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

Politics

·        Kayhan editorializes:

o   "...This round [of presenting the cabinet to the parliament] is different from earlier rounds and no devotee or lover of Islam, the revolution and those eager to serve the people can be indifferent towards it. What makes this round special compared with earlier rounds is the sensitive and dangerous circumstances we have faced during the past days. A grand and dangerous discord which the United States, the European Union, Israel, some Arab countries and some polluted elites have planned and coordinated with each other. Despite the fact that this discord - thanks to the divine management of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and intelligence of the public - was unsuccessful and identification of the new hypocrites has been one of its greatest achievements, but still, external instigators of discord and their infantry inside the country, have new tricks up their sleeves and one must not ignore it...

o   The honorable members of the parliament, specially the Principalist parliamentarians, are not particularly pleased with the composition of the cabinet as it is presented and one must confess that they are right. Contrary to expectations, Mr. Ahmadinejad has dismissed some of the successful and efficient cabinet ministers from the ninth cabinet who have passed the exam, and has unfortunately done so with no good reason. On the other hand, some of the people whom he has appointed as cabinet ministers, if we don't call them incompetent, one must say that their efficacy and competence is seriously questionable...

o   [Despite all the problems] the ship of the cabinet must not remain in port...The honorable parliamentarians should...trust the judgment of the honorable president, unless they are certain that some of the cabinet ministers are incompetent..."

·        Ahmadinejad speaks at Tehran Friday prayers:

o   “The entire world knows that elections in Iran are a genuine affair - as opposed to democracies of the world in which elections are theater and pre-planned schemes. In Iran, they are based upon presence of the people and supervision that solidifies revolutionary and Islamic values..."

o   "During this election. the enemy hoped that with the help of money, different media and experts who had managed to direct color revolutions in other places in the world would do it with Iran... A friendly country's foreign minister told me: 'When I asked the foreign minister of the old imperialism [Britain] why you interfere in internal affairs of Iran, he said: This time the Islamic Republic's regime is done for! But I told him you do not know the revolution, the leadership and the people of Iran. He said, this time we have calculated all this.'..."

o   "But our people slapped the enemy in the face so hard that today, two months and some days later, they are still confused and can't even find their way home..." 

·        Hojjat al-Eslam Kazem Sedighi, Temporary Tehran Friday Prayer Leader:

o   "The dear people of Iran, who are in an elevated position, have with their unprecedented participation and their decisive vote to the president - which has no parallel in the world - contributed to the strength and greatness of the Islamic regime..."

o   "There were some who attempted to make this exceptional opportunity for consolidation and progress of Iran in the region into a serious challenge... I am convinced that anyone who has been the perpetrator of this deed - which according to the Supreme Leader was a pre-planned soft war - should know that this is a personal mistake. I hope that if they all give each other a hand and forget the problems, God will also help us..."

o   "We must help so that the President who is appointed by the Supreme Leader and elected with popular vote and presiding over a legal [both religious and temporal] position is strengthened, and we all mobilize the people in order to operationalize progress in order to achieve the ideals of the revolution... Based upon his legal prerogatives, the President can present cabinet ministers whom he considers fit and the parliament should - based upon its legal philosophy - vote for individuals who are ascetic, have a good track record, who fight against imperialism, are hard working and who obey the Guardian Jurist..."

o   Sedighi also demanded that the parliament should finalize the formation of the cabinet as soon as possible.

o   Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, Temporary Tehran Friday Prayer Leader, in a press conference stresses that he expects the parliament’s cooperation with the government. Khatami also adds that being critical towards the President's candidates for cabinet positions beyond what is "reasonable and just" is an even greater sin during the month of Ramadan.

·        Former President Mohammad Khatami speaks to members of the Reformist Front Coordination Council:

o   "I find it necessary to stress that the reformists - either in the shape of the formation present here, or in the framework of other assemblies - must be present in the arena forcefully and must continue their activities...Recent events are in themselves an important reason to be present ever more forcefully in the arena and chant reformist slogans. We are all devoted to the revolution. We don't regret it..."

o   "Today, the claimants of the revolution and the path of the Imam - some of whom either do not believe in it, or regret the revolution - are using all their efforts in order to deviate the revolution, despite considering themselves revolutionary... What is a source of worry today is a threat facing the Islamic Republic, meaning both the republican and the Islamic element...Today, more than ever, we must stress upon the rightful demands of the reformists, which is change. What we desire is what we said from the very beginning and what we also stressed upon in the latest election which is return to the foundations of the Constitution and the ideals of the Imam and the revolution..."

o   "Did the people shout anything else at the election? Did the people demand anything else but sovereignty of the popular vote, justice and human dignity? Anything but ethics and return to the foundations of the Constitution and return to the path leading to the goals of the Prospects [for Development of the Islamic Republic]…?"

o   "What has happened until now, including these miserable trials which have not been recognized by any great religious scholar, any elite members from the theological seminaries, the universities, the learned people, independent political movements or even the public opinion, is itself a sign of the great mistake which has happened...There is a certain movement today which uses any means, and any accusation in order to present reputable members of the regime as public enemies because they defend the rights of the public..."

o   "It is a source of shame that there are people who because of defending the rights of the people, and because of their demands of respect or the principles of the Constitution...have been subjected to such dishonorable behavior..."

o   "The sacred tribune of the Friday prayer has become the monopoly of a group which insults important personalities of the regime and the great Shi'a sources of emulation, and even plays the role of the Public Prosecutor..."

