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 runoff election results:
  • According to ISNA, 196 members of parliament failed reelection bid.
  • Alef News releases the official results of elections in Tehran.
  • Political analyst Sadeq Zibakalam analyzes the result of the parliamentary elections:
    • "The traditional principled [politicians] claim that the government and Ahmadinejad were defeated in this election, but I believe that it is not so and the number of the Ahmadinejad supporters in the ninth parliament is more or less the same... The main Ahmadinejad supporters in the future parliament are also the same as those in the eight parliament, such as Aqa-Tehrani, Hosseinian, Rasaei, Kouchakzadeh and the like. How can one say that Ahmadinejad's power has declined in the ninth parliament...? In the eight parliament, there were about 100 Ahmadinejad supporters. There is a similar number in the ninth parliament. In case we add the candidates who enjoyed official support of the government to the candidates of the [Islamic] Steadfastness Front, plus some independents that in the end were supported by the government, this would add up to one hundred, the same number as in the eight parliament..."
    • "With the relative success of some prominent characters of the [Islamic] Steadfastness Front, I believe that the Front and Mr. Ahmadinejad will try to remove Mr. Larijani, Bahonar and Tavakoli from their positions and appoint Mr. Haddad-Adel parliamentary speaker..."
    • "[About key candidates for 2013 presidential election:] At any rate, the candidates of the principled [faction] for the next presidential election are clear... Mr. Ali Larijani, Dr. Ali-Akbar Velayati and Dr. Said Jalili... The main question is the support of the Ahmadinejad and Steadfastness Front. Would they too support the main candidates or would they insist upon having their own candidates... It is also possible that Mr. Qalibaf enters the arena... whom should be considered an independent candidate..."
    • "In the final year [of Ahmadinejad in office] the conflict with the parliament will grow deeper and greater. As we see, the parliament has complained against Mr. Ahmadinejad to the Judiciary... But I believe it is our own fault... When Mr. Ahmadinejad went to provincial trips they [the parliament] said it is the greatest mercy to the country. When Mr. Ahmadinejad went to the United Nations [General Assembly] and created enemies for Iran and increased enmity against Iran, they [the parliament] praised his deed and said he has slapped the Global Arrogance [the United States] in the face. The economic, political, social, and any other plans of Mr. Ahmadinejad were praised by the principled [faction] in the parliament. Apart from the capabilities of Mr. Ahmadinejad himself, the main reason why Ahmadinejad has become Ahmadinejad is the overt support of the principled [faction]… Had the principled [faction] shown moderation in their support for Ahmadinejad... and had they not supported Ahmadinejad because of the enmity and grudges they have against Hashemi Rafsanjani and the reformists, I believe that the parliament would have fared much better..."
  • Kamran Baqer Lankarani, Islamic Steadfastness Front spokesman:
    • "In the new parliament, there are 200 new faces, which shows that the eight parliament was incapable of answering the demands of the people. It is expected that the ninth parliament is very different from the eight... Mr. Haddad Adel has good experience. And with the highest vote in the country, the first vote of Tehran, and with the help of all parliamentarians, could do this responsibility [speaker of the parliament] better [than Ali Larijani]."
• Ali Larijani addressing a seminar on Morteza Mottahari:
  • "Sometimes, there is a degree of violence among Western politicians, which is due to lack of personal spirituality. This also sometimes happens in our country where individuals [Ahmadinejad] use such methods calling them disclosures. This disturbs the public mind." 
• Ahmadinejad submits a complaint to Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the Conflict Resolution Committee in which he says the bill on supervision of the parliament, which passed the parliament, is contrary to the constitution.
  • Farda News asks why Ahmadinejad has submitted the complaint to the Conflict Resolution Committee rather than the Expediency Council, which is constitutionally mandated to solve problems between the various branches of the government.

Diplomacy

• Kayhan accuses Afghan president Karzai of "selling Afghanistan" to the United States. 
• Abd al-Vahed Hakimi, Fars News Agency's reporter in Afghanistan, is arrested by the Afghan intelligence.
  • Fars News Agency releases the headlines of the articles produced by Abd al-Vahed Hakimi. 

Military and Security

• Mohsen Kazemeini, Greater Tehran Mohammad Rasoul-Allah Revolutionary Guards unit commander, says the Guards "neutralized several terror plots in Tehran." According to Kazemeini, the plots were "suicide terror missions" in the Tehran Metro.

Nuclear Issue

• Hosseiin Nejabat, parliamentary Economic Jihad Committee chairman:
  • "At some point, this country made the decision to cooperate with Russia in order to build this power plant [in Bushehr], which was fundamentally not the right decision. But we must take into consideration the conditions of the time... I am not aware of the amount of the penalty [which Russia should pay to Iran because of the delay in completion of the project]. The agreement... between Iran and Russia is not very practical... During this time, both parties have advanced the project by haggling... The plant's capacity is only 1,000 megawatt which is one fiftieth of Iran's energy need. But when it comes to technology, the inauguration of the plant is very important for Iran and would have great impact on Iran's standing in international arena..."

Photo of the Day

• Kamran Baqeri Lankarani, Islamic Steadfastness Front spokesman, at the front's press conference on Monday.