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].

Politics

• Lahzeh News releases a full text Persian translation of Foundation of Defense of Democracy scholar Michael Ledeen's blog post on illness and possible death of Supreme Leader Khamenei

• Ahmadinejad to appoint new governors for Ilam, Hormozgan, Semnan and Lorestan. Rumors also that governors will change in West Azerbaijan, Kordestan, Kermanshah and Tehran.

• Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani attacks the Ahmadinejad government for appointing a female cabinet minister and for promising appointment of female governors:

  • "If someone ignores the viewpoints of the religious scholars and those caring for the [regime] and changes the principles and values of the revolution, he will face the wrath of God and enmity of the people..."
  • "It is no service to women to give them male tasks. There are great differences between our Islamic culture and the cultures of the West and the East..."
  • "Unfortunately they come to Qom which is the center of Shi'ism and announce that 'we will appoint female governors for some provinces!' Are you ready to wage war against the Quran and the prophet since you blatantly speak against the religious law? With whom are you fighting? Are you against divine commandments and the certainties of religion...?"
  • "This country is the country of Islam, the Quran and the Imam of the Era - may our souls be sacrificed for him. This country is the country of the martyrs, self sacrifice and prisoners of war. This is what we are proud of. We will not retreat an inch..."

• Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi also criticizes female cabinet ministers and adds: "Why should the sources of emulation support the government when the bearing of the Quran is coupled with song and dance [a reference to an incident a year ago]?"

• Posters (here and here): The Green Movement urges the public to participate in mass demonstrations on the occasion of the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran, but not to chant "Death to America," but instead to protest against Ahmadinejad.

Diplomacy

• Senegal's president to visit Iran.

• Nour al-Hagh Oloumi, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Afghan Parliament, says that "Military helicopters of countries with a military presence in Afghanistan transport armed opponents of the Afghan government to the northern parts of Afghanistan under the cover of transporting military transports..."

• Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, Head of the Office of the President, visits the Republic of Azerbaijan, addresses an assembly of 700 Iranians in Baku.

• [E] Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi has said that Iran is ready to help meet the needs of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)'s member states. In a meeting with SCO Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliev, he said that while the U.S. was seeking monopoly and domination over the world's energy resources, Iran was prepared to supply fuels to SCO member states and help them have access to free waters.

• [E] Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has said Iran will pursue the issue of Palestine, al-Aqsa mosque and the displaced Palestinians at the international level, particularly in the next meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva.

Economy

• Exchange rate in Tehran: 1 Euro = 14,813 rials, $1 = 9,932 rials.

Trade

• [E] India's Reliance Industries, the second largest private sector conglomerate in the world, has announced that that it will no longer buy crude feedstock from Iran, or sell gasoline to the country. The move comes amid renewed U.S. efforts to rally international support for sanctions against Iran.

• [E] Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Iran Ahmed Qurbanov has announced that Iran-Turkmenistan's gas pipeline will be operated late December.

• [E] Iran's Shipping Company has rejected the UK claims that vessels of the Iranian organization have transferred illegal materials including nuclear goods.

Human Rights and Labor

• Political activists and human rights activists meet in the private home of Ahmad Zeidabadi, who was arrested four months ago and remains imprisoned. More.

• Mowj-e Sabz News reports a public prayer in Mashhad for the release of Hashem Khastar, Iranian Teacher Association Central Committee member.

• Former parliamentarian Ahmad Shirzad announces that his son Mehdi was arrested 25 days ago.

• (E) Strike at Crepe Naz factory, owned by Ministry of Mines.

Military and Security

• Following Mehdi Kalhor's statements to the effect that Iranian soldiers during the Iran/Iraq war were inspired by American and Italian Western movies, one hundred war veterans file a complaint against Kalhor.

• "The military institutions" to seize Iran Data Center.

• Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, Law Enforcement Forces Chief, commenting the latest terrorist incidents in Sanandaj in Iranian Kordestan province said: "All the terrorists incidents are rooted in the actions of the enemy and the greatest part of the activities of the Iranian police is devoted to avoid such incidents...During the past couple of years there has almost not been any terrorist act after which we have not managed to arrest their gangs..."

• Yemeni authorities close an Iranian hospital in Yemen.

• PEJAK allegedly kills one member of the Basij in Delzi village near Salmas.

• German ARD television broadcasts a program documenting widespread Islamic Republic espionage activities against Iranian citizens in Germany.

Photos of the Day

• Destruction of confiscated alcoholic beverages in Ahwaz.