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

• Javan Online, close to the Revolutionary Guards Cooperative Foundation, writes that according to opinion polls, "the current of deviation" has no popular base.

Diplomacy

• The Iranian representation at the United Nations dismisses news on direct contacts between Tehran and Washington concerning the terror plot against the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Military and Security

• Reactions to U.S. allegations against Iran concerning the plot to murder the Saudi ambassador in Washington:
  • Supreme Leader Khamenei:
    • "The United States, Europe and dependent regimes are doing everything in their power to crush the resistance of the Iranian nation. This reality shows the historical value of the resistance of this dear nation for the sake of its ideals..."
    • "They have, by making meaningless and obscure allegations against a few Iranians, tried to find a pretext to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran as a supporter of terrorism, but this conspiracy too was defeated and will be defeated and will become fruitless and futile like their actions. Contrary to their expectations, they themselves will become more isolated..."
    • "The president of the United States played the role of a sycophant a couple of years ago in Egypt in order to deceive the public opinion, but today, in that very same country and in other countries of the region, the people chant anti-American slogans..."
    • Obama “did not even dare to leave Bagram Airbase and visit Kabul during his trip to American forces occupying Afghanistan. This is so because he is isolated among the nations and fears them... You are isolated even in the midst of your own nation and fear the majority of the people but want to spread Iranophobia with such futile statements?"
  • Yadollah Javani, Revolutionary Guards Political Directorate chief: 
    • "This is a total lie. The Americans have fabricated this scenario at this specific time for specific reasons..."
    • "The Americans are facing internal crisis. The Wall Street movement has now spread to more than a thousand cities in the United States and every single day the depth of popular protests against capitalism and injustice grows..."
    • "Because of the Islamic awakening, authoritarian regimes dependent on the West, and especially the United States, are collapsing one after the other..."
    • "The position of the Islamic Republic is on the rise. At a time when the West is going through a crisis and their allies in the Middle East are collapsing, Islamic Iran is stable and is strengthening its role in the region and internationally..."
    • "Under such circumstances, it is clear that the Americans desire to reverse these trends..."
    • "They want to make public opinion in the United States believe that Iran is now the main threat... They are trying to start a new phase of Iranophobia..."
    • "They want to create a new atmosphere in which they can exert greater pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran..."
  • Ala al-Din Boroujerdi, parliamentary National Security Committee chairman:
    • "It is ridiculous that the Islamic Republic of Iran should want to plan for the Saudi ambassador who is of no value to Iran."
  • [E] Khamenei stressed that no one can blackmail Iran.
  • [E] A senior Pakistani intelligence official revealed on Sunday that Iranian-American citizen Manssor Arbabsiar, who has been accused by the US of an elaborate plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, had received fake ID documents from the Israeli Mossad agency three months ago.
• Supreme Leader Khamenei addresses Basij members in Kermanshah: "Of course, preparedness of the Basij does not mean militarization of the entire society; it means that everyone is ready for defense and struggle. A nation in which all the members are ready to fight will not be defeated... If deviation is seen in the movement of the revolution and the regime, the Basij will stand in its way."
• Commander Abbas Sadehi, Armed Forces Communications director in the Office of the Supreme Leader, says Khamenei's views on the war with Iraq reflect his presence at the front during the war.
• [E] Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Moussavi announced that the country's first home-made destroyer, 'Jamaran', would soon be dispatched to missions in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Farajollah Salahshour, cinematographer, comments on Angelina Jolie's planned role in an Iranian movie: "Female Iranian artists are as bad as Angeline Jolie... Iranian cinema is a brothel..."

Iran in the Afghan Media

• Afghanistan’s upper house of parliament condemns rocket attacks into Afghanistan from neighboring Iran and Pakistan. A senator from western Nimruz Province accused Iran of trying to seize Larlchi area from Afghanistan.

Photos of the Day

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei visits family members of the martyrs in Kermanshah.