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 

Politics

• Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani had a brief meeting with Supreme Leader Khamenei prior to the parliamentary debate about the subsidy reforms.  According to Larijani, "the Supreme Leader said he did not desire to intervene in the substance of the issues, but demanded that the parliament give the President an opportunity to explain his proposals."

• Mosharekat reformist party cancels the next party congress.

• University students from Lorestan Province "renew their allegiance to Mehdi Karrubi."

• Farhad Daneshjou, Dean of Tehran Pedagogical University, says Mir-Hossein Mousavi is not allowed to teach at the university.

  
  

Diplomacy

• Ahmadinejad in Kabul:

"The Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan have common friends and common foes and share a common destiny..."

"Iran and Afghanistan are two brotherly nations..."

"The Afghan nation and government have regained their power and have humiliated the invaders trying to stop Afghanistan's development and advancement..."

• [E] Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast blasted claims raised by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) ministers on the three Iranian Islands, and described the trio as an indispensible part of his country.

• [E] Ahmadinejad called on the US officials and their allies to pull their forces out of the Middle East and stop "making mischief".

• [E] The three American nationals who were arrested by Iranian security forces in July after crossing Iran-Iraq borders illegally were allowed to talk with their families on phone.
         

Military and Security

• Commander Abdollah Eraghi, Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces Deputy: "Unintelligent and shameless statements by the destitute and vanquished U.S. military chief in the Middle East show to what degree the foreign policy of the United States has been degraded...Yankees rather than wise men decide the destiny of the American people and have become policy makers, and in the best case, even the policy of 'change' is outside the hands of the authorities and has become the domain of Yankee thugs...The United States supports the most thuggish regime in the world, which is the Zionist regime...Statements by the American commander show that the U.S. diplomatic machinery is outdated following repeated U.S. defeats in the world, especially in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan."

• Following a complaint by a court in Shiraz to INTERPOL, French authorities disconnect the Los Angeles based Kanal-e Yek TV's transmissions to Iran, and the INTERPOL website demands arrest of the television director Shahram Homayoun. In his television broadcasts Homayoun had urged the viewers to write anti-regime slogans on the currency and on walls.

• JARAS identifies Ekbatan City in Tehran as one of the centers of electronic warfare against television broadcasts to Iran.

• Theoretical mathematics is planned to replace applied mathematics at Iranian universities.

• [E] Ahmadinejad reiterated on Thursday that capture of the ringleader of the Jundallah terrorist group, Abd al-Malek Rigi, by Iranian security forces proved Iran as a role model in fighting against terrorism.

• [E] The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) plans to crack down on rebel groups and armed outlaws active in Iran's bordering areas in a show of might and power, a senior commander stressed on Wednesday.

• [E] Iran has announced starting the production run for new medium-range surface-to-air missiles with the aim of upgrading its air defense systems.

  
  

Economy

• Deputy Parliament Speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar predicts 25 percent inflation next year.

• Abrar publishes a warning by The Economist that Iran's foreign exchange reserve is declining very fast.
            

Trade

• The Islamic Republic plans to rebuild an oil refinery in Zimbabwe.

• According to Parleman News, trade between Iran and U.S. during the past eight years has benefited Iran.  

Human Rights

• Mostafa Tajzadeh, a reformist theoretician, is freed from Evin after a long period of imprisonment, including 120 days in solitary confinement. One month prior to the presidential election, Tajzadeh stressed that Iranians enjoyed all types of freedom but political freedom before the revolution – the very right the Islamic Republic is denying Iranians today.

  
  

Photo of the Day

• Iranian woman trying to submit a letter to Ahmadinejad.