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, please visit this page, fill out the "New Subscribers" section, and check "Iran News Round Up" listed under "Projects." 

(E) = Article in English

Politics

• Former Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Mohseni Ezhehi recalls his conversation with Mir-Hossein Mousavi after the June 12, 2009 presidential election:

  • "We called and I talked with him myself. I said that I'd come to your place to talk to you. He said it was late, but I said there was nothing to be done and that I needed to speak to him for only short time."

  • "We talked about different things over there. I told him: Mr. Mousavi, the path you are following will not lead anywhere. Those gentlemen who insist only and only on annulling [the result] are not right. What you say means nothing but a problem to the people and nothing else."

  • "I told Mr. Mousavi: Let us just hypothetically say that the election was annulled and you did not win the vote [in the new election]. What would you do then? If you don't get the vote this situation will repeat itself. Two days ago you wrote a letter to the Guardian Council. Should the Guardian Council attend to your case and should it not reach a result [desired by you] and in case it does not annul the election, will you accept it [the ruling of the Guardian Council]? He said no."  

• Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani warns against "anti clerical hands" behind recent attacks against the Judiciary. 

• Former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says he was not informed about his dismissal in advance. Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, senior presidential adviser, refutes Motakki's claim. 

• Mehrdad Bazrpash is dismissed as National Youth Organization head. 

  • Farahnaz Torkestani is rumored to replace Bazrpash. 

  • According to Asr-e Iran, Bazrpash was removed as a result of his conflict with Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei. 

Diplomacy

• According to Mohammad Karami-Rad, Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee member, the committee has decided to completely sever relations with the United Kingdom. 

• Mashregh News publishes Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei's statements to the Iranian community during his visit to Jordan: "The school of Imam Hossein is the indicator of Iranian thought and the pure Islam which is compatible with human nature..." 

• Mashregh News quotes AEI scholar Michael Rubin's latest analysis of Iran-U.S. relations. 

Military and Security

• Former Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Mohseni Ezhehi:

  • "We worked and discovered that certain countries, more specifically Britain and the United States, are heavily engaged in a velvet revolution..."

  • "Back then certain concept was not so clear to the people, not even to the authorities. With disbelief, they would ask what soft regime change and velvet revolution was?"  

• For the first time since the June 12, 2009 presidential election, the Islamic Republic authorities release the name of a Basij member who was "killed by the seditionists." 

• Revolutionary Guards Deputy, Hossein Salami, presents the Treasure of the War [Ganj-e Jang] CD-Rom. 

Nuclear Issue

• Ahmadinejad discusses the nuclear issue on live television:

  • "The nuclear issue was a confrontation between the capitalist [world] order and humanist and divine school of thought of the nations led by the divine front of Iran. The nuclear issue was an excuse to stop the progress of the Iranian nation. Therefore, the West has struggled for the past years to prevent Iran becoming nuclear, but this plan was defeated, Iran became nuclear and is today nuclear."

  • "A second path is changing confrontation into cooperation. From the very beginning, we pursued this path and asked 'why should we engage in confrontation?'"

  • "I saw signs of [of cooperation] in the recent negotiations [in Geneva] and we are moving in this direction. I hope that in future negotiations in Istanbul, Brazil and Tehran, we will reach a framework for cooperation. This is justice, the law and what is right, since a nation must be able to use its rights and it has done so and will do so."

  • "Illegal arms of the [United Nations] Security and Economy [as published] Council, are not right, especially not towards a great nation like the Iranian nation. I hope that we will move towards understanding and cooperation and the Iranian nation will welcome cooperation. They used so much energy for confrontation. Had they used it for cooperation they would have benefited much more." 

• Mashaei addresses the Iranian community during his visit to Amman, Jordan:

  • "From our point of view, the nuclear issue is over and the 5+1 Group meeting is just a theater arranged by the opponents of Iran's nuclear progress..."

  • "There was a time when Iran's opponents were not even ready to allow Iran to get hold of three simple centrifuges, but today they are trying to make a virtue out of necessity and present it as something they have allowed..." 

Economy

• Ahmadinejad explains his economic reform scheme live on television, saying that people can withdraw their cash handouts from their bank accounts tomorrow:

  • "We have [planned to increase] the price of water, electricity, and natural gas gradually so every one has an incentive to be more economical."

  • "The public sector consumption will be according to the market rate, which shows that we have taken the harshest pressure ourselves and are imposing the least pressure upon the people. If the people are more economical in energy consumption, we can export more and we will be able to return greater benefits to the people."

  • "The money which has been transferred to the accounts of the people is a special account. This country belongs to the Imam of the Era. This money is a public good and it is the bliss of the Imam of the Era which will lead to societal growth... I urge the people not to go to the banks immediately. This scheme will continue and will continue for decades, thanks to the divine wisdom, so no one can annul it. The people should not hurry in withdrawing this money. If they do so the market will be disturbed. Keep the money. The industrial and service sectors have prepared good packages for the people. They have even planned to decrease some prices. Therefore, the people should not hurry withdrawing the money, especially beginning tomorrow when the [economic reform] scheme will begin."

  • "Concerning bread, we are determined to transfer 40,000 rial on a monthly basis which will take place in the next seven to eight days."

  • "In this phase we are not liberalizing the prices, but we are correcting them. Price liberalization is the last phase."

  • "I ask the people not to hoard gasoline because it carries many dangers. God forbid, accidents could happen." 

• Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reports soaring gas prices as a result of the reform of the subsidies scheme. 

  • Mehr News releases the new prices of oil products. 

Trade

• Egypt's Minister of Commerce says Egypt is interested in economic relations with the Islamic Republic despite political differences. 

Media

• Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei is about to launch Farhang [Culture] with the cooperation of editorial teams from banned journals and weeklies. 

Photos of the Day

• People in Tehran withdraw government cash handouts and purchase gasoline.