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 subscribe to this daily newsletter, e-mail [email protected].

(E) = Article in English 

Paper says Obama capitulates to Iran’s nuclear ambition; Iran’s parliament says change in U.S. foreign policies prerequisite to amend relations; Supreme Leader meets Chavez, hails Venezuela’s anti-U.S., anti-Israel stance; Qalibaf rules out running for president; Ahmadinejad says Iran keen to dialogue with West; cleric likens Obama to Bush, urges against haste in improving ties with U.S.; Iran’s savings in foreign banks exceed $46 billion; Iran to export gas to Europe through Syria

• Resalat's headlines: "The United States capitulates to the nuclear goals of Iran" as Obama declares "I'm not opposed to peaceful use of nuclear energy."

• Aftab-e Yazd editorializes: "There are some Principalists who hastily try to record the 'solution of the Iran/U.S. problem' as their personal achievements.  This has made the authorities ignore Obama’s Bush-style provocations and stress the positive aspects of his speech. How come no one took notion of the fact that Obama had said: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran has the right to achieve its deserved position in the international community, but achieving this right is a result of responsible behavior and not by the means of terror and weapons.' This writer is of the belief that the new inhabitants of the White House are in need of new methods in order to promote U.S. interests in the world and very this need provides Iran with an opportunity to...create a win/win situation. But the first condition is...that the process is not hasty..." 
  • (E) Iranian Parliament will reconsider ties with the US if Obama administration changes its policies toward Iran.

• (E) Iran has protested the seizure of one of its Cypriot-flagged ships for violating UN Security Council resolution as “illegal”.
  • Supreme Leader Khamenei, meeting Hugo Chavez, praises Venezuela for severing diplomatic relations with "the Zionist regime" and points at the United States as "partner in crime of the Zionist regime in catastrophic events of Gaza" and adds: "Anger toward imperialist governments and the hostile positions they take towards us shows how effective we are." 
• (E) During his trip to Tehran, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez plans to discuss a roadmap to regulating ties between Iran and Venezuela.
• (E) Armenia Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan joint efforts to increase ties between Iran and Armenia.
• (E) Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Reza Sheibani and Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh meet to discuss regional issues with regards to the policies of the new US administration.
• (E) Iran says that claims Persian Gulf islands do not belong to Iran are contrary to “historical facts”.

• (E) Afghan President Hamid Karzai claims that improvements in ties between the US and Iran would “benefit Afghanistan”.

• Presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi criticizes lack of oil revenue transparency. 
• Tehran Mayor Qalibaf says he will not run for president. 
• Principalist support to Ahmadinejad has declined after Mohammad Khatami's withdrawal from the presidential campaign.
• Interior Minister Sadegh Mahsouli appoints Ali-Asghar Sharifi-Rad as deputy chief of election headquarters
• (E) The advocates of a coalition government will choose their presidential candidate from three Principalist leaders.
• Guardian Council Secretary Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati says the "enemies are working to make a presidential candidate close to their views win the elections." 
• (E) Iranian presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi has criticized the Iranian government’s attempts to cover up domestic issues from the public.
• (E) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims that Iran wants a world without terrorism and favors peaceful, rational dialogue with the West.
• (E) Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami said that there is no difference between former US President Bush and current President Obama.
  • (E) Khatami claims Iran must wait for a change in US behavior.

• Abrar-e Eqtesadi laments "catastrophic waste of economic resources in Iran." 
• Mohammad-Reza Tabesh, vice chairman of the parliament’s Special Economic Scheme Committee, says his commission will discuss the Ahmadinejad government’s subsidies reform plan. 
• Sarmayehreports "total bankruptcy" among sub-sections of the Construction Jihad which purchase agricultural products in Iran due to the explosion in agricultural imports.
• Privatization Organization Chief Gholam-Reza Heydari Kord-Zangeneh says 600 state-owned companies will be privatized during 2009-2010. 
• The Islamic Republic's savings in foreign banks surpass $46 billion.

• Official from Armenia’s energy ministry says Armenia is not in need of natural gas imports from Iran.
  • Iran and Armenia are to expand cooperation in land and railway transportation.
• Total Executive Director says the South Pars Gas Field is no longer attractive for the French company.
• The Islamic Republic to export natural gas to Europe through Syria.
  • (E) Iran and Syria signed an oil and gas cooperation agreement today.
• Industry and Mines Minister Mehrabian, in discussions with his Venezuelan counterpart, discusses Iranian development of Venezuela's mining sector.
  • A joint Iran-Venezuela bank begins operation.
• Iranian officials complain about import of substandard steel from China. 
• Deputy Petroleum Minister Akbar Torkan says Qatar is exploiting more than its share of the South Pars gas field.

• Agah-Sazi's analyst accuses Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting of being partisan, and pro-Ahmadinejad. 

• 420 people die in Nowruz traffic.
• Dating bureaus flourish in Iran despite rise in subscription fees which now can be as much as 500,000 rials. 

• Iranian analysts debate the effects of the war in Gaza. 

• Spring in Mazandaran.