·        Tehran Show Trials:

o   250 "university professors and elites from the medical society of the country” write a letter to Judiciary Chief Larijani to demand "decisive dealing" with the "true heads of the unrest."

o   Imprisoned reformist theoretician Mostafa Tajzadeh recognizes all indictments against himself but demands prosecution of Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the former president because of his role in "planning and organizing the recent unrest."

§ Rafsanjani defends his sons and daughters in the face of allegations.

o   Salam slams the Tehran show trials.

o   Ali Mir-Fattah wonders why Said Hajjarian's confessions was formed as a refutation of Weber and Popper!

o   Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution party issues a warning against the plots to declare reformist parties illegal and protests against the Tehran show trials: "At these trials, people who have demonstrated their sincerity and loyalty towards the revolution and the Imam [Khomeini] during years of struggle against the Pahlavi regime and endured torture in the prisons of the Shah, and fought for years...in various fields after the revolution, including heroic presence in the arena of the Imposed War, are being tried by those whose history of presence in the revolution and struggle for the regime hardly reaches ten years and who do not have any connection with the Imam [Khomeini] or the revolution. Therefore, the propaganda we see in the Voice and Vision [of the Islamic Republic], media related with the authoritarians and the Friday Prayer pulpits, is purge of the most sincere and most loyal cadres and forces of the regime including [Mohammad] Khtami, Hashemi [Rafsanjani], Mousavi, Karrubi, Behzad Nabavi, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Said Hajjarian, Mohsen Mir-Damadi, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Feizollah Arab-Sorkhi, Sadegh Nowrouzi, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Mohsen Safayi Farahani, and the like. This is nothing but deviation from the revolution and its ideals."

·        Abbas Ja'fari Dowlatabadi appointed Tehran Prosecutor General.

·        Pro-Mousavi slogans at Azadi Stadium. (Video)

·        Ahmadinejad defends the general policies of his new government in the parliament:

o   "Some friends, in their criticism of the program of the government, speak as if the situation of the cabinet is very bad and bleak, that the society is splitting apart and the situation is dangerous and they make policy recommendations in this regard. I, of course, do believe in criticism and I don't claim there is no weakness or shortcoming, but I must also say that the overall situation of the country is not bleak...There is a worldwide crisis and more than one hundred countries are affected by it heavily. We of course do have some problems, but compared with other countries, we have fewer problems. I do absolutely not believe that the society is splitting apart...The seventy million in our nation are united, and the forty million participants in election are united. This has always been the case that our nation takes part in election and eventually one group achieves a majority and everybody recognizes this. Of course, some politicians did not recognize this and I think that should one speak of a split between some politicians and the nation, that would be correct. But one must not generalize this to the entire nation..."

o   Ahmadinejad also defended the cultural policies of his government: "Why do some people believe that culture is reduced to the question of the way of dressing of some ladies in the streets? This in my opinion is the greatest injustice to culture. Why do some people believe that cultural activity can only be done through force? Of course, this in my view would be a great injustice to culture and the great nation of Iran...How come the work done in the mass media, theological seminaries, artists, experts, the Culture Ministry, Education Ministry and universities is not cultural activity? Is cultural activity only use of force in the streets to fight against how the people dress in the public? This viewpoint is in my view fundamentally flawed."

o   "There are some who ask why did you appoint female cabinet ministers, or why did you not consult with us. Off course, I recognize the second issue that we did wrong, but with regard to female cabinet ministers the question is why should we not appoint female cabinet ministers?"

• Ahmadinejad defends his candidates for cabinet in the parliament.

• Supreme Leader Khamenei meets university professors, scientific board members and university deans:

  • [Commenting abut two million Iranian students studying humanities at Iranian universities]: This is worrying since this number exceeds the capacity of scientific centers and universities with regard to indigenous work and Islamic research, so is the number of expert professors with an Islamic worldview at humanities...Many humanities disciplines are based upon philosophies with a materialistic and atheist foundations which do not believe in divine and Islamic teachings. Teaching these sciences leads to lack of belief in divine and Islamic teachings and teaching such humanistic disciplines at universities leads to spread of doubt in religious and ideational foundations...Political decision makers such as the government, the parliament and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution must pay serious attention to this matter."

  • "In an Islamic regime, freedom is true freedom as defined within the frameworks of Islam and the Islamic Republic does absolutely not recognize the West as defined by the West and will not even pretend so in its dealings with the West."

