Iran News Roundup October 28, 2009

 

Politics

• Leading member of the Ansar-e Hezbollah vigilante organization says the "conditions of society are not ripe for prosecution of Mousavi."

• Mehdi Karrubi makes a video explaining his presence at the Tehran Media Exhibit and says he fights not to get isolated.

  • Hossein Karrubi says that his father was attacked by the security guards of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry at the Tehran Media Exhibit.

Diplomacy

• Ahmadinejad receiving Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan:

  • "Cooperation between Iran and Turkey is to the benefit of both countries, the region and even the entire world..."
  • "Today, the West has reached a dead end both in theory and practice and the world is awaiting new theories. Iran and Turkey are capable of filling this vacuum, which necessitates cooperation and the Islamic Republic of Iran does not find any restrictions for expansion of cooperation in various fields..."
  • (E) In a meeting to discuss increasing bilateral ties with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian Foreign Minster Manouchehr Mottaki highlighted that Iran and Turkey can increase their trade exchanges by 20 billion dollars. Mottaki also discussed Turkey’s role in mitigating the destructive US policies in Afghanistan in order to stabilize the region.

• An "informed source" quoted by Tabnak News Agency discloses that Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, following a $15 million investment in Lebanon, has managed to convince Lebanese authorities to credential of the Beirut branch of Azad University.

•  (E) Representatives from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan met in a meeting of the Triangular Initiative in Vienna to coordinate counter-narcotics policies. Afghanistan produces 90 percent of the world’s opium, and the drug travels via Iran and Pakistan. The countries opted to establish Border Liaison offices and increase the frequency of joint patrols.

• (E) President Ahmadinejad described the increasingly close relationship between Iran and Egypt and the stability that will stem from Iranian-Egyptian cooperation. Specifically, Ahmadinejad noted the importance of such unity in the face of Israeli aggression.

• (E) Iranian Foreign Minster Manouchehr Mottaki explained that Iran and Brazil agree on the importance of peaceful nuclear energy programs. Stressing the significance of Iran’s nuclear program for civilian technology development, Mottaki reiterated that Iran has called for the abandonment of weapons of mass destruction and military nuclear reactors around the world.  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has defended Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear program.

• (E) Mehdi Mostafavi, the head of Iran's Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) called for further cultural ties between Iran and Azerbaijan. Emphasizing the shared history and culture between the two countries, Mostafavi explained that people must be prepared for greater cultural interaction. 

Economy

• Mohammad-Kazem Delkhosh, Economics Committee Deputy of the Parliament, says 200,000-240,000 rials will be paid to each Iranian citizen as subsidy system is converted to cash handouts.

• Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani: "The Parliament managed to change realization of subsidies from two to five years...The Parliament also did its best to reduce the pressure on people emanating from abolition of subsidies..."

• (E) The Islamic Development Bank agreed to offer a total of €46 million in short-term facilities to Iranian banks, €15 million to the Bank of Industry & Mines, €15 million to Bank Melli Iran, €10 million to Bank Parsian and € 6 million to Bank Karafarin. The funds will compensate for rapidly growing debt rates among Iran’s banks.

• (E) Director General of the commerce sector of Iran’s Trade Development Organization Abdolhamid Asadian said that Kazakhmys, Kazakhstan's biggest mining and energy group, will invest in new Iranian ventures to discover gold and copper. Iran is among the ten countries holding the largest mineral deposits.

Trade

• Iran and Venezuela establish "BENIROG" oil company with headquarters in Spain.

• Iran railroad to be connected with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Military and Security

• IRGC chief Jaafari, in the context of the fight against Jundullah, says the IRGC has "the capacity for intelligence surveillance of terrorists outside Iran."  In English.

  • Tabnak News Agency says Jundullah may leave its current bases in Pakistan and move - either to other regions in Pakistan or to the United Arab Emirates. Tabnak also reports that Abd al-Malek Rigi has visited Saudi Arabia and met with security agents of that country.

• (E) Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s Defense Minister, said that Iran will respond harshly to any adversary who attempts to invade the country. Vahidi warned that Iranian capabilities have increased since the Iraqi invasion in the 1980’s.

• Mohamamd-Salah Jokar, Pupil's Basij Chief, warns the authorities against the threat of a new round of anti-regime demonstrations "of those fooled by the enemy" on the commemoration of seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran.

• Khatam al-Anbia Contracting Company of the Revolutionary Guards has begun development of the seventh metro line of Tehran.

• Yemeni sources report seizing a ship called Iran Ardebil transporting arms to insurgents in that country.

• Fars News Agency reports on "Pentagon's $55 million budget for soft warfare in Iran."

• Fars News Agency quotes a Russian newspaper reporting that the United States and Georgia are preparing germ warfare against Iran.

Nuclear Issue

• Mohsen Rezai on the Islamic Republic's nuclear negotiations: 

  • "The Iranian government overtly claims that no such agreement has been made [about exporting 1,200 kilogram uranium to Russia and from Russia to France in order to further enrich it]. The Amirabad [research] reactor needs thirty kilos of 20 percent enriched uranium and this fuel could work for at least twenty years..."
  • "Therefore, with the 280 to 350 kilograms of 3.5 percent enriched uranium we can provide fuel for the research reactor for 20 to 25 years for the Amirabad research reactor, and in such a way there is no need to deliver more than this amount of fuel to the foreigners."

• Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan at a joint press conference with Ahmadinejad says: "Those demanding nuclear disarmament in the world should start disarmament in their own country."

• (E) A UN General Assembly proposal initiated by Iran was passed, despite opposition from the US, France, Great Britain, and Israel. The proposal, affirmed by 100 countries, calls for all nuclear powers to abandon their weapons and specifically urges Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Religion, Culture, and Society

• (E) Iran’s 15-member kickboxing team arrived in Madrid for the World Kick Boxing Competition. The competition will take place from October 29^th through November 2^nd.

• (E) Iran's Gymnastic Federation Secretary Jamshid Asghari said that he had sent another letter of complaint to the International Gymnastics Federation regarding the UK’s refusal to grant visas for Iranian athletes to take part in the World Championships in London. He urged UK to compensate Iran for the $13,000 it spent to take part in the competition.

• (E) The 11-member Iranian biking team is scheduled to compete in the Asian Championships next week. The bikers will compete in adult cross-country, junior cross-country, junior down-hill and adult down-hill sections.

• (E) Mohammad-Javad Mohammadizadeh, a representative of Iran's Department of the Environment, noted that Iran is amongst the ten most environmentally destructive countries due to an increasing population and technological advancement. Public uproar increased when Iran’s Gas and Electric Company cut down 4,000 trees in Western Iran in order make way for pipelines in the provinces of Chahar-Mahal Bakhtiari, Isfahan, and Boyer-Ahmad.

Photo of the Day

• Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan meets Ahmadinejad.