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

• Political analyst Sadeq Zibakalam:
  • "In case,... Mr. Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf enters the [presidential] electoral arena, I believe that the reformists should swallow their pride and sentiments… All reformists should join in supporting Mr. Qalibaf. This means that Mr. Aref officially asks the reformist voters to vote for Mr. Qalibaf... Mr. Aref would be an ideal president for the reformists, but the fundamental question is this: Would Mohammad-Reza Aref be able to take steps towards reform? What steps could Mr. Qalibaf take in the direction of realizing reformist agenda...? We should have no doubt that Mr. Qalibaf would be stronger..."

Diplomacy

• Asr-e Iran describes Saudi Arabia as "the enemy of Iran," and predicts a gloomy future for relations between the two countries.
• Iran-Azerbaijan relations:
  • Trend News Agency reports anti-Iran demonstrations in Baku.
  • Combatant Clergy Association slams the Republic of Azerbaijan for hosting the Eurovision. 
  • Ayatollah Kazem Sediqi, temporary Tehran Friday prayer leader, criticizes Azerbaijan for hosting the Eurovision and for "allowing a parade for the homosexuals."
  • Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari, Tabriz Friday prayer leader: "The government of Azerbaijan should know that by staging a homosexuals’ parade in the city of Baku, the anger and hatred of the Muslims of the world would be uncontrollable."
  • Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda, Mashhad Friday prayer leader: "This is the conspiracy of Israel in a Shi'a country..."
• The Tehran Friday prayer ends with a rally protesting the Saudi-Bahrain union plan. 

Military and Security

• Fars News, quoting Al-Menar, writes that Hojjat al-Eslam Mohammad Mohammadi, representative of the Supreme Leader to the Awqaf and Charities Organization, during a visit to Lebanon, meets with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Ghazanfar Roknabadi, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Beirut, was also present at the meeting.
• Parliamentarian Ali Mottahari: "The Revolutionary Guards intervened in many constituencies [during the parliamentary election] in order to seriously support candidates backed by this force..."
  • Ramezan Sharif, Revolutionary Guards Public Relations commander, dismisses Mottahari's accusations: "Those making such claims should document their allegations... It is clear that the Guards preserves itself the right to legally pursue those who claim the Guards has intervened in elections..."
• According to Basij Commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, the Basij has established "rapid reaction forces of the Basij."

Nuclear Issue

• The Justice Seeking Student Movement in a statement commenting on the announced negotiations with the 5+1 Group stresses that "there is no excuse for joining the arrogant [powers] at the negotiation table..."
  • The statement continues: "Have we forgotten that the United States and the great powers of the East and West think of nothing but their arrogant interests? Do we think that their enmity towards Islamic logic has come to an end? Do we think that the arrogant [powers] of the world have abandoned their arrogant nature? And do we hope to achieve victory for the Iranian nation and the sympathy of the world at these negotiations? Have we forgotten that whenever we have negotiated with the bullying powers of the world, in the end we returned from those negotiations with shame...?"
  • "The world conditions are in our favor right now... Stopping the nuclear program in order to get rid of some of the sanctions and other such vague promises is not acceptable... Economic conditions and problems should not be used as excuses to retreat... It has been proven that whenever Iran has taken steps to reduce the pressure by adjusting its foreign policy towards negotiations with the arrogant [powers]... they have seen this as a sign of our weakness... Therefore, any agreement imposing restrictions upon the right of the country for nuclear progress is unacceptable... Our red line is return to the Tehran declaration... the additional protocol is our red line..."  
• [E] Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi expressed the hope that the Wednesday talks in Baghdad between Iran and the six world powers would entail good results as it was the case in the April 14 talks in Istanbul.
• [E] Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano, in a meeting with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi in Tehran on Monday, underlined eagerness of the UN nuclear watchdog to further develop cooperation with Iran in various areas of nuclear applications. 

Trade

• [E] India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limits (MRPL) received the first cargo of Iranian crude oil insured by an Iranian company.
• [E] Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi downplayed the effects of sanctions on the country's progress in the oil and gas industries, and said Iran has managed to set a record in building refineries in recent years.

Iran in the Afghan Media

• "Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister told the upper house of parliament that the spy agencies of Iran and Pakistan had ordered certain armed groups to destabilize Afghanistan through assassinating government officials.
  • “After overt reactions in the media, Iran will increase intelligence activities to spread propaganda and equip armed groups across the country, in partnership with the ISI, Haqqani terrorist network, Lashkar-e Taiba, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.” 

Photo of the Day

• Tehran Friday prayer rally protesting against the Saudi-Bahrain union plan.