Iran News Round Up

Politics

• According to Tabnak, Ayatollah Jannati will remain in the Guardian Council, and so will Ayatollah Mo'men and Ayatollah Rezavani. But Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda and Ayatollah Khatami will be appointed new members of the council. Ayatollah Ka'bi and Gholam-Hossein Elham will be preplaced by lawyers Beygi and Aslani.
• The Guardian Council rejects the parliament's bill that turns the Azad University into a religious charity [waqf].
• Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi warns Ahmadinejad: "The honorable authorities should guard their words, and they should know that the family members of the martyrs, the devoted Basij Force, theological seminaries and all those loyal to the revolution will not allow the issue of propagating virtue [amr-e bil ma'rouf]... and the issue of the hijab... to be questioned."

Diplomacy

•  Ahmadinejad voices solidarity with Bahrain:
  • "Thanks to divine wisdom, today, the germ of the biggest enemy of God [taghout] is being annihilated and the noise they make is just to hearten themselves. The imperialist order has reached a dead end in every matter and the new president of the United States has become a mask of his predecessor."
  • "The enemies of Iran and Bahrain can't create divisions between the nations of Iran and Bahrain... Iran and Bahrain have always had brotherly relations."
• Foreign Minister Motakki says countries engaged in imposing sanctions against Iran were eliminated during the first round of the World Cup.
• Foundation for Preservation and Publication of the Works of the Values of the Sacred Defense in a statement stresses that "the epic of the sacred struggle against the United States must never be forgotten..."
• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Wednesday rejected media reports that US President Barack Obama has sent a letter to Iran.

Military and Security

• Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says: "The Russians have still not declared their official position regarding the delivery of the S-300 [air defense system.]"
  • Asr-e Iran's analyst points out that in case the delivery does not take place it would be a severe blow to Iran's future military procurements from Russia.
• Head of Imam Khomeini Relief Organization says recipients of goods and services from the organization did not participate in street demonstrations against the government.
• Basij Chief Mohammad-Reza Naghdi speaking in Oroumiyeh says the "agents of imperialism make movies [video clips on YouTube] in order to question the position of the Basij."
• In an interview with Radio France International, Alireza Navayi says the Revolutionary Guards is forcing the Sherkat-e Vahed [Tehran's main bus company] to sell its assets to the Guards as a part of the government's "privatization scheme."
• [E] The Iranian scholar who was allegedly abducted by CIA agents in Saudi Arabia last year appeared in a new video and confirmed the authenticity of his previous video message.
• [E] Ali Larijani: "Today, the international system as well as the Middle East nations are facing asymmetrical threats which should be tackled through preemptive measures.”
• [E] Iranian Interior Minister reiterated that Iran is prepared to increase its cooperation with Interpol to fight drug trafficking, organized crime, and money laundering.

Nuclear Issue

• Ali-Akbar Salehi, Iran Nuclear Energy Organization director, says Bushehr nuclear power plant will be inaugurated by the end of the summer, "insha’Allah."
• Iran, Turkey and Brazil resume negotiations on nuclear fuel exchange.
• Ahmadinejad: "Issuing a [United Nations Security Council] resolution does not resurrect a dead man [world imperialism]."
• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki: The EU’s decision on tougher sanctions "will definitely cause far greater losses for the European Union itself rather than for the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
• [E] Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu: "We attach great importance to the continuation of diplomatic efforts, despite the new sanctions resolution.”
• [E] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for the resumption of talks with Iran over its nuclear program, saying that sanctions will not work.
• [E] Syria has renewed support for a tripartite nuclear fuel swap deal aimed at a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff between Iran and the West.

Economy

• Abrar reports that meat and chicken prices are skyrocketing four weeks before Ramadan.  Four weeks prior to the month of Ramadan, Abrar reports fast rising meat and chicken prices.
  • More, here.
• [E] The volume of transactions in Iran's investment market shows a 10 percent growth since the ratification of the UN sanctions resolution, said the Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance.

Trade

• Alireza Zighami, deputy oil minister, says Setareh-ye Khalij-e Fars refinery is in need of 2.8-billion-euro investments before Iran can join the club of gasoline exporters.
• The government provides $1.2 billion for the development of the twelfth phase of South Pars gas and oil field.
• The government takes initiative to correct laws derived from Article 44 of the constitution in order to ease presence of foreign banks in Iran.

Religion, Culture and Society

• [E] Iran's National Foundation for Computer Games has unveiled the country's first online video game, Sky Fortress, capable of supporting up to 5,000 users at the same time.

Human Rights

• [E] Iran has sentenced two men to death in connection with the deaths of three detainees in Kahrizak detention center in the aftermath of last June's presidential election.

Photos of the Day

• Countrywide university entry exams.