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

• Parliamentary run-off elections: 
  • The Intelligence Ministry filters the online television channel of the Islamic Steadfastness Front just a day ahead of the second round of parliamentary polls. 
  • Alef News releases the names of 25 candidates of the Isargaran-e Defae-e Moqaddas [Self-Sacrificers of the Sacred Defense] in Tehran. The list is considered the unofficial list of the Basij.

Military and Security

• Commander Yadollah Javani of the Revolutionary Guards defends the Islamic Republic's support to Syria in Sobh-e Sadeq's editorial.
• Ali-Ashraf Nouri, political deputy of the Office of the Representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards, says the indoctrination efforts in the Guards will intensify. 

Economy

• According to Hojjat al-Eslam Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moqaddam, Parliament’s Economic Reform Committee chairman, says Ahmadinejad, at a meeting with the committee, disclosed that Iran's foreign exchange reserve is $35 billion.

• Iran exported over $48.5bln worth of non-oil products in the last Iranian year (March 21, 2011 to March 19, 2012), First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said. 

Trade

• Basij Commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi: "Every single day we should pray for more and deeper sanctions. During the past thirty years it has been proven to us that whenever we were sanctioned we made progress."

Religion, Society and Culture

• Khodnevis releases the audio of a cleric teaching women sexual issues at a mosque in Qom. Audio:
• According to Digarban, 11 Iranian publishers have been barred from exhibiting their books at Tehran International Book Fair.

Photos of the Day

• A young Khamenei in prison.
• Basij Commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi visits the "Islamic Awakening" section of the Tehran International Book Fair.