Iran News Round Up

 A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh, Katherine Faley, Ahmad Majidyar and Michael Rubin.  To subscribe to this daily newsletter, e-mail [email protected].

 (E) = Article in English

Iranians preparing to vote for president tomorrow; Mousavi urges Supreme Leader to ensure fairness of polls; Iran’s foreign minister says Iran now superpower in region; Iran’s consulate to reopen in Najaf; IRGC tasked to protect ballots; Iran’s bilateral trade with China to reach $30 billion; Iran’s oil minister says Royal Dutch Shell, Respol considering investing in Iran’s South Pars gas field; Russian bank’s reluctance to finance Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant to halt project yet again

Presidential Election: General

• (E) As a security precaution, General Ismail Ahmadi-Moqaddam announced that all campaigning is forbidden starting Thursday at 8 AM.
  • Public election gatherings prohibited from tomorrow.
•  Rafsanjani met Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last night to discuss his open letter of complaint against Ahmadinejad. 
• (E) The Guardian Council reminded election officials of their neutrality, stating: “Observers and polling officers are entrusted with the vote of the people, which they must safeguard. None of them must allow their preferences to affect their performance, as it would be against religious ethics, morality and the law.”
• (E) Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi announced that 12 ballot boxes will be set up across Iraq for Iranians living there to participate in this week’s election.
• (E) The pro-Reformist newspaper Yas-e Now shut down again.
• (E) There are unconfirmed reports that former Parliament Speaker Nateq-Nouri will supervise the election with the Guardian Council.
• (E) Former President Rafsanjani met with Supreme Leader Khamanei for three hours after expressing his concerns in a letter about the fairness of this election.
• (E) Symbols used for the presidential campaigns, including Iran’s flag or the color green, are banned on Friday.
• (E) Lebanese Industry Minister Ghazi Zoayter praised Iran for its democratic election process, adding that such high voter turnout over the years gave evidence to the practice of democracy in Iran.
• (E) Iranians living in China, South Korea, and Korea will take part in this year’s presidential election.
• (E) In light of the presidential elections, the number of SMS text messages has reached 110 million a day from around 55 to 65 million.

Presidential Election: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

• Alef News Agency releases an extra 19 minutes of Ahmadinejad defending himself on IRIB. 
  • Ahmadinejad advisor Kalhor says Ahmadinejad deserves 60 minutes to defend himself. 
  • Supreme Audit Court says the issue about the "missing $1 billion" is not finished. 
  • (E) Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting denied that Ahmadinejad would receive an additional 45 minutes of airtime to campaign before the election this Friday.
• (E) Ahmadinejad proudly told his supporters that he defied the US warning of his arrest four times in order to “broadcast the message of the Iranian people” at a UN General Assembly in New York
• Basij of the Hezbollah Front [Ed—not to be confused with either Lebanese Hezbollah or the Basij] spokesman says Ahmadinejad expressed words of the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization] during the presidential debates.
• 50 professors at theological seminaries condemn Ahmadinejad's accusations against the clergy at the televised presidential debates "contrary to Islamic law." 

Presidential Election: Mehdi Karrubi

• (E) Karrubi adamantly denied reports that he would drop out of the presidential race in favor of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, calling them “worthless rumors and an ugly tactic.”

Presidential Election: Mir-Hossein Mousavi

• (E) Mousavi wrote to the Supreme Leader, asking him to intervene to make sure that all government officials remain impartial during Friday’s election.
• (E) Mousavi’s campaign criticized IRIB for illegally giving Ahmadinejad extra time on TV to defend himself and level more accusations against the other candidates.

Diplomacy

• (E) Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki affirmed that Iran is indeed a major regional superpower as a result of the nation’s leadership in resolving regional crises like that of Afghanistan.
• (E) Iran’s Ambassador to Turkey expressed that each presidential candidate looks forward to growing relations with Turkey.
• (E) Pakistani officials praised Iran for its presidential elections and welcomed closer ties with Iran.
• (E) Spanish King Carlos called Iran’s Ambassador to Spain “a distinguished diplomat who helped strengthen bilateral ties” between the two countries.
• (E) The Iraqi government has allowed Iran to reopen its consulate in Najaf.
• (E) A Belarusian delegation plans to visit Iran in late June, hoping to meet with the newly elected Iranian president.

Military and Security

• Joint Armed Forces Command Council Cultural Deputy Masoud Jazayeri attacks claims made by Karrubi in his latest campaign video that the Basij and rest of the armed forces are intervening in elections:
  • "Despite the fact that Karrubi and some other candidates made similar claims during the last presidential election on several occasions, and despite the fact that four years have passed since the last presidential election,they have not managed to deliver a single document.”
  • Jazayeri also promised that the Basij and the armed forces preserve the right to deal with such lies through legal channels. 
• The Revolutionary Guards is tasked with protecting the ballots.
• Greater Tehran Law Enforcement Forces Chief Commander Rajabzadeh says a force of 30,000 men guarantee Tehran's security on election day. 
• (E) Anonymous sources indicate that Abdolhamid Rigi, brother of Jundallah’s leader, is currently alive awaiting trial, denying earlier reports that he was executed by Iranian authorities. 
• (E) Iran’s Air Force will conduct a week-long aerial drill, the message of which is “peace, friendship and determination to safeguard regional security,” stated Iranian Air Force deputy commander Mohsen Darrebaqi.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Statistical information on demography of Iran during the past decade. 
• (E) Canada will exhibit a series of photographs featuring different Iranian provinces by Iranian filmmaker and photographer Amir-Shahab Razavian.
• (E) 120 companies from around the world are attending Iran’s exhibitions of medical and laboratory equipment in Tehran.

Trade

• (E) Iran's Ambassador to China Javad Mansouri announced that trade between the two countries is projected to reach $30 billion this year from $28 billion in 2008, adding that Iran supplies 14% of China’s oil.
• (E) Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani called on Iran and Kuwait to sign an oil agreement that would give Iraq access to joint oilfields and help relieve its energy resource problem.
• (E) Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister Noureddin Shahnazizadeh visited Malaysia to discuss investment opportunities in Iran’s oil industry.
• (E) Iranian Oil Minister Nozari announced that Royal Dutch Shell and Repsol rejoined discussion of investment in Iran’s South Pars gas field.

Nuclear Issue

• (E) Some Russian banks are unwilling to finance Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, halting the project yet again.

Photo of the Day

• Mousavi supporters form a human chain from Azadi to Enghelab Square.