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]. 

Military and Security

• The Revolutionary Guards test-fires missiles on Sunday.
  • Missile test video.
  • The Revolutionary Guards' war game is titled ‘The Great Prophet IV’.
  • The Revolutionary Guards tests a new missile launcher.
  • Launch of Medium-range Shahab missiles. 
• Hassan Qalibaf Asl, Tehran Stock Exchange Executive Director, discloses that 51 percent of the shares of Mokhaberat-e Iran [Iran Telecommunications] was sold on the stock market. According to Qalibaf Asl, it was the E'temad-e Mobin Consortium which through Bahman Group [of the Revolutionary Guards] managed to purchase Iran Telecom. Pishgaman-e Yazd Consortium lost the bid to the Bahman Group.
  • According to BBC Persian, the Revolutionary Guards' $8 billion worth takeover of Iran Telecom is the largest transaction in the Tehran Stock Exchange. E'temad-e Mobin Consortium is composed of investment companies Towse'e-ye E'temad, Shahriar Mahestan and Gostaresh-e Elektronik-e Mobin-e Iran. Companies belonging to the Revolutionary Guards won the bid after the rival group Pishgaman-e Kavir-e Yazd failed to get a security clearance. According to BBC Persian, the next round of competition was between two companies both related to the Revolution Guards, Tose'e-ye E'temad-e Mobin Consortium and Mehr Eghtesad-e Iranian Group.
  • Alef News Agency's analyst criticizes the Revolutionary Guards' takeover of Iran Telecom shares, calling it "contrary to the Article 44" policy of privatization of nationalized companies.
  • Rokhdad analyzes ‘excuses’ used by the Revolutionary Guards in order to legitimize entry in the stock market.
• Sobh-e Sadegh releases statements by the Chief of the General Staff Firouz-Abadi's on strategic leadership and his management theory.
• For the third week in a row, Sobh-e Sadegh publishes criticism of the latest volume of Rafsanjani's memoirs.
• Yadollah Javani, Head of the Revolutionary Guards Political Department, accuses former President Mohammad Khatami of having "conspired" against the Islamic Republic with the Soros Foundation.
• Gholam-Reza Jalali, Non-Active Defense Organization Chief, says certain satellite channels and "certain countries" had attempted to disrupt the television transmissions of the Islamic Republic Voice and Vision during the presidential election. According to Jalali, disruption attempts had taken place five nights in a row.
• Commander Ahmad Vahid, brother of Health Minister Marziyeh Vahid Dastjerdi, is appointed Defense Minister Deputy.
• Shemiranat Friday Prayer Leader Mohsen Doagou warns the Basij against supporting one political faction and opposing other factions.
• Army Brigadier General Hossein Hassani Sa'di, Coordination Deputy at the Armed Forces Command Councilm, says that "those who fled from war time duty are now criticizing the war effort."
• Commander Zolghadr praising war veterans: "The Supreme Leader is happy with the performance of the Guardsmen and the Basij members during the past couple of months. In reality, it was certain members of the elites who did not pass the exam [of the post-election events]. But we Guardsmen were fortunate enough to pass two exams. First, we correctly recognized the path of salvation. Second, we managed to uproot the discord..."
• Sobh-e Sadegh analyzes the role of the Revolutionary Guards Engineering Corps in the Iran/Iraq war and its activities in Iran’s post-war reconstruction efforts. 

