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 subscribe to this daily newsletter, please visit this page, fill out the "New Subscribers" section, and check "Iran News Round Up" listed under "Projects." 
 
(E) = Article in English

Politics

• Chanting anti-regime slogans at Chaharshanbeh Suri fire festival:
  • Video of street party near the Khamenei residence.
  • Anti-regime banners on highways.
  • The Basij attacks the crowds in Tehran-Sar.
  • Report on clashes between people celebrating the Chaharshanbeh Suri and the security forces.
• Farid al-Din Haddad Adel discusses his friendship with Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the Supreme Leader: "He has one son... He is 2 to 3 years older than I am... Our political views are very close because he shares the same views as the Supreme Leader. Therefore we trust him 100 percent..." 
• Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi: "One should no longer call the heads of the sedition the 'heads of the sedition.' They should be considered as counter revolutionaries because they opposed the regime and the leader."
• A poll declares Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf "the social profile of the year."
• Video regarding the passing of Ahmad Khomeini.

Diplomacy

• Parsineh releases a 1980 article by Mohammad Khatami published in Kayhan which praises the seizure of the United States Embassy and congratulates the hostage takers.
• Bahman Saadat, Tehran-e Emrooz analyst, depicts Saudi Arabia the main loser of the recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East.
• The Foreign Ministry summons the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Bahrain to condemn "intervention of foreign troops in Bahrain," and "suppression of the popular movement" in that country.
• Tabnak News editorializes: "Saudi Arabia's invasion of Bahrain is not something that the Islamic Republic of Iran will easily let pass."
• Condemning Kurdish authorities' allegations against Iranian involvement in Iraqi Kurdistan, Tabnak News, close to Mohsen Rezai, urges Kurdish broadcasters to reconsider their broadcasts.
• While Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says King Abdullah of Jordan was "never meant to visit Iran," Jafar Behdad, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei's political deputy, did not deny news of the planned visit but said it had not been completely decided yet. Parliamentarian Heydarpour says he will hold Ali-Akbar Salehi, foreign minister, responsible for "this treason," and Yadollah Javani, Revolutionary Guards Political Bureau chief, says "An Iranian invitation to King Abdullah would lead to unhappiness and will spread despair among the nations of the region." 

Military and Security

• Parliamentarian Ali-Reza Zakani :
  • "After the end of the 33-day war, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah visited Iran. During our meeting, he said: In 2000, the circumstances were particularly hard and we decided to make a retreat. This is the result we had reached in Hezbollah. We visited Iran and met Iranian authorities during three days and reached the conclusion that we must retreat..."
  • "Then we were given audience with the Lord [Supreme Leader] and explained the situation to him. When I presented the plan to make the retreat, the Lord said: 'You do not have the right to retreat.' I said: 'I have been talking with Iranian authorities.' He said: 'They were wrong. You don't have the right to retreat. Go [back] and resist.' Our duty is to obey and I said: 'Yes, we will resist.' But in my heart I said: 'We will be martyrs and this entire movement will fall apart.' We prayed the midday prayers led by Mr. Khamenei. Between the midday prayer and the afternoon prayer he looked at us and said: 'You will soon witness victory and you will all survive in this victory.' This promise was in our hearts and we returned to Lebanon and resisted, until the fiasco of the retreat of the enemy in 2000 took place." 

Economy

• Tehran-e Emrooz editorializes: "Traditionally, during the final days of the year, reports on the performance of the institutions are delivered for evaluation, but as the year 1389 [2010-2011] is ending, governmental institutions are not inclined to present their reports. Of course, for some time, it has no longer been customary to deliver economic reports and governmental statistical bureaus no longer feel obliged to deliver precise statistics on current affairs of the state... Under such circumstances, one must use reports from international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund Forecast or the World Bank statistics in order to estimate industrial growth and the unemployment rate."

Photo of the Day

• Behnoud Ramezani killed by the Basij last night.