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

• Rafsanjani: "Criticizing the past without a plan for future is an unsuccessful enterprise...The revolution can better survive with its heritage and founders, and in such circumstances they can make innovation which is not deviation...Polluting the minds of the young generation and making unjust accusations as have happened in the past are mistakes, and we want to correct them. This mistake will turn against themselves..."

Military and Security

• Army Chief Major Gen. Ataollah Salehi: "If the enemy commits another mistake, annihilation is awaiting them."

• Kayhan editorializes: "This Democrat [President Obama]...expressed himself with a softer tone of voice than the Republicans. Despite the smile on his lips and the hand of friendship he had extended, however, he started a new and more expansive phase of confrontation with Islamic Iran. Obama's new tactic to pursue the United States' hegemonic policies is a soft war with wider and more overt dimensions. In this tactic, public diplomacy is fundamental, and psychological operations and media messages try to target the minds of the elites and the masses..."

• The Petroleum Ministry signs a $850-million contract with the Revolutionary Guards' Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base to build pipelines.

• Abrar-e Eghtesadi releases information about the shareholder capital of the Bank-e Ansar of the Revolutionary Guards.

• Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, receiving Columbia’s ambassador, expresses Iran’s readiness to cooperate with the Latin American country to combat drugs.  

• [E] A senior Iranian Army commander on Tuesday stressed the necessity for the Iranian Navy to show an active presence in the international waters.

• [E] The Iranian lawmakers lauded the IRGC for arresting 30 individuals on charge of waging a US-backed cyber war against the country and disbanding their cyber networks.

Nuclear Issue

• March 16, 2010 issue of Iran releases documents related to Hossein Mousavian, former nuclear negotiator, who was arrested by the Intelligence Ministry Counter Espionage but later released:
  • Conversation with the Ambassador of Japan:
    • "The Ambassador: I wanted to know your view about Hashemi Samareh."

    • "Mousavian: He is a radical, but at the same time a good man. He is the closest individual to the President of Iran with regard to foreign policy and exerts great influence upon him. You can't compare Hashemi Samereh with Mr. Larijani. Mr. Larijani has this relationship with the Leader, and Hashemi Samareh with Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad believes in Hashemi Samareh more than anyone else, even more than the Foreign Minister and Ali Larijani. Therefore, Manouchehr Mottaki and Ali Larijani are discontented with this issue."

    • "The Ambassador: Larijani and Mottaki want this issue to be solved, but not through confrontation."

    • "Mousavian: Yes, they consider this issue an intervention. Larijani is tasked with the job, but he makes statements about everything. When Mr. [Hassan] Rowhani was the head of the group [nuclear negotiators], the relationship with the Foreign Ministry was very good, even the relationship with the President. In other words, we were like a ship and no one acted in individual manner, but it is not the same now. There is an ongoing struggle between the Supreme National Security Council and others. The problem began as the team of negotiators changed. The previous team was a negotiating team. Everyone was from the Foreign Ministry...On the other hand, the President [Ahmadinejad] does not believe in this team and the Foreign Ministry and the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council..."

  • Conversation with the British Ambassador:
    • "Mousavian: There is a viewpoint in Iran that because of elections in the United States and problems in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, the Americans can't find a solution to the Article 41 of the resolution, which could prove effective. I was talking with Ali Larijani yesterday. He said he had been thinking for weeks and was working on this issue. They have also negotiated but have not reached any result and they could not issue a [U.N. Security Council] resolution and pass it. But I told Ali Larijani that a resolution is quite possible. What the text of the resolution may be is a different question, but there will be a resolution and Article 41. Ali Larijani express doubt by saying 'no,' and asked: 'Are you sure? They wanted to pass a resolution two months ago.' In short, there is an Article 41 resolution because America is entangled with this question. Mr. Ambassador, Ali Larijani and others have these views...I'm sure there will be a resolution...But they say they can't do anything about Iran. Ahmadinejad and some members of the Supreme National Security Council firmly believe in the latter scenario... Ahmadinejad is being directed by the Leader. During the past two years, every signature has created serious trouble. Jeffrey, you should believe that Mr. Zarif was close to be imprisoned because of a signature in 1998. This is very difficult and dangerous file and it is not clear if they can find a file. In the Supreme National Security Council they are forcefully trying to reconsider policy, also to reconsider policy with regard to the NPT and the Protocol...I had a meeting with Dr. Rowhani with regard to Natanz and he said there was some progress. Dr. Rowhani had gone to Natanz. He said there was a chance..." Link, and also here.

