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

Ahmadinejad’s brother says President’s Chief of Staff Mashaei works for foreign enemies; Iranian opposition leader Karrubi ‘recognizes Ahmadinejad’; Iran’s parliament urges downgrading relations with Britain; Foreign Minister Mottaki emphasizes expansion of ties with Latin America; Russian ambassador to Tehran speaks about possible delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran; senior intelligence official predicts Iran’s triumph over U.S., U.K., Israel in soft warfare; Iran to unveil ‘several defense projects’; Iran preparing for gradual withdrawal of subsidies by stockpiling basic commodities

Politics

• Bahram 'Akasheh, father of seismology in Iran, says Iran must move its capital from Tehran.

• Davoud Ahmadinejad, brother of the president:

  • “…If he [Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei] has been to the benefit of the regime tell us what is the benefit?! That man who utters such stupid words [about the Prophet Noah] should tell us how he has served the country in cultural and spiritual affairs, what he has done for the victory of the revolution or how he has fought against the cultural assault in the latest unrest. Where was he? What did he do?! He may mention his friendship with the middleman of the United States Houshang Amirahmadi as a source of pride...."

  • "As His Holiness the Imam [Khomeini] has said, 'Israel must be removed from the face of earth,' and as the Supreme Leader has said, Israel is the illegitimate child of the region..."

  • "And there are some who consider Israel as benevolent. There is no doubt that such people are related to Britain, the United States and Israel..."

• Household of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri will commemorate the late cleric on Friday.

• Mehdi Karrubi says he recognizes Ahmadinejad as the legal president of Iran.

  • Hossein Karrubi says his father recognizes Ahmadinejad’s presidency because Khamenei endorsed Ahmadinejad's presidency.

    • E'temad-e Melli Party spokesman Mojtaba Vahedi says Karrubi has told him a different version: "Karrubi: 'After the end of the congress [of the National Trust Party] some questions asked me questions, and I said that after the [Supreme Leader’s] endorsement, the current government is the one governing the country and must answer the people... But in that very interview I also stressed that widespread fraud has taken place in the election and that I maintain all my criticism and protests…

  • Kayhan says thatKarrubi's statements show the "wave of return" among the "leaders of discord."

  • Parliamentarian Ahmad Tavakkoli says Karrubi is always welcome to return to the regime.

• Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, member of Assembly of Experts, attacks Rafsanjani for "continuing to make ambiguous statements" and "insulting the Supreme Leader."

• Amir Abdollah Karbaschian, former editor of Nabard-e Mellat, mouthpiece of pre-revolutionary terrorist organization Fadayian-e Eslam, says most members of the National Front organization were aware of Navab Safavi's plot to assassinate Prime Minister Razmara. 

Diplomacy

• Mohammad Javad Larijani addresses journalists and experts at the Islamic Association of Engineers: "When Obama came to office he talked of engagement with Iran, but what has happened is this n###er is speaking of regime change in Iran today…? I'm not racist, but I must answer this man in some way..."

• Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani comments the United States' $45 million budget to support change in Iran: "Mrs. Clinton must know that even with $45 billion she can't make any change in Iran..."

• Alef News Agency writes Israel "steals orphans from Haiti."

• Parliamentary National Security Committee suggests reduction of level of diplomatic relations with Britain.

  • Kazem Jalali, Parliamentary National Security Committee member, says one can't defend breaking diplomatic relations with any country besides Israel, and that those who go to London as fast as they fall ill should not demand severing diplomatic relations with Britain.

• Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani travels to Kuwait, Kenya and Uganda.

• The Foreign Ministry summons the Swiss Ambassador to Tehran who also represents interests of the United States to protest against activities of a terrorist group called "Thunder" which the Iranian Foreign Ministry accuses of having assassinated nuclear scientist Ali Mohammadi.

• Said Jalili, Supreme National Security Council secretary, postpones his visit to Moscow.

• Ahmadinejad receiving president of Mauritania says "the Zionist regime is the root of all corruption in the region."

