Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by the AEI Critical Threats Project's Iran research team. 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

• Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi announced that Iran will build two additional 1,000 MW nuclear power plants at Bushehr with the cooperation of Russia. Moscow and Tehran were in negotiations earlier to construct four power plants and have decided to move forward with two. 
  •  Each reactor will cost between $5 billion to $6 billion.

• Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attended the Non-Aligned Movement conference in Algeria. In remarks at the conference, he said: 
  • “Iran has shown it will not go away under threats and sanctions and we have nothing to hide, in the atmosphere of trust and equality it can be shown that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and will remain so.”
  • “The Non-Aligned countries must take up common positions, and must certainly restore the rights of the Palestinian state with Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital in order to achieve peace and stability.”        
  • Zarif consulted with Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo y Marfil and discussed the latest developments on the situation in Ukraine and other areas of mutual concern.
  • Zarif met with his Omani counterpart Youssef bin Alawi and his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil.

• Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Culture and Propaganda Deputy Brig. Gen. Mohammad Ali Assoudi said “Fulfilling the Supreme Leader’s commands can lead to the coming [of the 12^th Shi’a Imam Mahdi].” He added “Knowing the vali-ye faghih [guardian of the jurisprudence] is very important. We can refer to the statements of Imam Khomeini regarding the vali-ye faghih and know the vali-ye faghi of our time.”

• Head of the Basij Organization IRGC Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naghdi urged domestic supporters of negotiations and relations with America to look at the “abject” situation of societies “under the domination” of America and added that “Fighting is like rationality and escaping problems is unreasonable.”

• IRGC Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami spoke at various events today:
  • At the symbolic ceremony for beginning the activities of “a thousand Qur’anic units in a thousand Greater Tehran Basij bases” he said: “We are facing a powerful cultural invasion. If we do not preserve our internal identity through the Quran the ominous global cultural current will take us with it.”
  • Addressing IRGC members at the closing ceremony of the Sarallah Sports Cultural Exhibition: “The IRGC has been the [bringer of death] for the Islamic Ummah in welcoming threats.”

• Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani stated: “We must take the ‘resistance economy’ seriously even if we want to succeed in the nuclear negotiations.”

• IRGC Ground Forces Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour is scheduled to meet and address foreign military personnel stationed in Iran today.

• President Hassan Rouhani said “The economy of the country’s exiting from stagnation and movement towards economic growth is being felt.” He reiterated the need to secure capital to encourage production at a Resistance Economy Headquarters session.

• Headquarters for Confronting Economic Corruption member Ezatollah Yusefian Mala announced that the headquarters will next week review the execution of billionaire Amir Khosravi and discuss the case of Babak Zanjani who is accused of stealing $1.9 billion from the Oil Ministry.