Nuclear Issue

• The Islamic Republic's exploration flights over Venezuelan territory discover uranium mines in South Eastern part of the Bolivar province and the Western parts of Santa Elene De Evairon.
• Disclosure of secret uranium enrichment facilities in Iran:
  • Ahmadinejad says: 
    • "Iran's activities relating to use of nuclear technology are completely transparent and are conducted within the framework of the IAEA regulations..."
    • "According to the regulations, to establish an enrichment plant one must report it to the IAEA six months prior to infusion of gas… we indeed informed the agency 18 months before the infusion. I think this deserves encouragement rather than controversy.”
    • "They thought they could turn the situation at the United Nations against the Iranian nation. They couldn't. Now they think they have found a new issue. They are making a lot of noise so that they can lead the process again..."
    • "They have yet to abide by the law. Had they done so, there would be no trouble. They have nuclear weapons, but they don't sign the Non Proliferation Treaty and they make accusations against others. These issues are their business. They should not dictate us about what to do and what not to. They should abandon this wrong behavior..."
    • "The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a member of the IAEA, is an independent state. All the uproar created today is opposed to the viewpoints of Mr. Obama, who at the United Nations said one should not act based on speculation and one should not make accusations without good reason..."
    • "Today they interfere in the work of the IAEA, but the IAEA is engaged in its legal obligations and investigates nuclear issues and reports to related agencies. In my opinion, they have committed a great mistake. When the report of the agency is released, they will most certainly regret. They may even have regretted now, but they will regret more..."
    • "Some domestic movements do not want change to happen. They want the past issues to continue and dominate the world. But I have a piece of advice for them. Now that Obama wants to change America's face and people have pinned their hopes in him, they should not do something which damages America's prestige..."
    • "Position of France and Britain is not important to Iran and their statements are of little value. But taking into account Obama's speech at the United Nation, one expects that his collaborators do not create trouble out of nothing..."
    • "Making fundamental changes in the American government is to the benefit of the people of that country and to the benefit of the entire world and we hope this happens..."
    • "Currently, we have enrichment facilities for our own use and our activities have been reported to the IAEA. We act based upon the law, even more than what the regulations demand of us. We believe that nuclear energy is the right of our nation...We expected that we could present a plan for long-term negotiations with the 5+1 Group, but nothing good happened during the course of negotiations and we hope that they correct this..."
  • Ali-Akbar Salehi, Head of Iran's Nuclear Energy Organization:
    • "When I took over the leadership of Iran's Nuclear Energy Organization two months ago, I promised that the cooperation between this organization and the IAEA will gain momentum with more depth...For example, this month we allowed inspections of Natanz and Arak, for which the IAEA has thanked us..."
    • "We are deeply surprised by the Western panic and unbalanced responses to Iran’s latest step..."
    • "We expected that they would welcome this move..."
    • "But we have understood that a conspiracy must have been in the making, and probably they aimed to announce this issue at G20 meeting..."
    • "I have heard this from the New York Times and many other Western analysts. This is not my analysis..."
    • "In New York Times, it is clearly stated that this issue was meant to be announced at the G20 in order to mobilize the world opinion against us..."
    • "It is part of our duty. Again and again the Islamic Republic has announced its resolve to live up to its nuclear obligations..."
    • "The defensive structure of the new facilities shows our resolve in defending our national assets..."
  • Mohammad-Javad Larijani, Human Rights Secretary of the Judiciary: "In this issue, we have not committed any mistakes and I really don't understand the reason behind the posturing of the Western countries. In reality, they absolutely don't want us to make any progress in this issue..."
  • Jomhouri-ye Eslami editorializes: "The announcement of the enrichment facilities forced the West into a defensive position..."
  • Kayhan editorializes: "The announcement of the enrichment facilities will be Iran’s winning card in October negotiations..."
  • Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh slams Britain's alleged breach of Article VI of the NPT, but repeats Ahmadinejad’s statements with regard to the latest disclosure of Iran's enrichment activities.

Politics

• Iranian hardliners renew attacks against reformist leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi:
  • Mohammad-Javad Larijani, Secretary of the Judiciary’s Human Rights Department and brother of Parliament’s Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani:
    • "Mir-Hossein Mousavi has ruined a very good political future. His statements are completely similar to the words of Masoud Rajavi [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization leader]. These people have reached a tactical unity at the private residence of Ayatollah Montazeri. And this is one of the greatest mistakes of the reformist front... In the electoral process, Mir-Hossein Mousavi committed the same injustice to the regime and the country’s young generation as Masoud Rajavi..."
    • "No-one has the right to take a stance against the regime and this is an unforgivable and great sin...Hassan Khomeini, grandson of His Holiness the blessed Imam [Khomeini], extensively supported Mir-Hossein Mousavi during the elections. And when our president went to the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini to renew his allegiance to the founder of the Islamic Republic, he [Hassan Khomeini] was not present and this is outside the principles..."
  • Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Head of Parliament’s Cultural Affairs Committee, warns that "those who have broken away from the people will most certainly annihilate themselves..."
• Recent developments relating to the Assembly of Experts:
  • Asr-e Iran discloses that many members of the Assembly of Experts had decided not to attend the latest meeting of the Assembly in protest against Rafsanjani, but the Supreme Leader’s intervention helped convene the meeting.  
  • Ayatollah Hassan Mamdouhi: "Members of the Assembly of Experts don't want Ayatollah Rafsanjani to be abused and exploited by the enemies of the regime."
  • Ayatollah Ghareh-Baghi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, urges Mehdi Karrubi to "repent" his "low crime" and retract accusations that post-election prisoners were raped in jails.
  • Ayatollah Abol-Ghasem Khaz'ali, a member of the Assembly of Experts, is hospitalized.
  • Hojjat al-Eslam Abbas Ka'bi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, condemns Ayatollah Ali-Mohammad Dastgheib's speech at the Assembly. He claims that a majority of the Assembly called for the expulsion of Dastgheib from the Assembly after his speech.
• Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, addressing members of the Student Basij from Tehran University, says the post-election unrest was unexpected.
• Alef News Agency wonders how Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, Ahmadinejad’s Parliamentary Deputy, got his Ph.D. before obtaining a Master's degree.
• Supreme Leader Khamenei appoints Hojjat al-Eslam Dorri Najaf-Abadi as Arak Friday Prayer Leader.
• Javad Shamghadari is appointed Deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Diplomacy

