Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by AEI Critical Threats Project Iran Analysts Mehrdad Moarefian and Marie Donovan. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

Key takeaway: Ali Akbar Velayati dismissed the U.S. Senate Bill to review a nuclear deal with Iran as a “game,” while the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) reiterated that Iran’s defense capabilities are non-negotiable. 

Velayati criticized U.S. lawmakers for trying to undermine the P5+1 nuclear negotiations in order to raise their campaign platform for domestic elections. The Supreme Leader’s Senior Foreign Policy Advisor said that the domestic “game” between the U.S. executive and legislative branches cannot hold international negotiations for “ransom.” AEOI Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi explicitly stated that Iran will not grant IAEA-led inspectors access to its military facilities, adding that it is non-negotiable.

Official Statements

• Shamkhani: U.S. has supported al Qaeda against Yemeni people. Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani stated, “Becoming an ally of al Qaeda in Yemen to fight the will of the people is recorded as a historical shame for the U.S. and its allies.” (Fars News) (E)
   
• Khatami: Iraq will stand against three-state solution. Interim Tehran Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami stated, "The recent U.S. bill on the Iraqis and forming three separate Shi’a, Sunni and Kurd states is a dream that God willing… will not come true, because the Iraqi nation is well-aware of that plot and will stand against it." He also stated, “If our dear negotiators sensed even a flavor of a threat in the negotiations, they would disrupt them; the Iranian nuclear negotiator team does not want to negotiate under the shadow of a threat.” (Fars News) (E) (Defa Press)

Nuclear Talks

• Velayati decries Senate’s passage of nuclear deal review bill. Ali Akbar Velayati denounced the Senate’s April 7 passage of a bill giving Congress the power to review a final agreement, stating: "This is a game by the Americans and they should know that they cannot put the Islamic Republic in a deadlock through such games." The Supreme Leader’s Foreign Policy Advisor also stated, “Their threats and words are for domestic consumption and Iran and other Islamic countries shouldn’t be the ransom for the elections campaigns in the US." (Fars News) (E)
   
• Iran reiterates that it will not grant inspectors access to military sites. Behrouz Kamalvandi stated that IAEA inspections in Iran are part of an ongoing process and that the implementation of the Additional Protocol would require Parliament’s approval. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Spokesman also stressed that Iran will not grant IAEA-led inspectors access to its military facilities, stating: “There is no talk of access to military sites…” (YJC)
   
• Kowsari calls U.S. Congress bill on nuclear agreement political game. Parliamentarian Mohammad Esmail Kowsari said that the recent bill passed by the Senate is a political ploy. The National Security and Foreign Policy Parliamentarian Commission member added that any nuclear deal should be approved by Parliament. (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Regional Developments and Diplomacy

• Iranian ship to deliver humanitarian aid to Yemen. Iran’s Red Crescent Society announced that it will send a ship carrying 2,500 tons of food and medical supplies for Yemeni civilians that will reportedly arrive in Yemen on May 9. (Tasnim News Agency) (E)