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

• (E) Ellen Tauscher, under consideration to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, dismisses Washington's claim about Iran's missile threat.
• (E) Iran leaves door open to Obama
• (E) Larijani to Najaf.
• (E) Foreign Minister Mottaki arrives in Brazil tomorrow.

• Former Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, deputy Intelligence Minister during the "Serial Killings" of dissidents and intellectuals a decade ago:
• "My service in the Intelligence community constitutes the shortest period of my executive experience, but this part of my activity has been exposed most. But, in reality, I was engaged in security issues for three to four years and during the rest of the time, even when serving in the Intelligence Ministry, I attended to other issues than security matters.
• Ever since the first year of the revolution and ten years on, I was in the judicial branch and besides this job I was engaged in research and scholarly activities. At the Intelligence Ministry, I spent two years in counter espionage of the Ministry and I was not even engaged in internal security. Afterwards I became director of the Strategic National Security Research Center which was a scholarly center and at that time I also worked in the culture, economics and international security groups.
• When I was transferred to Foreign Intelligence directorate, I was away from security issues because it has to do with intelligence collection, support for the diplomatic environment of the country and secret diplomacy. I even spent ten years as senior foreign policy analyst of the country and directed many of the international contacts of the country. I engaged in high level foreign policy visits with first and second rate leaders of some countries...
•  Unfortunately people think everyone who has worked at the Intelligence Ministry must have been an intelligence agent, but even at the Intelligence Ministry there are many different jobs...
• Should anyone desire to open the issues of those years [of serial killings of dissidents], it would most certainly prove unpleasant for them and I will deal with them, which would decrease their social standing and cause voters to flee from them... In this issue I have been a victim, my rights have been usurped. Back then I was subjected to severe propaganda and psychological pressure, a heavy atmosphere reigned. But I accepted that my rights should be usurped but the country is not harmed...I have - with my deeds - shown that I believe in civil society...I was the first person to start a fashion show for women in this country..." 

• (E) Amnesty International USA Nowruz profiles of prominent dissidents.
• (E) Amnesty International alert on detained Amir Kabir University students.

• Health officials in the Afghan province of Herat express worry about a recent increase in HIV-infected refugees returning from Iran.
• French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has urged Iran to seize the “new opportunity” offered by Obama’s administration to improve ties with the United States. Kouchner’s statement comes after Iran’s Supreme Leader rejected Obama’s overture, calling for “concrete changes” in U.S. policy.
• Article, entitled “Iran’s interference in Afghanistan,” examines Iran’s government structure, domestic problems, interference in neighboring countries based on ideology and pragmatism, and involvement in the Afghan affairs since the fall of the Taliban. “The Iranian government is playing a multi-faceted game in Afghanistan. On the one hand, Iran’s foreign minister expresses Tehran’s friendship with Kabul at diplomatic level, but in the mean time, Iran supports the Afghan government’s opposition by sending arms and weapons to the Taliban. The chief aim of Iran is to destabilize Afghanistan for Americans,” the writer concludes.

• Funeral service for Khomeini’s wife.
• Tehran metro