• [E] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday called for negotiations to end a nuclear standoff between Tehran and the West, describing dialogue as the only principled way to resolve the disputes over Iran's nuclear issue.

Economy

• The Central Bank will soon issue 100,000 rial bills.

• Mohsen Rezai warns the economic reform scheme could have inflationary consequences.
  • So does Donya-ye Eghtesad.

Trade

• The Petroleum Minister says the Iranian oil industry has signed memorandum of understanding amounting to $75 billion with a consortium composed of domestic banks, but a total of $125 billion is needed for investments in the oil sector, which could be covered by income from the oil revenues.

• [E] Iran and Pakistan are scheduled to endorse a final agreement on Tuesday to launch implementation of a project for exporting Iran's rich gas reserves to the energy-hungry south-Asian nation through a long-waited multi-billion-dollar pipeline, a Pakistani official said.

Iran in the Afghan Media

• Afghan papers criticize Ahmadinejad’s “provocative” statements against the United States during his recent trip to Kabul:
  •  A commentary in Hasht-e Sobh,  entitled “This Is Kabul: Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran,” criticizes Afghan President Hamid Karzai for allowing President Ahmadinejad to use his Kabul trip as a platform to attack the United States:
    • Ahmadinejad’s trip to Kabul had clear messages. First, he wanted to demonstrate to the West that Iran also had a special role in Afghanistan.

    • Inviting Ahmadinejad, Mr. Karzai also showed he would exploit regional opportunities if the West failed to pay attention.

    • Using the Afghanistan tribune, Ahmadinejad engaged in a verbal war against Iran’s long-standing enemies. He described America as the founder and promoter of terrorism. In some instances, he described the West as a common enemy of Afghanistan and Iran. Delivering the speech, Ahmadinejad felt as if he was addressing Basij militias at Azadi Square in Tehran.

    • President Hamid Karzai and some of his cabinet members… were nodding in agreement with Ahmadinejad’s statements.

    • Most of Ahmadinejad’s statements were detrimental to our national interest, to current political situation, and to vital and strategic relationship between Afghanistan and the United States.

    • Instead of keeping silent in the face of Ahmadinejad’s tirade, our president should have spoken about Iran’s policies [towards Afghanistan] since the 1980s. The Afghan people have bitter memories from Iran. They have not forgotten the country’s invitation and hospitality to Dr. Najibullah.  They have not forgotten unpleasant memories of Safedsang and Siahsang military camps in Zahedan, the massacring of Afghan refugees in Shiraz and Isfahan, or the forced repatriation of Afghan families in winter…

  • Afghan analysts describe Ahmadinejad’s recent to Kabul as “provocative” and “opportunistic”.

• [E] The first secretary of the Afghan Parliament’s lower house, Abdul Sattar Khawasi, says approximately 3,000 Afghan prisoners are facing execution in Iranian jails, and some 5,630 more Afghan citizens are languishing in different Iranian prisons.

Diplomacy

• [E] Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihmanparast stressed on Tuesday that Tehran-London bilateral ties should be reexamined in some areas.
  • [E] Mehmanparast reiterated that the visit by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to Beijing to coax the Chinese officials into putting pressure on Iran for its peaceful nuclear program will produce no fruit for London.

• [E] Iran’s Ambassador to Brazil Mohsen Shaterzadeh said Monday that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to Iran in May has been finalized.

Photo of the Day

• Iran’s first double-decker highway.