Iran News Round Up

Politics

• Ahmadinejad comes to the aid of his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, by stressing that "loving Iran is not the same thing as making nationalist statements."
  • Shafaf News condemns Mashaei's "nationalist statements" as a threat to the "Islamic identity of the Iranians."
  • Iran and Vatan Emrouz censor Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, temporary Tehran Friday prayer leader' condemnation of Mashaei's statements about "the Iranian school of thought."
• Ahad Ghadami, son-in-law of Parvin Ahmadinejad (Mahmoud’s sister) is appointed head of the Martyr Keshvari Sports Center.
• [E] The Iranian parliament announced on Monday that it is mulling over a bill requiring the government to ask for reparations from Baghdad for the Iraqi-imposed war against Iran in 1980-1988.
• [E] Iran's Judiciary Chief criticized Ahmadinejad over his choice of words in his Journalist Day speech, saying the chief executive's remarks "counter reality.”

Diplomacy

• Kazem Jalali, National Security and Foreign Policy Committee member, says "the Supreme Leader alone takes decisions concerning relations with the United States."
• Ahmadinejad discusses the Holocaust and 9/11: "[The Holocaust] being a construction is clear, because they don't allow us to do research. If it was true, they should have invited scientists and historians to research its hidden dimensions... What was the affair of September 11th? During five to six days they manipulated the world opinion to the degree that attacking Afghanistan and Iraq not only became allowed, but a right... They announced that 3000 individuals have died, but there was no report where they published the names of these 3000 people... Using the death of 3000 individuals - among whom there was no Zionist - news was released that the day before the event they were told not to come to this center [Twin towers] tomorrow and none of them came to their center [place of work.]"
• Ahmadinejad receives the president of Guinea-Bissau.
  • [E] Iran and Guinea-Bissau on Monday signed six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and a joint statement at the end of President Malam Bacai Sanha's visit to Tehran.

Military and Security

• A group of political activists who have previously "confessed" their involvement in a "velvet revolution" and a "regime toppling coup" file a complaint against the Revolutionary Guards for intervening in politics to secure Ahmadinejad's June 12, 2009 election victory.  Signatories include: Mohsen Aminzadeh, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Feizollah Arab-Sorkhi, Mohsen Safayi Farahani, Mohsen Mirdamadi and Behzad Nabavi.
• Chiefs of Shahid Anaraki and Shahid Naser Mohammadi Revolutionary Guards garrisons prohibit development of Hemmat Highway which is located in the territory of the two bases.
• Commander Ahmad Mighani, Khatam al-Anbia Air Base chief, says new radar systems will be added to Iran's air defense system.
• Four Qadir class submarines are added to Navy's fleet.
• Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says any reconnaissance flight in Iranian air territory will face the "forceful reaction of the air defense system."
• Basij Chief Naghdi says science taught at universities is not in accordance with religious values.
• [E] Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says authorities are relocating all defense-related industries out of the capital.
• [E] The US State Department announced in its recent annual report on terrorism that no change has been made to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization’s (MKO) status as a terrorist organization.
• [E] A senior Iranian Sunni Muslim cleric escaped an assassination attempt by the Jundallah group in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province.
• [E] Iran launched four domestic-made Ghadir class mini submarines on Sunday to protect shipping vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Nuclear Issue

• Kayhan editorializes: "The Americans have repeatedly said that their goal is to change Iran's calculations, but they have not once wanted to think if they have fundamentally understood Iran's calculations or not… Iran does not consider any cost higher than the loss of prestige of capitulating to the West and does not consider any benefit higher than the benefit of becoming nuclear."
• [E] Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna: "International sanctions against Iran will not solve any problem.”  He added that the IAEA should resolve Iran’s nuclear issue.
• [E] An Iranian top analyst said that Tehran is likely to attend talks with the Vienna Group (Russia, the US, France, and the IAEA) over the supply of nuclear fuel for its Tehran research reactor within the next two weeks.

Trade

• According to a Korean news agency, the government of South Korea is considering how to bypass sanctions on Iran.
• [E] Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister on the multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline project between Iran and Pakistan: "There is an article in the gas transfer deal between Iran and Pakistan, predicting the extension of the pipeline to India should the country be ready to join the project.”
• [E] Iran’s envoy to Bahrain underlined that despite the UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran's energy sector, Iran would continue gas exports to Bahrain in the future.
• [E] Iran has asked the Turkish government to allow it to transfer its gas to European countries, Iranian Deputy Oil Minister said Sunday.
  • [E] Iraq has consented to the transit of Iran's natural gas via Iraq to Syria and the Mediterranean regions.
• [E] Iraq's envoy to Iran called on Iranian companies to boost their investment in the war-torn country: "Iron and cement [and] meat products to Iraqi people are priorities for Iran's investment in Iraq."
• [E] Officials from Cambodia will travel to Iran next week in a bid to sign oil cooperation agreements, said Cambodia’s foreign minister.

Media

• The Green Movement establishes Rasa TV.
• Speaking on the Day of Journalists, Ahmadinejad praises the Iranian press, says the "harshest anti-media repression and repression of thought, thinking and freedom of action exists in the United States."
• Rafsanjani: "We should not allow others to inform the people about what is happening inside Iran."

Religion, Culture and Society

• [E] According to an annual poll conducted by the University of Maryland, Ahmadinejad is among the most popular leaders in the Arab world.

Iran in the Afghan Media

• [E] Iranian border police have wounded at least eight Afghan citizens trying to enter Iran from the Afghan province of Nimroz. A district chief in Nimroz says at least two or three Afghans are killed or wounded by Iranian border guards each week.
• [E] Afghanistan’s media commission says the ban on the private Imroz television by the government was illegal, suggesting the television resume broadcasting with changes in its programs. The head of Imroz television says Afghan cabinet ministers supporting Iranian policies were behind the decision to ban the network.  

Photo of the Day

·         Iran beats China in Asian volleyball final.