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

• Alef News Agency releases full version of Supreme Leader Khamenei's address to the cabinet last week:
  • "Last year was a very difficult for the tenth cabinet... both politically, in terms of security and because of the effect of foreign movements in the economy, culture and other sectors. Those who started the discord of 2009 - either planned by themselves or by others - we do not want to make accusations, but under any circumstance, this discord was planned - dealt a heavy blow to the work of the country... Had it not been for this discord, undoubtedly the work of the country would have progressed in a better way. They gave hope to the enemies, gave them - those who had established a front against the regime of the Islamic Republic - confidence..."
  • "The fifth development planned has not progressed as much as it should..."
  • "The cabinet should accept that its acts are criticized... Both the cabinet and the parliament should show flexibility."
  • "We should pay more attention to the economic indicators... There is a far cry between what we have seen in the field of the so called increased employment and what was planned in the fifth development plan... The same thing goes for attracting Foreign Direct Investments and also domestic investments... "
  • "I must stress the policies of the Article 44 of the Constitution... One must pay much attention to these policies... We must first direct the capital of the people to the economy. Afterward, we must direct the capital of the people and managerial [capacities] of the people and the private sector to the economic field. Should public sector executives remain the goals will not be achieved..."
  • "Sometimes a government agency will come and speak of a phenomenon, releases news or makes a statement. From the other hand another government agency comes and says the opposite and the people become perplexed and don't know what is right and what is wrong.... One gives this statistics and the other a different one. Such things must not happen..."
  • "Another problem related to public management is the issue of parallel work. In government parallel work must not take place..."
• Supreme Leader addresses Assembly of Experts:
  • "The greatest duty of the elites of theological seminaries, the universities and influential individuals in society is strengthening of hope in people and not spreading an atmosphere of pessimism towards the authorities. They should be vigilant and not lose sight of the schemes of the enemy, should have a proper understanding of main and side issues, and should ignore the spirit of high self confidence, amazing progress of the country and struggles of the country..."
  • "The front of imperialism is shaken."
  • "Unity does not mean that one should just speak about it. Unity must be in practice at societal level... The meaning of unity is that we make our common cause greater in the eyes of the public and not to let personal grievances of certain individuals dominate their entire behavior..."
• Rafsanjani inaugurates the meeting of Assembly of Experts:
  • "During the past thirty years, despite war and military attacks, we had not seen this degree of Satanic imperialist schemes and calculated and extensive attacks against us..."
  • "We have never had so many resolutions in official forums against us, including the Security Council, the IAEA and states engaging in unilateral sanctions against us and are trying to worsen the effect of the conspiracies..."
  • "The more such capital diminishes [popular support for the regime], the more worried we should be. I hope that this will not be so... Amanu's tone about Iran becoming nuclear has become energetic and this issue will be an instrument in the hands of the enemies with which they will insult us..."
  • "They threaten us from above with military action but I find unlikely that they have such courage..."
  • "Slandering the clergy is a crime."
    • Rafsanjani also says "the Imam [Khomeini]" came to him in a dream and said "I will help you more now than during my lifetime and why should I not do so?"
• Ayatollah Ali-Mohammad Dastgheib does not participate at the Assembly of Expert meeting in protest against "deviations of the council."
• Mir-Hossein Mousavi's office is attacked by the security forces.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ezhehi is appointed Judiciary spokesman.

Diplomacy

• Iran’s embassy in Turkey denies allegations that Iran gave $25 million aid to the AKP.
• First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi says Iran desires to increase trade with Turkey to $30 billion.
• Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says an Iranian diplomat in Belgium "has resigned after the end of his tenure."
• [E] Supreme Leader’s message on condemning the desecration of the holy book of the Muslims on the 9/11 anniversary in the U.S. was filed as a document of the United Nations, an Iranian diplomat said on Thursday.
• [E] Ahmadinejad calls for cooperation among the regional states to solve problems without foreign interference.

Military and Security

• Student Basij Commander Mohammad-Saleh Jokar: "On an annual basis 900,000 students join the Student’s Basij."
• Five soldiers and a bank employee taken hostage near Sarbaz in Sistan va Balouchestan province.

Nuclear Issue

• [E] Iran hopes to load fuel into the Bushehr nuclear power plant reactor in late September, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said, adding that the plant will join the national power grid in fall.

Photos of the Day

• Iran/Africa Conference in Tehran.