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

• The United Front of the Principled assembles for its first seminar.

Diplomacy

• Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, temporary Tehran Friday prayer leader: "Statements of the Supreme Leader in response to the threats [made by] the West were uttered in such a way that these countries made a fast retreat and took back their words against Iran. This shows what position Iran has...."
• Asr-e Iran runs a background article on deterioration of Iran-Turkey and Iran-Qatar relations because of the crisis in Syria.
• Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani: "The Americans should not think that by giving the green light to certain countries [Saudi Arabia] and deploying forces to Bahrain they can change the circumstances. The Bahraini revolution will only get stronger with such acts."
• Hojjat al-Eslam Gholam-Reza Shafieizadeh, temporary Rasht Friday prayer leader: "Our Basij members will invade [Saudi] Arabia should the smallest attack against Iran take place... War against Iran will be [responded to] in the streets of the Zionist regime."
• Shi'a News slams the parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan for passing a law prohibiting "propagation of Islam."
• Fars News: The Obama administration has moved its confrontation with Iran to the floor of the UN General Assembly, but this time through a regional Arab proxy.

Military and Security

• Air Defense Force stages a war game in eastern Iran to test Iran's capability to defend "vital and sensitive centers of the country, particularly the nuclear centers."
• Ayatollah Jafar Shojouni: "Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah has said that in case of Israel's attack against Iran, [Hezbollah] will bombard Tel Aviv."
• According to the Dubai Police, Ahmad Rezaei, late son of the former Revolutionary Guards chief, had traveled to the United Arab Emirates as an American citizen with an American Passport under the name Tom J. Anderson. The police also disclosed that Ahmad Rezaei had died because of excessive use of anti-depressants.

Nuclear Issue

• Mostafa Kavakebian, parliamentary National Security Committee member: "Remaining within the Non-Proliferation Treaty means that we recognize the right of the inspectors to supervise our activities. Since we know there is nothing wrong [with Iran's nuclear activities], we are not concerned about the presence of the inspectors... Should we leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty... the pressures of hegemonic powers against us will not reduce; they will increase."
• [E] China on Friday played down the importance and contents of an upcoming draft resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran, stressing that the move is only aimed at strengthening cooperation between Iran and the IAEA.

Trade

• [E] Pakistani officials are debating about the best destination for the consumption of the large gas supplies to be imported from Iran through a multi-billion-dollar pipeline from early 2014, with industries ministry saying that the Iranian gas supplies should first be provided to industrial and fertilizer sectors.

Photos of the Day

• The National Iranian Orchestra.