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

• Mir-Hossein Mousavi calls next year the year of "resistance and persistence."
• Mehdi Karrubi addresses members of the E'temad-e Melli party: "Unfortunately, the Islamic Republic was diverted from its path, and the republicanism, which has emerged from the midst of the regime, has become authoritarian."
• Commemoration of Ahmad Khomeini:
  • Fars News Agency releases Supreme Leader Khamenei's memoirs about Hojjat al-Islam Ahmad Khomeini.
  • Ali Younesi, former intelligence minister, shares his memoirs about Ahmad Khomeini. "The Imam [Khomeini] was concerned that the machinations of the devils would instigate conflict between Ayatollah Khamenei and Ayatollah Rafsanjani. But today, there are some who are pursuing this evil goal."
  • Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mohsen Rezai also share their memoirs about Ahmad Khomeini.
• Ahmadinejad visits Qom on Thursday.
• Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani refuses to answer speculations about his candidacy for presidential elections.

Military and Security

• Article says Iran has been the second largest importer of Chinese arms over the past five years.
• Son of Esmail Gha'ani, Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Deputy, is arrested. According to Jaras, Gha'ani's son has no history of student activism and the arrest is to pressure Esmail Gha'ani, who has resisted use of force against protesters in the post-election unrest.
• Fars News Agency "discloses" information about United States financing of human rights groups.
• Reports on Chaharshanbeh-Souri:
  • Jaras reports skirmishes between the youth and the Law Enforcement Forces in Shahrak-e Ekbatan, near the Seyyed-Khandan Bridge, Gisha, Yousef-Abad, Nezam-Abad, Arya-Shahr, Tehranpars, Rey and Javadiyeh neighborhoods of Tehran. In Isfahan, clashes are reported from upper Chahar-Bagh Boulevard, and particularly violent clashes in Hatef Street. There is also report of youth attack against the Basij resistance station on Hatef Street. Fighting is also reported from Shiraz and Mashhad.
  • Tehran Police reports "224 incidents" at Chaharshanbeh-Souri.
• [E] The Iranian Navy dispatched a seventh flotilla of warships to the Gulf of Aden to defend the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against continued attacks by Somali pirates.
• [E] Western security sources believe Saudi Arabia will readily let Israel use the country's airspace to strike neighboring Iran if a war breaks out between the archenemies.

Nuclear Issue

• Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani:
  • "In the nuclear issue, Iran is following a clear path and, of course, has accepted regulations by the IAEA and continues its activities within the regulatory framework the Agency. This year, the deceptive behavior of the Americans and some Western countries has dominated the issue of nuclear fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor..."
  • "They returned very soon to their old policies...and thought of sanctions and the like, but I believe that this path will not provide them with a clear answer...One of the discussions taking place in Western circles is the issue that such behavior towards Iran has not been correct and one must take a totally different view about it. Therefore, I think that there is a diplomatic capacity for initiatives in this regard and they can pursue [this issue] through diplomatic channels, and next year the atmosphere would be ripe for working..."
• [E] Iran is to host an international conference of "Nuclear Energy For All, Nuclear Weapon For None" on April 17-18.

Human Rights

• Family members of political prisoners assemble in front of Evin Prison.

Iran in the Afghan Media

• Iran will open a consulate in Nimroz Province.
• Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has inaugurated an Iranian-funded communication training center in Kabul. At the inauguration ceremony, Reza Taghipour, head of Iran’s Space Agency, also pledged construction of a fiber optic network connecting Iran to Afghanistan through Herat Province. 
• Afghan parliamentarians criticize President Hamid Karzai for “remaining silent in the face of Ahmadinejad’s anti-American comments.”

Diplomacy

• [E] The Iranian foreign ministry blasted the Swedish government for failing to prevent provocative behaviors by the country's newspapers which printed a satirical cartoon of Prophet Mohammad.
• [E] Iranian envoy to Damascus said that the Zionist regime of Israel failed to achieve its goals in Gaza due to the resistance shown by the Palestinian people.
• [E] Iran’s ambassador to Syria said that the Zionist regime used 13 thousand tanks in its war against Gaza, but achieved no progress and was defeated.

Photo of the Day

• Iranians celebrate the last Wednesday of the year.