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 Marie Donovan, Paul Bucala, and Caitlin Shayda Pendleton. 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.

Key takeaway: Senior regime officials warned against making premature judgments on the impact of Donald Trump’s election.

Senior Military Advisor to the Supreme Leader Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi advised Iranian officials to “let some time pass” before assessing the consequences of Donald Trump’s victory for U.S.-Iran relations. Safavi added that candidates in Iran and other countries “speak one way to get votes during their candidacy” before changing their positions after election day. Friday prayer leaders also expressed skepticism that U.S. policy toward Iran will change under the Trump administration. Mashhad Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Alam ol Hoda stated, “It does not matter who the American president is. These are our enemies, and they are not abandoning their hostility toward us.”

Defense Minister IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan and Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan signed a military cooperation agreement aimed at boosting bilateral military cooperation in training and counterterrorism efforts. Separately, Armed Forces General Staff Chief IRGC Major General Mohammad Bagheri announced that Iranian and Chinese officials have agreed to form a joint military commission between the general staffs of both countries.

A delegation of Russian lawmakers traveled to Iran to meet with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and other officials. During the visit, the head of Russia's Federation Council’s defense and security committee, Viktor Ozerov, told reporters that Iran and Russia are currently in talks over an estimated  $10 billion sale of advanced tanks, planes, and helicopters to Iran.

Iranian news outlets reported the deaths of four Iranians in the city of Aleppo. In recent days, pro-regime forces have managed to reverse opposition gains in the city by recapturing several key districts. A reporter for Iran’s Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) was among those killed.

AEI Must-Reads

• Paul Bucala analyzes a recent speech by former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi in “Supreme Leader's Adviser Discloses Details on Iranian Efforts Abroad.”
   
• The Critical Threats Project and ISW Naval Analyst Christopher Harmer assess Iran’s role in the recent anti-shipping attacks off the Yemeni coast in “Iranian involvement in missile attacks on the USS Mason.”

Regional Developments & Diplomacy
 

• Officials call for restraint in judging Trump presidency. Senior Military Advisor to the Supreme Leader IRGC Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi advised Iranian media to “let some time pass” before analyzing the effects of Trump’s victory. He claimed that candidates in presidential races in Iran and other countries “speak one way to get votes during their candidacy” before changing their positions after election day. Safavi added, “I hope that America’s new president makes a substantive pivot [in U.S. policy] on regional issues, especially Syria, Iraq, and in relation to Iran.” Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani similarly warned against making “hasty and premature judgments” about Donald Trump’s election during a meeting with a conservative parliamentary faction on November 13. Larijani called for parliamentarians to allow Iran’s “diplomatic apparatuses to adopt a clear stance” toward Trump. (Asr Iran) (IRNA)
  • Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi stated that Iran is “not worried” about statements made by Trump’s advisors against the nuclear deal. He stated, “The time to complain about the new American administration’s policies is when it comes to power. For now it is premature to take a position based on what some advisors have said.” (ISNA)
     
• Iran and China sign military cooperation agreement. Defense Minister IRGC Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan met with Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan as part of his three-day visit to Iran. The two officials signed an agreement to increase military cooperation between the two countries. (Tasnim News Agency)
  • Armed Forces General Staff Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri also announced that Iranian and Chinese officials have agreed to form a joint military commission between the general staffs of both countries. Bagheri claimed that the officials of the commission “have been determined” but did not provide any further details. Bagheri also stressed Iran’s readiness to share with China “its experience conducting operations with Iraqi and Syrian forces” and announced that Iran is prepared to hold military drills with Chinese forces. (Fars News Agency)
     
• Russian lawmakers meet with Larijani. Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani met with the chairperson of Russia's Federation Council, Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, and other Russian lawmakers in Tehran. During the visit to Iran, a Russian lawmaker claimed that Iran and Russia are in talks over a $10 billion arms sale to Iran. (IRIB)
   