  • Commenting on post election events, Khamenei adds: "Most certainly, our expectation of university professors at the time of soft warfare and struggle is greater than our expectation of university students...The students are young officers in this front who have intellect, are [men and women] of action, have insight and are present in the arena and being tested in the arena they operate within the framework, but the university professors are the commanders of soft warfare...The commanders of this front must through understanding grand issues identify the enemy and discover the goals of the enemy and must prepare a grand scheme and act accordingly."

  • On deaths and injuries in post-election violence: "All individuals who have been harmed during the events should know that the regime does absolutely not intend to show mercy and will deal as decisively - and from a legal and just position - with those who overtly oppose the regime, and should bad work or crime have taken place, will also deal as decisively and from a legal and just position, with that."

• Judiciary Chief Larijani asks a three member council to investigate Karrubi's allegations of rape in prisons.

• Said Mortazavi appointed Supreme Prosecutor General Deputy.

Military and Security

·        IRGC Chief Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari evaluates recent activities of the Guards and the Basij:

o   "The main worry of the Guards in the public mind is general security of the public within the defense and security dimension. And, indeed, both in the defense and security dimensions, the responsibility of the Guards is to guarantee the security and calmness of the society. This mission is done with the help of security, defense and military forces where ever there is need for help of the Guards and the Basij in security and defense issues this institution will come to the aid of other forces..."

o   "The northwestern part of the country has - because of its geographic conditions - even before the revolution been threatened by enemies and in the hands of counter revolutionary and oppositional forces this region did not experience piece...But the efforts of the Guards and the Basij in this region and especially in Kordestan and through vast operations against counter revolutionary forces, parties and groupings such as Komeleh, Democrat, and Pejak forces an acceptable degree of security has been achieved in this region..."

o   "Prior to receiving the task [of guaranteeing the security of the southeastern part of Iran] there were some fights in that region, but from the very beginning the Revolutionary Guards - with help from the Law Enforcement Forces and endogenous local forces and by resting upon the nomads and arming them and asking them to provide for their own security - calm has returned to the South Eastern parts of the country during the last months. This effort must continue, but at any rate this is one of the important achievements of the Guards."

o   "Presence of the Revolutionary Guards and the Basijis in recent unrest in Tehran and other centers such as Isfahan, Fars, North Khorasan along sides with the Law Enforcement and Security Forces has been decisive...During a week we managed to control recent events which were connected with and planned by the foreigners, through massive presence of the forces...The Supreme Leader of the Revolution has correctly stated that during the past couple of years the enemy is using soft warfare. They have pursued this strategy from the second decade of the revolution and we expect that they will also do so in the fourth decade."

o   "The main mission of the IRGC Navy is in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, but during the past months, because of the insecurity in the Gulf of Aden... This mission was added to the Revolutionary Guards and to the Army..."

o   "Fighting against poverty, construction and development are issues of importance to the Revolutionary Guards and by building dams, roads, providing natural gas and water in unprivileged areas and through the goal of construction in the Construction Basij poverty eradication is taking place. This mainly happens in geographically remote areas...where other companies have difficulties getting access...”

o   "Missiles of the Guards are precision weapons..."

·        Sobh-e Sadegh's main story: "Jebhe-ye Mosharekat Va Sazeman-e Mojahedin, Parchamdaran-e Nefagh-e Jadid." [The Participation Front and the Mojahedin [of the Islamic Revolution] Organization, the bearers of the flag of the new hypocrisy]. According to Yadollah Javani, IRGC Political Department Chief, the two parties have a short term goal of "resisting the true structure of the state and the existing authorities, and seizing power in the name of more democracy." In the midterm, their goal is allegedly to "change the legal structure of the state (change of the Constitution)." In the longer term, Javani claims that their goal is to introduce "total democracy, by which they mean eradication of religion from governance.

·        The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force soon to test stealth bomber.

·        The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force reports production of a prototype of drone bomber.

·        Law Enforcement Forces Chief reports on his force's activities during the past five months.

Religion, Society and Culture

·        According to an unnamed cleric delivering a sermon at a mosque in Tehran, the nuclear physicist Albert Einstein allegedly converted to Shi'a Islam through the efforts of Grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi, who also had urged Einstein to keep his conversion secret in order not to be assassinated.

Human Rights and Labor

·        Khosrow Daneshjou, Tehran Municipality spokesman, claims the suspicious mass burials at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in the wake of the presidential election unrest are unrelated with the political violence and those buried are homeless individuals whose identities have not been established.

·        Hojjat al-Eslam Mohammad Zabihi and his son Taha Zabihi, clerics close to the Mousavi campaign are arrested in Qom.

Trade

·        A Chinese company is about to invest €5.7 billion in the 11th Phase of the South Pars Gas Field.

Photo of the Day

·        Imprisoned political activist Ali Tajenia's family celebrate his 40th birthday in front of the Evin Prison.