• Sobh-e Sadegh editorializes: "It is evident that hostile efforts of the United States [against Iran] have not decreased, but increased violently: The espionage effort has increased. Abducting and assassinating Iran's nuclear scientists have taken place. Repeated military rhetoric by the United States against Iran and the U.S. acts of intervention and obstruction against Iran's peaceful nuclear activities [also increased.] So did economic sanctions, in addition to previous economic sanctions. The Obama administration and his team's overt attempts to change the regime in Iran by vast support to the rioters after Iran's elections were completely opposed to Obama's slogan of change. And even removing the Monafeghin [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization] from the list of terror organizations in order to allow the instrumental use of this group for regime change in the Islamic Republic, and tens of other anti-Iranian deeds demonstrate that the Obama administration has brought no change in foreign policy strategies compared with his predecessors...In short, Obama is indeed the other side of the Bush coin. Neoconservatives dressed as Democrats are still running the world and pursuing those very same imperialist and expansionist policies internationally..."

• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has hailed improvement in relations between Iran and Switzerland. 

• [E] Mottaki says expansion of ties with Latin and Central American states sets a priority in Tehran's foreign policy.

•  [E] Ahmadinejad has urged for an unrestricted expansion of ties between Iran and South Africa, and called on the two sides to launch cooperation in forming a new world order.

Military and Security

• Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani warns against "a clear movement which wants to propagate discord."

• Admiral Ebrahim Ashkan, First Navy Operational Zone chief, says "According to the statements of the Supreme Leader, the Navy is a strategic force..."

• Russian Ambassador to Tehran about future prospects of delivering S-300 Air Defense System: "Inshallah!"

• This week's issue of Sobh-e Sadegh's series on "centers engaged in soft warfare against the Islamic Republic" focuses on "Soros Foundation...established by a Jewish billionaire,..." AIPAC, which among other things "establishes and assists extremists Islamist groups to tarnish Islam,..." and Albert Einstein Foundation.

• [E] Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, the Iranian Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff for Cultural and Defense Publicity, has announced that the country plans to unveil several major defensive projects in the next few days. 

• [E] An Iranian top intelligence official has expressed the hope that the county will soon prevail over Britain, Israel and the US in the ongoing soft war against the Islamic Republic, and said his ministry would inform the public of some delightful developments and achievements in this regard in coming days. "The thick dossier of the enemies' soft war on Iran will be closed soon and Iran will prevail over Israel, the US and Britain in this soft war," Acting Deputy Intelligence Minister said at a conference on the 'Strategy of Iranian Media on Soft Warfare'. 

Human Rights

• Arrest of political activists:

  • Morteza Saremi, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution member.

  • Six reformist activists in Kohkilouyeh va Boyerahmad.

• According to Abdolhossein Rouholamini the fourth person who died of his injuries under torture at Kahrizak Detention Center was Ramin Aghazadeh Ghahremani.

• The family of imprisoned reformist theoretician Alireza Beheshti and families of political activists arrested and killed since the June 12, 2009 election assemble near the tomb of Ayatollah Beheshti in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

• Fatemeh Maleki, wife of Mohammad Nourizad, former Kayhan journalist turned dissident who was arrested a month ago, writes an open letter of the hardships of her family to the "nation of Iran."

Religion, Society, and Culture

• Hooligans vandalize the tomb of the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Shirazi at the mausoleum of Ma'soumeh in Qom.

Economy

• Explaining next year's national budget.

• Donya-ye Eghtesad explains which families will be covered by the government's cash handout scheme.

• [E] Iran is preparing for the gradual withdrawal of subsidies by stockpiling basic commodities, an official at the Ministry of Commerce says. "To avoid potential price fluctuations as a result of the targeted subsidies system, the Commerce Ministry has started stockpiling basic commodities such as red and white meat, dehydrated milk, dairy products, eggs, lentils, beans and cheese," the spokesman for Iranian Commerce Ministry, Alireza Shojaei, said on Sunday. 

Trade

• [E] Iran's largest auto-manufacturing company, Iran-Khodro, has announced that it plans to boost exports this year as part of its broader plans for hiking global sales. "Expanding the new markets, especially in West Europe, increasing the existing market share and bringing more diversity to the portfolio of products are IKCO's solutions to maintain its competitive advantages in the market," IKCO's Deputy CEO for Exports Ali Reza Feizbakhsh announced.

• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said that Iran's private sector is capable of accelerating Niger's development trend. 

Nuclear

• [E] Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexander Sadovnikov on Monday met with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi to discuss nuclear cooperation between the two countries.   

Photos of the Day

• Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi meditates.

• Crashed airliner in Mashhad.