• Friday prayer leaders on Trump’s election: America’s policies will not change. Friday prayer leaders discussed the election of Donald Trump during their sermons on November 11. Mashhad Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Alam ol Hoda claimed, “It does not matter who the American president is. These are our enemies, and they are not abandoning their hostility toward us.”
  • Qom Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Alireza Arafi stated, “The Iranian people should know that even with this election, America’s policies have not changed. America’s dark record in the world is no secret.”
  • Tabriz Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahid Shabestari stated, “If America suspends the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], we have other options.” Shabestari also said that the U.S. “will not change its stance regarding Islam because of its relationship to the Zionist regime.” (ISNA) (ISNA) (ISNA)

Military & Security

• Former AFGS chief: The Supreme Leader signs off on every missile test. Former Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Chief Major General Hassan Firouzabadi referred to the test-firing of the Emad ballistic missile in early October 2015, stating, “No missile is fired in Iran without the approval of the commander-in-chief [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]. When a missile is constructed and it is time to test the missile, the Supreme Leader must sign off on the test… He must even approve the launch time.” (Tasnim News Agency)
   
• IRGC Air Force Commander: The U.S. destroyed our missile factory near Aleppo. IRGC Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh claimed that “one of America’s goals in the region” is “destroying the armies of Islamic countries.” He added, “We see an example of this in Syria. Of course, the Syrian army is resisting and fighting, but the U.S. has destroyed Syria’s weapons stockpiles. The U.S. completely destroyed the factory that we constructed in Aleppo for manufacturing surface-to-surface missiles.” Hajizadeh did not provide further details on the incident or indicate when it had allegedly occurred. On November 10, AFGS Chief Bagheri claimed that an Iranian-built factory near Aleppo had supplied Hezbollah with missiles during the 2006 Lebanon War. (Ghanoon)
   
• AFGS deputy: The Supreme Leader has ordered us to strengthen the Basij. Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Deputy Chief Artesh Brig. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi claimed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered military commanders to strengthen the role of the Basij Organization on the sidelines of an exhibition with senior Basij officials. AFGS Chief  Bagheri has repeatedly insisted that the AFGS will prioritize strengthening  the Basij.(Tasnim News Agency)

Domestic Politics

• Conservative politician: The principlists may be ready to unite behind Ghalibaf in 2017 elections. Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the head of the conservative Front of the Followers of the Imam and Leader's Line political group, stated that principlists may be ready to unite behind conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in the 2017 presidential elections. Bahonar called a Ghalibaf candidacy “wise and prudent” and noted that Ghalibaf received the second highest number of votes in the 2013 presidential elections. (Donya-e-Eqtesad)
   
• Memari News chief released from prison. Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Dolatabadi stated that Yashar Soltani, the head of Memari News, has been released from prison. Soltani was arrested after Memari News leaked government documents as part of a report in August accusing Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s office of giving individuals “huge discounts” on government-owned property. Ghalibaf has since addressed the scandal, stating that “enemies and malicious” individuals  “misused” the leaked documents. (Tabnak) 

Economy

• Rouhani: We need foreign investment in the oil industry. President Hassan Rouhani discussed the place of foreign investment in Iran’s oil industry during a trip to Khuzestan province. He called for Khuzestan’s oil fields to produce 1 million barrels of oil per day and stated, “We need investment and technology to achieve this level of oil production. But our investment is limited. We need over $18 billion to develop these oil fields.” He added, “We do not doubt that we can do many great things ourselves.... But in today’s world, we must take advantage of the world’s capital and technology.” The Rouhani administration recently passed a new oil contract model aimed at boosting the levels of foreign investment in Iran’s oil sector. Hardliners have criticized the contract model for granting foreign firms too much control over Iran’s oil reserves, however.      (Hamshahri)

Casualties in Iraq & Syria

• Four Iranians killed in Syria.
  • Javad Jahani, an Iranian intelligence officer with the Afghan Shia militia Fatimiyoun Brigade, was killed in Aleppo. He was reportedly from the city of Mashhad. (Tasnim News Agency)
  • Hossein Hariri was also from Mashhad. No unit affiliation or rank was provided. (Damadan)
  • Mohammad Hossein Bashiri was from Hamedan province. He was killed in the city of Aleppo during his “advisory mission to Syria.” It appears that he was a member of the IRGC’s Hamedan provincial unit. (Javan Online)
  • Mohsen Khazaei was a reporter for Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for three years in Syria. He was killed by a mortar shell in western Aleppo on November 12. (Tasnim News Agency)