A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by the AEI Critical Threats Project's Iran research team. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.
(E) = Article in English
Excerpts of these translations may only be used with the expressed consent of the authors
Politics
- Foreign Ministry Political and International Director Hamid Baidinejad announced that Iran will receive its fifth installment of previously frozen cash next week under the terms of the Joint Plan of Action. Baidinejad said “As of today four of the eight installments of our country’s assets have been released and the unlocked assets will add up to $2.65 billion after the fifth tranche is released next week.”
- Tehran interim Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani reiterated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s message that Iran will not give up its right to nuclear energy and said “It is the right of the nation and must go ahead in all dimensions and directions.”
- Supreme National Security Council Secretary Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Maj. Gen. Ali Shamkhani underwent emergency heart transplant surgery after going into cardiac arrest. His surgery was reportedly successful and doctors have cleared him to return to his normal activities.
Military and Security
- Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami warned of the West’s agenda and said “Some assume our challenges with the West will be resolved...Relations with the West will not change hostilities; the enemy seeks a hidden strategic agenda.” Salami added “In order to be successful we must make use of our internal capabilities.”
- IRGC Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Haji Zadeh commented on negotiations with the West and the legacy of the Iran-Iraq war:
- “America and Western countries do not talk about sanctioning Iran in defensive matters. They know that sanctions are ineffective, therefore they propose negotiations.”
- “There are some individuals in the country who are opposed to the martyrs, their memorial and probing efforts to identify their bodies and the rahian-e noor they oppose revolutionary movements and the ideals of Imam [Khomeini]. This matter has been around since the first of the revolution. It exists today as well. The honorable Iranian nation and those who believe in the Imam, Supreme Leader and this holy system are certainly victorious, and they are in the majority. The Supreme Leader determined a path in his recent speeches that he gave in the rahian-e noor areas, so the people know the situation.”
- “IRGC protects some sensitive facilities and IRGC bases and units. We cooperate with the Artesh in some cases where they need it."
Diplomacy
- Political Deputy to the Chief of Staff and President Rouhani’s nominee for Representative of Iran to United Nations Hamid Abu Talebi said that legislation passed by the US Congress denying persons who pose a national security threat or have engaged in terrorist activities entry to the US “created a new procedure from a legal perspective, that national parliaments can trample international agreements.”
- The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan Ali Reza Haghighian announced that the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will visit Iran in early-mid May.
Economy
- Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Reza Ne’matzadeh led a delegation at a gathering of Iranian and German companies in Berlin. During the meeting Ne’matzadeh invited German businesses to increase their presence in Iranian markets.
- President Hassan Rouhani chaired the second meeting of the Resistance Economy Coordination Headquarters. Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mohammad Reza Ne’matzadeh briefed Rouhani on barriers to private sector investment in the mining industry.
- First Deputy to the President Eshhagh Jahangiri announced that the administration has yet to decide on the income ceiling that will determine receivers of cash handouts from phasing out commodity subsidies. He added that citizens’ private banking account information is “a red line for the administration.”
Photo of the Day
- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran head Ali Akbar Salehi attending Tehran Friday prayer.