Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh and Ahmad Majidyar. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

(E) = Article in English   

 Diplomacy

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses theologians and clerics in North Khorasan province:

• "The clergy and theological seminaries are the soldiers of this regime and can never consider themselves as separate from the Islamic regime... Theological seminaries can't be secular and indifferent towards the Islamic regime... At a time when the intelligence services of the enemies of the regime - be it the United states, Britain, and the Zionist regime - are trying to suggest that there is separation between the clergy and the regime - no cleric can consider himself as separate from the Islamic regime... In the Battle of Ahzab [Battle of the Confederates, also known as Ghazwah al-Khandaq, the Battle of the Trench, in which the Prophet Muhammad defended the city of Medina against Arab and Jewish tribes] there were a number of hypocrites weak in the faith who would chide the believers and lecture them: 'Why don't you back off, why don't you change your policy?' But the true companions of the Prophet would answer them: 'We are not amazed by the pressure, we don't fear and will continue our path.' The pressure will continue as long as one does not bow the head in front of the wishes of the enemies. The only way of not being impacted by the pressure is gaining strength in different fields."

Military and Security

• Communications Minister Reza Taqipour dismisses reports on cyber attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Economy

• Stories regarding multiple exchange rates:

• Arsalan Fathipour, parliamentary Economics Committee chairman: "$200 million is being pumped into the bazaar... for the time being the public has savings amounting to $19 billion at home." Fathipour also said the parliament is considering to provide the industrial sector with foreign currency at subsidized rates: 17,000 Rial per $1 Dollar.
• According to Kioumars Fathollah Kermanshahi, Trade Promotion Organization of Iran deputy, importers of medicine, medical equipments, automobile parts, and chemicals will receive foreign currency 2% bellow the market rate. Foodstuff importers will receive foreign currency at 12,260 Rial per $1 Dollar. 
• Parliamentarians discussing the Central Bank's use of multiple exchange rates accuse the government of helping certain individuals enriching themselves by receiving foreign currency at state subsidized rates, and selling it at inflated prices in the black market.

• Donya-ye Eqtesad discusses the Central Bank's attempt at attracting foreign currency savings of the public by offering payment of interest rates in foreign currency.
• Jomhouri-ye Eslami editorializes: "Another important event of the week was the surfacing of the plan to stop execution of the second phase of the reform of the subsidies scheme [stopping cash handouts to the public]. On Sunday, the scheme passed [the parliament] but the government declared that it was against it, and the reform had reached a point of no return. On Wednesday, parliamentarians were meant to further investigate the scheme [to stop the cash handouts], but it was announced in the parliament to discuss it from the podium of the parliament following committee discussions."
• Ahmad Tavakoli, parliamentary Budget Committee member, warns against rising unemployment.

Trade

• The Energy Minister expresses Iran's readiness to export electricity to India through the sea.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Jomhouri-ye Eslami reports on "tensions at the digital media exhibit," which led to arrest of an adviser to the Minister of Culture. According to Jomhouri-ye Eslami, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance directed exhibit featured a "secret 18+ stand," which displayed "cultural threats,... and what can't be shown to the broader public... exclusively for parliamentarians, [leading] individuals and state authorities in order to increase their awareness of cultural threats." However, the Law Enforcement Forces attacked the stand "shooting teargas arguing that [moral] corruption had taken place" at the stand.

• Panjereh weekly publishes a backgrounder on the Hakim clerical family.

Photos of the Day

• Special guests of the International Children's Movies Festival in Isfahan.

• Supreme Leader Khamenei addresses members of the clergy in North Khorasan province.