A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh, Ahmad Majidyar and Michael Rubin.  To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.
 
(E) = Article in English 

Diplomacy

  • Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance condemns Alef News' interview with Allan Eyre, State Department's Persian speaking spokesman.
  • Criticism of Rafsanjani's call for reestablishing diplomatic relations with the United States:
    • Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari slams Rafsanjani's overture to the United States claiming that the late Grand Ayatollah Khomeini was in favor of establishing diplomatic relations with the United States:
      • "Relations with the United States was one of the red lines of His Holiness the late Imam [Khomeini], he stressed upon it on a number of occasions and he had explained the reason behind avoiding having relations with the United States... There is no doubt that the Imam has answered Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani's letter [in which Rafsanjani recommended establishing relations with the United States]. The question is why Mr. Rafsanjani... does not refer to the answer of the Holiness..."
      • "Mr. Rafsanjani also does not refer to Mr. Mohajerani's article in which he warned against the people consider James Baker's letter to Iran 'a conspiracy or sedition.' Mohajerani's article which had many discrepancies with the often expressed and announced viewpoints of His Holiness the Imam was widely criticized. Today, Mr. Mohajerani has removed the shrouds and is clearly a refugee to Britain and cooperates closely with AIPAC (the Zionist lobby) and the MI6 (the foreign intelligence section of the British Intelligence Service)..."
      • "Now one must ask Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjnai this: In the proposed negotiation and relations with the United States - or deal with the United States, as His Holiness [Khomeini] would say - what price are you ready to pay and what do you expect from the United States in return? Has the United States not on many occasions not itself confessed that it has received the greatest blows from the pure Muhammedan Islam, which fights against injustice and demands independence? [Is it not true] that the United States does not think about anything but returning to the era of plundering Iran? In return, he [the United States] will give you what he gave the Shah and Hosni Mubarak, Ben Ali and Ali Abdullah Saleh!"
      • "His Excellency Rafsanjani has apparently forgotten that the United States solely desires negotiations for the sake of negotiations and not in for solving the problems of the parties. Our struggle with the United States is rooted in two issues: As long as we rely on the sovereignty of pure and injustice struggling Islam, and [as long as] the United States stresses upon its arrogant nature, this struggle will continue and will only end in two scenarios: We, God forbid, detach ourselves from Islam - meaning what His Holiness the Imam pointed at - or that the United States changes its arrogant nature, or as His Holiness said, 'dismounts the ass of Satan.' Therefore, since the problem between the two parties is not resolvable through negotiations, one must know what the United States desires negotiations for? And why it insists so much upon it? The answer is very clear and without any doubts: the United States desires negotiations in order to show it to the Islamic movements, particularly these days, [so that it can show it to] the Islamic revolutions of the region. As soon as we sit at the negotiations table, they will refer to the negotiations and tell the revolutionary and Muslim nations: 'Now that the role model of your movement, and your anti-arrogance and anti-authoritarian movement, is the Islamic revolution of Iran, [you see that] in the end, Iran had no other choice but reaching an agreement with the United States. Or as Caesar would say: 'All the roads lead to Rome.' Your Excellency Hashemi [Rafsanjani], this issue is so evident that it could not have been hidden from your view."
      • Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani] calls the United States a 'prime world power' which is strange when one takes the events of the recent past years into account: The United States behavior towards Iran, behavior towards the Islamic revolutions of the region, defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan and tens of other examples..."
    • Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards:
      • "Such statements are messages from the inside to the outside and have nothing to do with domestic strength and national unity... Statements of the Expediency Council will strengthen rumors on conflicting opinions amongst the authorities of the regime... despite the existing differences of opinion being very slight. All the servants of the regime work in the path of the ideals and deeds of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution... People have certain expectations from those who have held offices in the past. They should not enter issues which will make the enemy speculate [in taking advantage of them]."
      • "Based upon the fundamentals and the deep viewpoints of His Holiness Imam Khomeini, as long as the United States has an arrogant nature, there is under no circumstance the possibility of negotiation and reaching an agreement with the United States."
      • "It is unlike Hashemi [Rafsanjani]... to make such baseless statements..."
      • "The Islamic Republic of Iran pursues an equal negotiation with the United States from a position of power."
      • "The United States should recognize an independent, mighty and nuclear Iran since the Islamic Republic of Iran will never engage in negotiations with them because of their dominant spirit."
      • "According to the interpretation of the Supreme Leader, there is no way to preserve the revolution but steadfastness in the face of the United States."
    • Mohammad-Nabi Habibi of the Moetalefeh Organization expresses sadness concerning Rafsanjani's statements.
  • Ghazanfar Roknabadi, the Islamic Republic's Ambassador to Beirut, Lebanon:
    • "In the new circumstances, the institution and those organizations supporting the axis of resistance and Palestine, should pay greater attention to current affairs and pursue new and effective schemes and initiatives... The goal of the enemy is to marginalize the Palestine issue... Therefore, this issue should be taken more seriously by political and legal activists supporting Palestine... Iran is ready to support any anti-Zionist plan in the region."

Military and Security

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