Iran News Round Up

Politics

• Mashhad Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda leaves a public meeting in protest against presence of Ahmadinejad's Chief of Staff, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei. 

• Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the former president, says that Ahmadinejad was a member of Rafsanjani's campaign office in the Narmak neighborhood of Tehran during the Rafsanjani’s last run for parliament. 

• Ali Mottahari, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, criticizes the composition of the second Ahmadinejad government: "For the time being, the members of the cabinet are either from the Science and Technology University or were his colleagues in municipality and general governance of Ardebil. This is not the way of governing. 

• IRNA allegedly quotes Hossein Karrubi, son Hojjat al-Eslam Mehdi Karrubi: "We have enough information that Mir-Hossein Mousavi was not encircled. There were Law Enforcement Forces present around the Academy of Art but there was no encirclement... Under any circumstances, every individual has certain characteristics, but one should not try to camouflage fear and lack of courage with unreasonable explanations...How come my father could be present at the demonstration and there was no encirclement, but Mr. Mousavi is always encircled when it comes to demonstration…? One must not lie to the nation. After all such behavior depends on the personal ethics of each person..."

  • Ansar News Agency referring to the alleged interview of Hossein Karrubi speculates on "the declining prestige of Mir-Hossein Mousavi." 
  • Hossein Karrubi refutes IRNA's story. 

• An "informed source" discloses that Ali Zabihi is Ahmadinejad's choice for Energy Minister. 

Diplomacy

• Ghasem Ravanbakhsh, Partov-e Sokhan's political editor: "The Supreme Leader [on Nov, 3] warned the government that relations with the United States must be based on a change of the U.S. position and their abandoning of earlier methods...The Leader of the Revolution believes that relations with the United States are impossible without the United States changing its policies...The United States desires to negotiate with us so that the movements of the world lose hope. They want Iran to sit at the negotiation table as the leader of its counter parts so the movements lose faith in continuing their struggle...There are some who think speaking politely to the United States is in the interest of the country. This is a huge mistake which the Supreme Leader reminded the gentlemen of and said that they should not be naive." 

• Students supporting Mousavi disrupt a panel debate at the Science and Technology University so Commander Ghasemi of the Revolutionary Guards, Zimbabwe's ambassador to Iran, and a certain "Spanish fighter Ja'far Gonzales" have to cut their presentations short. 

• [E] Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has called for expulsion of members of the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from Iraq.

Military and Security

• IRGC chief Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari appoints Commander Ali-Reza Azimi Jahed as Revolutionary Guards Chief in Sistan va Balouchestan province. 

• Ja'fari also appoints Ghodrat-Allah Mansouri as Qods Base Chief in the South East. 

• Hassan Abbasi, Revolutionary Guards theoretician, to deliver a speech at Sharif University next Saturday. 

• Tagheer News reports anti-riot force' attack against Shiraz University students on November 4th.

Nuclear Issue

• Asr-e Iran editorializes: "The 5+1 Group should know that if it does not provide Iran the needed fuel for the Tehran reactor, not a single gram of uranium will leave the country and Iran will also be forced to move towards 20 percent enrichment. In that case the 5+1 Group can't complain since it has brought it upon itself and against the regulations of the IAEA for selling nuclear fuel for a non military reactor of Tehran." 

• [E] Tehran's temporary Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami says no Iranian will compromise on the country's nuclear rights. "Nobody will make a deal on national nuclear rights; neither will anybody turn a blind eye to the legal right of the nation. If westerners wish to play on us and refuse to deliver fuel to Tehran research reactor, Iranian nuclear scientists will step forward and provide the fuel too," Khatami said in his second Friday prayers sermon in Tehran University campus. "They (westerners) constantly claim that Iran should build trust, while you are the ones distrusted by us," he added.

Economy

• Ayatollah Javadi Amoli says "Hell is not only for the drunkards, but also for the incompetent." The Ayatollah stressed the importance of provincial trips of the president and demanded attention towards the needy and destitute. 

• Ahmadlinejad to appear on live television Saturday to discuss his economic reform scheme. 

Religion, Society and Culture

• Grand Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili warns against spread of superstition involving the Imam of the Era. 

Human Rights

• Ham-Mihan News reports arrest of "hundreds" of protesters participating at the November 4, 2009 demonstrations. 

Media

• Alef News Agency accuses BBC Persian and other foreign broadcasters of broadcasting earlier footage to "magnify" the level of anti regime protests in Iran. 

Photo of the Day

• Flyer with slogans distributed by Mir-Hossein Mousavi's supporters on November 4, 2009.