Iran News Round Up

Politics

• Mohammad-Ali Ramin, deputy minister of culture and Islamic guidance, says "new things must be said from the [pulpit of] the Friday prayers," a reference to marginalization of Rafsanjani.
• As Ahmadinejad denies funding to expand the Tehran metro, Ali Larijani, speaker of the parliament, comes to the aid of the Iranian capital by providing $2 billion to the Tehran metro project.
• Ahmadinejad cancels a visit to Golestan province.
• [E] Iran's Guardian Council on Wednesday reelected Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati for another year as the secretary of the supervising body.  Mohammad Reza Alizadeh and Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei were also reelected to remain in their posts as the Council's deputy secretary and spokesman respectively.

Diplomacy

• Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast refuted rumors of any contacts between Iranian and American diplomats during the Kabul Conference. Mehmanparast continued: "Given the hostile policies of the United States against the Iranian nation and the acts it has engaged in concerning the [United Nations Security Council] resolution, and the unsuitable behavior it has shown towards Iranian citizens taken into consideration, we do not believe negotiation and meeting is possible between Iranian and American authorities."
• [E] Iran's parliament says it plans to dispatch a delegation of legislators to Gaza next week.

Military and Security

• Supreme Leader Khamenei reacts to the terrorist attack in Zahedan: "In our region, surfacing of and growth of blind and savage terrorism is fundamentally grown out of the evil policy of the United States and England and their governmental and non-governmental mercenaries. It is the religious duty of all Muslims to fight against this evil child which equals struggle against God and spreads corruption upon earth."
• Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami addressing the Revolutionary Guards and Basij members in East Azerbaijan province, warns of a potential "discord" like "fire underneath the ashes."
• Mohsen Rezai, former Revolutionary Guards chief, says Iran could have conquered Baghdad during the fifth year of the war with Iraq if the government of the time (led by Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi) had provided enough help to the Iranian troops.
• Fars News Agency quotes "an informed source" for saying that "Shahram Amiri [the Iranian nuclear scientist who has returned to Iran from the United States] has given valuable information about the CIA to Iranian authorities."
• [E] A source involved in the Shahram Amiri case claims that the CIA has been blackmailed by various groups, including the anti-Iran “terrorist” Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).
• [E] Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani urged Pakistani officials to take stricter counter-terrorism measures and to cooperate with those of Iran.

Nuclear Issue

• The Iranian parliament prohibits the government to give in to "any demands of the IAEA beyond the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty." The parliament also demanded that the Islamic Republic retaliates against countries inspecting Iranian airplanes and ships or denying fuel to Iranian airplanes.

Trade

• Alireza Zighami, deputy oil minister, says a new round of negotiations for attracting China’s investments in Iran's oil and gasoline [refinery] sector has begun: "The Chinese have given proposals regarding participation in 7 refinery projects." 
• Behrouz Alishiri, Foreign Direct Investment and Technical Aid Organization director, says Iran is in need of $1 trillion in order to achieve 8 percent growth.
• Fars News Agency reports "86 percent increase in Foreign Direct Investments in Iran."
• Reza Mousavi, Qeshm Free Trade Zone area director general, says "foreign bankers" will participate at a seminar regarding Qeshm’s development.
• Hamshahri's report criticizes Iran's subsidized electricity exports to Afghanistan which according to the Iranian newspaper gives $2 million rebates and imposes electricity shortages upon Iranian citizens.

Economy

• [E] Iran's OPEC Governor: "The point is that the sanctions are not new.  The shape is different.  We can carry on….I can say that we are flexible if we feel that the euro is good, also the dollar, also the dirham, the yuan and the yen.  We're flexible.”

Media

• [E] Sima Film, an Iranian filmmaking studio, announced that it plans to make a movie to depict scholar Shahram Amiri’s story.

Iran in the Afghan Media

·         Full text of Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s speech at the Kabul Conference:

o   “Despite the increase of foreign troops [in Afghanistan], the security situation has deteriorated… It is, therefore, clear that the increase of foreign forces and military operations has not only failed to address the issues, but has added to the problem. This indicates that the surge of troops is one of the reasons behind the rising insecurity and violence and has turned public opinion against them.”

o   Terrorism is a global challenge. Combating terrorism requires participation of all members of the international community and a comprehensive strategy… Extremism and terrorism are not related to any particular culture, religion or ethnic group.

·         Afghan political analysts express mixed reaction to the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s criticism of the foreign forces at the Kabul Conference.

·         U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon met Mottaki at the sidelines of the Kabul Conference and acknowledged Iran’s “key role” in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.

·         President Hamid Karzai condemned the recent terrorist attack in Iran.

Photos of the Day

• Hassan Khomeini and Fidel Castro.