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

• Mrs. Rabbani, widow of the late Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, passes away.
  • Said Montazeri, son of the late Grand Ayatollah, complains of restrictions to the burial service of his mother imposed by the Intelligence Ministry.
  • 30 mourners of Mrs. Rabbani are arrested at the funeral service.
• Agahsazi News, close to Rafsanjani, refutes earlier reports on Rafsanjani meeting Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

Diplomacy

• Hojjat al-Eslam Kazem Sedighi, Tehran temporary Friday Prayer Leader: "We must struggle to free the Americans from dominance of the two existing parties in that country. We want to save the West and [we desire to] propagate ethics in the world and we must struggle so much that His Holiness the Mahdi sees it and finally world leadership is shaped with his blessed being."
• Ahmadinejad at the "International Nowruz Fest" at Saadabad Palace in Tehran addresses the presidents of Iraq, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan:
  • "Nowruz has led to cultural advancement of the nations and is one of the most beautiful common symbols of main and historical civilizations of man..."
  • Ahmadinejad also suggests the International Nowruz Fest is held each year hosted by one of the countries celebrating Nowruz.
• The Islamic Republic to open an embassy in Mauritania.
• [E] South African Parliament Speaker Hon Max Vuyisile Sisulu calls for expansion of all-out relations mainly in economic fields with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• [E] West's double-standard policies on terrorism and its support for Israel's "state terrorism" have created an atmosphere of hatred for certain western countries among other nations of the world, a senior Iranian legislator said on Monday.

Military and Security

• Ali Jannati, the Islamic Republic's Ambassador to Bahrain, refutes rumors that he and his father Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati have been involved in "money laundering of the Revolutionary Guards" in Bahrain.
• The word "Sabz" [Green] is being systematically filtered in SMS messages in Iran.
• The Iranian ship Talca transporting oranges from Egypt to Iran is hijacked by Somali pirates.

Nuclear Issue

• [E] First Vice- Speaker of Iran’s Majlis Mohammad-Hassan Abutorabi-Fard says Tehran will continue its programs to gain access to peaceful nuclear technology.
• [E] Amid increasing Israeli and Congressional pressure, the White House's desperate struggle to win international support to impose tough United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran has forced the Western propaganda machine to move into high gear.

Economy

• Ahmadinejad appoints a new task force dealing with oil related issues: First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, , Masoud Mir-Kazemi, Petroleum Minister, Ali-Akbar Mehrabian, Industry Minister, Shams al-Din Hosseini, Economy and Finance Minister, Heidar Moslehi, Intelligence Minister, Ebrahim Azizi, Deputy Planner at the Presidency's Strategic Supervision Bureau, Mahmoud Bahmani, Central Bank Director General, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's Chief of Staff.
• Elias Naderan, parliamentarian, discusses problems of privatization in Iran.

Religion, Society and Culture

• "Tasvieh Hesab," [Getting Even] hits the silver screen as the boldest post 1979 Iranian movie to address the issue of prostitution in Iran.
• Ali Rahim Kakavand, Lorestan Province Environmental Agency Chief, says air pollution in Pol-e Dokhtar is "thirty times the standard."

Photos of the Day

• Iraq’s President, Jalal Talabani, visits President Ahmadinejad.