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

• Presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Ahmadinejad pay separate visits to Khomeini’s widow admitted to the hospital.
• Tabnak News Agency's internet poll shows 51.7% support for Khatami, 23.8% for Mousavi, 15.1 % for Ahmadinejad, and 2.6% for Mehdi Karrubi. 

• Article, entitled “Will Iran take part in stabilization of Afghanistan?”, examines pros and cons of U.S. engagement with Iran on Afghan issue.
  • The author believes that President Karzai’s recent trip to participate in the 10th ECO conference in Tehran was aimed at persuading Iranian officials to accept U.S. invitation to take part in the Afghanistan conference slated for the end of March.
  • He says that recent friendly overtures by the Americans show that they are beginning to believe that Iran plays a key role in the Afghan issue.
  • The writer also points out, “The Iranian government has long been trying to prolong the war in Afghanistan to wear down the American forces and gain political advantage. It is therefore that many media outlets have been speaking about the Taliban receiving Iranian weapons. Although the Afghan government has refused to publicly confirm these reports, news sources have on several occasions quoted local security officials along the borders about seizure of Iranian weapons.”
  • The writer believes that deteriorating security situation in Pakistan and Islamabad’s recent dealings with the Taliban have made U.S. and NATO countries to move closer to Iran to secure a transit route for their supplies into Afghanistan.
• Afghanpaper website publishes text of 3rd joint declaration of leaders of Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan. The three Persian-language speaking countries reiterated boosting cultural, economic and political cooperation. Major discussions were about boosting cooperation in mining and industrialization, connecting Iran with Tajikistan with railway through Afghanistan; supplying electricity by Tajikistan to Iran via Afghanistan, setting up a joint television network, and stepping up joint efforts to fight terrorism, drugs and organized crimes in the region.
• Afghanpaper says U.S. diplomat likely to meet Iranian official at Shanghai Conference on Afghanistan scheduled for next week in Moscow.

• Report says there is no news about 10 student activists jailed at Evin Prison for the past three weeks. Six of the students were arrested while protesting against the burial of remains of martyrs from the Iran/Iraq war at Amir Kabir Campus, and the other four were arrested at the remembrance ceremony of the late Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan. 
• Blogger and journalist Omid-Reza Mir-Sayafi dies under mysterious circumstances in Evin Prison. 

• Raja News reports a major operation against "terrorists" in Sistan Va Balouchestan. 

• Tabnak News Agency condemns Qatar's claim that Iran is "stealing Qatari oil" from the South Pars Oil and Gas Field. 

• The Revolutionary Guards reports a clampdown on pornography ring. 
• The Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Ministry’s Ideological and Political Indoctrination Bureau slams Iranian studies scholars outside Iran of being foreign spies and agents. 
• Shi'a News reports arrest of a Shi'a leader in Saudi Arabia. 

• According to a Swiss source it was former Revolutionary Guards commander Ali-Reza Askari who provided Israel with information about Syria's nuclear program. 

• Photo: Old photo of Ali Larijani. 
• Photo Essay: Tour to Iran/Iraq war site Dokouheh.