Iran is constructing a new port in Suza on Qeshm Island with 700 million Euros of foreign investment. Deputy Head of the Qeshm Free Zone Organization Farzin Haghdel stated that the new port “will definitely become a shipping hub for international trade and transit.” The Strait of Hormuz provides passage to over 33% of all seaborne traded oil. (Press TV) (E) http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/06/25/417416/iran-shipping-port-persian-gulf-qeshm-suza

Nuclear Talks

• Nuclear talks continue in Vienna. Senior nuclear negotiators Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht Ravanchi met with EU Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs Helga Schmid on June 25 in the Austrian capital. (Tabnak) http://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/511761/%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%DA%86%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%DA%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%88%DA%AF%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%86
   
• Zarif to participate in final days of nuclear negotiations. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is scheduled to meet with his P5+1 counterparts on June 27 in Vienna. (Tasnim News Agency) (E) http://www.tasnimnews.com/english/Home/Single/781010
   
• Kowsari: Supreme Leader’s “explicit orders” mapped the negotiating team’s path. Parliamentarian Mohammad Esmail Kowsari reinforced the Supreme Leader’s guidelines for the Iranian negotiating team. The National Security and Foreign Policy (NSFP) Commission member stated that the West “talks too much” and reiterated that Iran will not accept excessive demands in the P5+1 nuclear talks. (YJC) http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/5243117/%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF

Economy

• European oil executives meet with Iranian officials. A spokesman from Royal Dutch Shell confirmed that Shell executives recently met with Iranian officials in Tehran. The discussions focused on Shell’s outstanding debt to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), but according to the spokesman “they also discussed potential areas for business co-operation should sanctions be lifted…Should future sanctions relief make that possible, we would be interested in exploring with the government of Iran what role shell can play in developing its energy potential.” The Chief Executive of Eni Petroleum also reportedly traveled to Tehran in May for talks with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh in order to discuss “the possibility of investing in Iran’s oil and gas industry again.” (IRNA) (E) http://www.irna.ir/en/News/81659411