• Ahmadinejad leaves New York for Tehran after addressing the U.N. General Assembly and holding meetings with the leaders of Bolivia, Brazil, Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria, as well as with the prime ministers of Sri Lanca and Turkey.
• Rasaei releases details of his trip to New York as part of Ahmadinejad’s delegation.  
• Ahmadinejad evaluates his visit to the United Nations General Assembly:
  • "We were interviewed by the most prominent mass media of the world..."
  • "Compared to four years ago, our position in the public opinion is elevated..."
  • "Over the past four years, we have clearly announced at the General Assembly that it is not possible to continue the current order in the world. There are great challenges ahead. It is wrong to manage the world in the current manner. The viewpoints and structures of the Security Council and the United Nations must change. The current structure is a symbol of injustice..."
  • "At this session, all the speakers and heads of states recognized this. Protesting against the current state of affairs in the United Nations was visible in all speeches..."
  • "They had planned a lot of propaganda regarding the nuclear activities of Iran in Qom. They made a lot of noise, but this issue was neutralized to the degree that they regretted their deeds. This was a decisive blow to all the imperialist policies..."
  • "This trip was managed and directed by God and the Imam of the Era..."
  • "Obama, in his own words, expressed the criticism the Iranian nation has expressed against the behavior of the United States over the past thirty years..."
  • "We have said that the United States does not abide by the law and is trying to consolidate imperialism, and wants to impose its will upon other nations. Of course, Mr. Obama confessed all these issues..."

Economy

• Hamid Haji Abd al-Wahab, Labor and Social Affairs Ministry's Job Creation Deputy, speaking in Razavi Khorasan says there is a need for $50 billion worth of investment to create one million jobs in Iran.

Trade

• Iran and Turkey plan to set up a joint free trade zone.
• E'temad's analysis shows a declining trend of Foreign Direct Investments in Iran.
• Petroleum Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi complains about inadequate investment in Iran's oil fields, and calls for $19 billion worth of guarantees in order to complete unfinished petroleum projects and $20 to 25 billion worth of investments in the natural gas industry per annum.
• Deputy Petroleum Minister Aziz-Allah Ramezani says 20 percent of the National Gas Company stocks will be sold on the Malaysian stock market.
• Iran and Venezuela sign a contract to build a $1.5 billion oil refinery in Syria.
• Fars News Agency and Alef News publish Monthly Review's survey of Iran's likely measures to minimize the damage of any possible gasoline sanctions.

Media

• Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi urges the press not to contribute to factional disputes and help bring calm to the society.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Protesters interrupted Iman Khoshkhou, Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, while delivering a speech on the occasion of burial of master musician Parviz Meshkatian. Khoshkhou was asked to leave. Video.  

Iran in the Afghan Media

• Afghanpaper reports that Iranians are being trained in suicide bombing in western Afghanistan. The report says that 18 Iranian Kurds have entered the Seyoshaan village in western province of Herat to train in suicide bombing, including four women. The potential suicide bombers are currently in the residence of Bashir Ahmad Qena’at, the son-in-law of Ghulam Yahya Akbari, a local commander aligned with the Taliban who was allegedly killed in a U.S. airstrike in early 2009. There will be an increase of suicide attacks this week, the report predicts.  
  • Afghan police gun down two would-be suicide bombers in Afghanistan’s southwestern province of Nimroz, along the borders with Iran.
  • Surviving a suicide attack in Herat, Afghanistan’s Minister of Energy Ismail Khan threatened to leave Karzai’s cabinet “if the government fails to devise a comprehensive strategy to bring peace and stability.” Following the attack on his life, Ismail Khan said: “Violence is increasing in Afghanistan to such an extent that thousands of refugees [internally displaced people] are coming to Herat for refuge from remote parts of the country. More, here.

Photos of the Day

• IRNA celebrates the miracle of the name of Prophet Muhammad appearing on beehives in Khalkhal.
• Ahmadinejad returns from New York.
• Missile launch.
• New academic year begins at the theological seminaries of Qom.