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

• Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati: "Nowhere in the world has democracy as much real meaning as in Iran."
• The Rafsanjani family refutes rumors of Faezeh and Fatemeh Hashemi Rafsanjani leaving Iran for London.
• Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi welcomes Judiciary's arrest of 11 individuals accused of economic corruption.
  • Jahan News and other media raise doubts about Rahimi's Ph.D.
• Ahmadinejad to visit Qom Thursday.

Military and Security

• Fars News Agency refutes reports on arrest of the son of Revolutionary Guards commander Esmail Gha'ani.
• In an answer to the parliament, the Revolutionary Guards promises to continue its "comprehensive intelligence superiority in cyberspace."

Nuclear Issue

• Rafsanjani addresses the 5+1 Group: "Iran is satisfied with its own rights. You too should abstain from making a historical mistake. Be happy with your rights...We should behave within the international framework in such a way that they are no longer suspicious...Most of these countries have not good relations with us after the revolution and they did things which were not right, and now a new issue has come to the surface such as the nuclear issue and the missile issue which contribute to increasing of their enmity. I am convinced that they are wrong and will not achieve anything through this path, they just increase their own and our unease...We have stressed upon this again and again that we absolutely do not want to move towards military use in the nuclear issue. The Leader has said this and all the managers have said this."
• [E] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Russian capital to discuss a range of issues including the US-led drive to impose fresh sanctions on Iran.
• [E] Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi reiterated the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear program.
  • [E] First Vice President announced Wednesday new nuclear reactors will be built in Iran next year, and country would continue its path regardless of oppressor powers’ interference.

Economy

• Ahmadinejad at a seminar praising the media:
  • "Domestically, the most important issue in our country is the economy, and all the economists agree that the fundamental problem of the economy is the method of distributing the subsidies. This means that if the subsidies system is reformed, the economy of the country will be well ordered..."
  • "The first effect [of reforming the subsidies] is production at lower cost. The subsidies must improve technology, reduction of waste and reduction of the final price of the product along with improvement of the quality, but in our country they have had the opposite effect..."
  • "One can provide the same level of service and at the same time cut the price by half..."
  • "In the [current] system the one who uses more [energy and resources] receive the greatest subsidies. With such a system the highest ten percent incomes of the society receive 36 times more subsidies than the lowest income groups..."
  • "The government has used more than four years to work on this issue before it reached the current system of subsidies distribution..."
  • "Abolishing the subsidies would have been dangerous but luckily did not materialize..."
  • "The numbers presented in the press by some with regard to increased level of inflation is an artificial numbers to scare the public and they aim at stopping this initiative. Our prediction is that should this [initiative] be realized the situation of the people will improve..."
• Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani defends Parliamentary Research Center's criticism of the national budget.

Trade

• The Islamic Republic to export surplus electricity from Khuzistan province to Iraq.
• Parsian and Kar-Afarin banks to open in Baghdad.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Conductor Nader Mashayekhi to perform an opera about Neda Aghasoltan in Germany.

Media

• The ban on Shargh is lifted, but its editor Qouchani is still imprisoned and most of the editorial staff have left Iran.

Diplomacy

•  [E] Ahmadinejad stressed Iranian nation's power and strength, and downplayed the enemies' ability to harm the country.
• [E] Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the empire of the global arrogance is to be shattered soon.
• [E] Keeping up process of US threats against independent countries, Washington has threatened Turkish government and nation to align with its anti-Iranian policies, or face segregation.

Photo of the Day

• Ticket office at Tehran train station ahead of Nowruz.