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

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s New Year message:
  • "Domestically, 1390 [2011/2012] was indeed the year of greatness for the Iranian nation. Politically, the Iranian people, both in the Revolution Day rally and in the... [parliamentary] elections, were present to a degree which created such a standard for national strength in the history of the region, the like of which we have not seen so often in the past..." 

Diplomacy

• Khamenei:
  • "The year 1390 was one of eventful years, internationally, in the region and in our country. All in all, what one sees is that all those events were to the benefit of the Iranian nation and helped it achieve its goals. Ill wishers of the Iranian nation, Iran and Iranians in the Western countries are struggling with different problems. In the region, those nations who have always been supported by the Islamic Republic, have achieved great goals: dictatorships were overthrown; legislation based on Islam has been established; and the first grade enemy of the Islamic community of believers and the Iranian nation, meaning the Zionist regime, is encircled."

• Khamenei’s New Year speech in Mashhad:
  • "The people of Iran are not thinking of attacking and invading, but they love their existence, identity, religion and their Islamic Republic..."
  • "Western countries are trying to separate the people of Iran from the government of Iran by imposing economic sanctions..."
  • "These countries know that Iran is not trying to acquire the nuclear bomb. The nuclear issue is only a case to pressure the Islamic Republic... Because of our own reasons we are not in any way desiring the nuclear arm. We have not and will not produce it. This is a pretext..."
  • "The main problem of the West with Iran has to do with Iran's oil and gas... Their oil and gas reserves will be depleted in the coming years, while Iran is at the helm of the countries in the world when it comes to the oil and gas reserves."
  • "The problem is not the nuclear issue or the human rights. The problem is the Islamic Republic which is resisting them like a lion."

Economy

• Khamenei:
  • "The year 1390 was the year of Economic Jihad... Enemy attempts during that year proved this... From the very beginning of the year, the enemies showed their hostile moves against the Iranian nation in the economic field. But the Iranian nation, the authorities, majority of the people, and the state administration managed to counter the sanctions through intelligent measures which neutralized the sanctions and foiled the tricks of the enemy."
  • "One important part of the economic issues is related to domestic production. Should we, with divine blessing, strong will of the nation and efforts by the authorities, manage to increase domestic production to the optimal level, the enemy’s attempts will surely prove futile... This would solve the inflation issue, and would truly consolidate the domestic economy. This would leave the enemy desperate and hopeless... Therefore, this year's slogan is: "National production, supporting labor and Iranian capital."

• In his New Year message, Ahmadinejad praises Iran's economic, scientific, industrial, technological and political development.

Photo of the Day

• Khamenei delivers New Year message.