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

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets Ayatollahs Shahroudi, Kharazi and Malakouti during his visit to Qom.
• Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei denies rumors on Khamenei's alleged cancer, adds that he will not run for president.
• Prosecutor General Hojjat al-Eslam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ezhehi, says it is not necessary to ask the Interpol to arrest Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Mohtashamipour explains election irregularities during the 2009 presidential elections.
• Farda News reports increased smear campaigns against Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqir Qalibaf

Diplomacy

• Kayhan: "These [Egyptian] elections demonstrated that Egypt's political system is weak in the face of its opponents and it will not last long before it drowns in the wave of political opposition."

Military and Security

• RAJA News: "200 supporters of the line of sedition attempted to organize a demonstration in front of the Technical University... which proved inefficient because of 2,000 students were attending the [Student Day] ceremony."
• Basij Chief Mohammad-Reza Naghdi says the Basij will launch a television channel.
• Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base of the Revolutionary Guards is granted - on no-bid basis - development of the 1320 kilometers Chabahar-Mashhad railroad project.
• Ahmadinejad inaugurates the project.
• Mardom News proposes establishment of a special unit to secure the Islamic Republic's nuclear scientists.
• Sajjad Saffar Harandi is appointed Tehran University Basij chief.

Nuclear Issue

• Geneva negotiations:
  • Iran’s negotiators in Geneva include Said Jalili, Supreme National Security Council secretary; Ali Bagheri, Supreme National Security Council foreign policy and international security adviser; Abolfazl Zohrevand, Supreme National Security Council secretariat media deputy; and Hamid-Reza Asgari, legal adviser to the Iran Nuclear Energy Organization and the Foreign Ministry.
  • Said Jalili: "After two days, what was agreed upon was that the dialogue must be within the framework of cooperation and not the framework of pressure. A two way strategy [in the shape of] negotiations. There is no strategy capable of forcing a conclusion through. Therefore, what was agreed upon was that negotiations should take place evolving around points of shared [interest]... Any other issue which has been announced is most certainly void... I have heard that something else as agreement has been announced. I officially announce here that anything else than this is contrary to the agreement. I doubt that some people would want to announce other things... This would erect a tall wall of mistrust if we announce other issues on the way from the venue of the conference to the hotel."
    • A journalist asked Jalili about rumors about Iranian nuclear scientists who have sought asylum in North Korea.
  • RAJA News says the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist aimed at forcing Iran to withdraw from the Geneva negotiations "so they could claim Iran is not interested in negotiations."
• [E] Iran and the six world powers agreed to continue negotiations in Istanbul next month.
• [E] Iran's top negotiator Saeed Jalili underlined that Tehran would never accept to attend talks about the Iranian nation's rights, and said Iran will continue negotiations with the world powers in future only if the opposite sides remain loyal to the agreement made in today's session in Geneva.

Economy

• Former Economy Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari explains Ahmadinejad's cabinet’s decision-making: "Back then there were meetings at which only some of the cabinet ministers participated. During those meetings, important economic discussions were aired and Mr. President himself, his first vice president, the economy minister, Central Bank director general, along with ministers of industry, labor and oil, took part....The issue of reforming the subsidies system was first aired there... Back then, two discussions dominated the debates: The theoretical aspect, and implementation of the plan... The solution was to increase the presence of the private sector in the national economy, because this is the root of growth... And when we say the private sector it also includes foreign [direct] investment. This means that we have certain capacities and if we use them, we can reach 10% growth..."

Trade

• Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari says Iran and Indonesia will soon establish banks in each other’s countries.
• South Korea’s LG and SAMSUNG stop their activities in Iran.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Ayatollah Jannati: "Refuting the Guardianship of the Jurist is a refutation of God. One must consider Guardianship of the Jurist as one of the commandments of God on earth."

Photos of the Day

• New stamps celebrating Iran's military industry.