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

• Mohammad-Javad Abtahi challenges Ali Larijani as speaker of the parliament.
• [E] The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has said “the enmity of domineering powers towards Iran stems from the Islamic Republic's message of deliverance.”

Military and Security

• Ahmadinejad discloses that he served in the "Sixth Special Operations Army of the Revolutionary Guards during the sacred defense."
• Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi:
  • "We praise God for being sanctioned and for not receiving anything from the foreigners..."
  • "Demanding things from the foreigners means helplessness and we must reach a point where we are not in need of any foreign defense products..."
  • "Today, there are countries which have officially established cyber armies which means that defense and offense is no longer limited to the physical borders but also encompasses the electronic field."
• Commander Ebrahim Jabari, Qom province Ali Ibn-e Abi-Taleb Revolutionary Guards unit chief, says the Revolutionary Guards has managed to establish the "second largest cyber war army of the world."
• Naser Arasteh, deputy military adviser of Supreme Leader Khamenei, discusses liberation of Khorramshahr.
  • Hassan Firouzabadi, chief of the general staff, explains why the Islamic Republic continued the war against Iraq after liberation of Iranian territories in 1982:
    • "At the time Saddam offered a ceasefire, not all Iranian lands had been evacuated by the Iraqi regime. For example, between 900 to 2500 square kilometers of Iranian territory was under Iraqi occupation and in case of recognition of the ceasefire Iraq would not evacuate those areas. Our duty was clear: we had to act in order to liberate those territories..."
    • "We considered Iraq's motive behind the ceasefire issue only to stop to Iran utilizing the success after liberation of Khorramshahr. This had nothing to do with achieving peace and ending the war. Therefore, had we accepted an end to the war at that point there would not be any guarantee that the war would have ended..."
    • "The other hypothesis was that in case of acceptance of the mentioned scheme, the ceasefire would have remained but would not lead to peace… During ceasefire, they would reach their despicable goals through diplomatic moves and increased pressures against Iran since back then the atmosphere of the world was against the Islamic revolution of the Iranian nation and was with the evil Baath regime."
• Basij Chief Mohammadreza Naghdi says the current year's Basij budget is 14.85 trillion rials. Naghdi adds that Basij has "20 million members."
• Commander Mohammad-Saleh Jokar, Student Basij chief, says "6000 Basij bases have been established at primary schools of the country during the past year in order to propagate and expand the culture of the Basij."
• Supreme Leader Khamenei appoints Akbar Ebrahimzadeh as Basij Chief at the General Staff.
• Said Ghasemi, former Revolutionary Guards commander:
  • "The entire world must understand that Palestine and Lebanon constitute our strategic depth and we are not joking in this regard...According to the words of the Lord Rouhollah [Khomeini] our war is an ideological war and does not recognize borders..."
• [E] The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has praised Iran's courageous armed forces in a ceremony held to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the Liberation of Khorramshahr.
• [E] Iran held the first stage of Quds 22 war game successfully in the central city of Esfahan.
• [E] Iran announced on Monday that it has carried out a court ruling for the capital punishment of Abdulhamid Rigi, the number two man of the Jundollah terrorist group.

Nuclear Issue

• Mohammadreza Bahonar, deputy speaker of the parliament, says in case a fourth Security Council Resolution is passed, "Iran will not adhere to the agreements of the recent declaration and will cancel fuel swaps."
• Hojjat al-Eslam Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, Inspectorate chief, addresses authorities in Rasht: "The Iranian nation will not lose this valuable jewel [enriched uranium] because of deceptive mayhem."
• Ahmadinejad at a press conference in Tehran:
  • "We and Russia are two neighboring and friendly countries and one can't do away with this friendship. Iran has always been a sincere and honest neighbor to Russia and if we were in the shoes of the Russian authorities we would have shown greater precision in our actions..."
  • "The Tehran declaration has opened the path for engagement and we, as a neighboring and friendly country, expect that [Russia] defends the declaration decisively and does not allow other excuses provide obstacles to this constructive engagement. We are sincere in our friendship and we expect to be treated in a similar manner, that Russian authorities study the issues and positions with greater care since these positions will not be forgotten and will remain in history. Iran is a great state and respects the laws and the Tehran declaration shows that Iran has shown maximum honesty. In this field our neighbor must engage in a more decisive manner..."
• Ali Larijani, speaker of the parliament:
  • "In the recent nuclear issue you saw that after the Americans in writing asked Turkey to enter negotiations and mediate and Turkey and Brazil, two friendly countries, entered the arena in order to open a path in the nuclear Issue, and Iran, out of respect for Turkey and Brazil, two friendly countries, accepted the issue of exchange of [nuclear] fuel with the conditions reflected in the Tehran declaration. But they [the United States] suddenly began their deception and with great noise talked of the [U.N. Security Council] Resolution..."
  • "If this was the path you wanted to pursue, why did you ridicule the two important states of Brazil and Turkey? Iran had from the very beginning told the friends, Turkey and Brazil, that we don't trust the Americans and therefore we don't approve of depositing enriched uranium in Turkey. Now the correctness of Iran's belief has been proved to everyone. It may be that the United States and a few European countries think that they can exploit the Tehran declaration in a certain way..."
  • "The Islamic Consultative Assembly [the Iranian parliament] sincerely announces - in accordance with what has been reflected in the declaration of the parliament - that the government of Iran will by the means of mediation of Turkey and Brazil can take steps to realize all the articles of the Tehran declaration and not select [articles] and the parliamentary support is conditioned upon respecting all its conditions. Should the United States take the path of adventurism, either in the [U.N.] Security Council or Congress all the efforts of Turkey and Brazil will come to naught and this path will be completely abandoned..."
  • It is under such conditions that the Islamic Consultative Assembly will take other decisions with regard to the method of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA."
•  Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani urges "the Western countries to engage in a respectful and constructive engagement with Iran and don't play games with Iran's nuclear issue."

Diplomacy

• Asr-e Iran's analyst writes that "The United States’ harsh response [to the nuclear deal] is like a hard blow in the mouth of the moderates."

·         [E] The three American detainees who were arrested after crossing Iran-Iraq borders last July were certainly involved in espionage operations against Iran, Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said.

Trade

• Two Pakistani banks, Kaseb and Sialk, express willingness to open Iran's economic free trade area in Chabahar.
• Half a million dollars worth South Pars Gas and Oil Field "participation bonds" to be sold in international markets.
• Iran invites Chinese companies to invest in Iran's housing and construction sector.
• Basirat reports 62.31 percent increase in Iran's exports to China compared with the previous year.
• [E] Iranian and Turkish officials are resolved to increase the level of economic exchanges between the two countries, Iran's Consul-General in Istanbul Mahmoud Heidari announced on Sunday.
• [E] Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi on Monday assured investors that they can enjoy full security for themselves and for their capitals in Iran, underlining that the government will support anyone willing to make investment in the country.
• [E] Iran is due to inaugurate a trade center in the northern Iraqi city of Soleimaniyeh by mid June, an Iranian official announced.

Economy

• Parsineh's analyst predicts a greater role for the state in distribution and redistribution policies as a consequence of sanctions regime against the Islamic Republic.
• Hossein Hashemi, parliamentary Industry and Mining Committee chairman:
  • "Had article 33 of the constitution followed the goals described in the Supreme Leader's announcement, an economic revolution would have taken place. But the first principle of liberalization was ignored..."
  • "Transfer of ownership of state owned businesses to organizations such as the Social Security Organization and Imam Reza Mehr Foundation is not privatization…”
• [E] Iranian experts launched the operation of the country's largest water project the southern Khuzestan province on May 23, 2010.
• [E] Iran minister of Commerce announced ministry plans to increase export up to 10 percent and asked government for more investment on non-oil exports.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Ahmadinejad:
  • "Islam and Iran enjoy the special benevolence of God, since first [God] revealed the religion of truth [to the Iranians] and secondly he gave the mission to safeguard Islam to the Iranian nation. Therefore one can say that if there was no Iranian nation there would be no Islam, and if there was no Islam there would not have been a trace of the Iranian nation..."
• Shia News attacks the "weak performance" of Hojjat al-Eslam Soleymani, Zahedan Friday prayer leader.
• Ayatollah Morteza Moghtadaei, head of the theological seminaries of Iran: "Today, Islam has become global and Europe fears Islam's attractiveness. These are all the blessings of the Islamic revolution."
• [E] Ahmadinejad has described Khuzestan Province in south of the country as “the hub of 'revolutionary culture' and 'pure divine thoughts'.”

Human Rights

• Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, former vice president, says his car was attacked by unknown assailants during a visit to Shahr-e Rey.
• Mohammad Nourizad, imprisoned former Kayhan journalist who has supported the Green Movement, says he will not leave Evin Prison alive, reports severe beatings.

Photos of the Day

• Mohammad-Ali Abtahi's car after the attack.