A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by AEI Critical Threats Project Iran Analysts Marie Donovan, Paul Bucala, and Caitlin Shayda Pendleton with contributors Shayan Enferadi and Ali Javaheri. 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.

Key takeaway: Twenty parliamentarians called for a review of Russia’s military presence in Iran following Russian airstrikes from a base in northwestern Iran.

Approximately 20 parliamentarians delivered a letter requesting the review to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. They specifically requested a closed session of Parliament and cited Article 69 of the Constitution, which permits closed sessions for issues of national security. Russia has launched airstrikes in Syria from Shahid Nojeh Air Base in the northwestern province of Hamedan for three consecutive days. A reformist parliamentarian who signed the letter stated that the review will ensure that parliamentarians have “the necessary information regarding the reasons for this decision [to allow Russia to use the base] and its consequences.”

Separately, a member of the Afghan Shia militia Fatimiyoun Brigade was buried in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province.

Regional Developments & Diplomacy

  • Parliamentarians call for review of Russian use of air base. Approximately 20 parliamentarians called for a review of Russia’s military presence on Iranian soil in a letter to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. They requested a closed session of Parliament for the review and cited Article 69 of the Constitution, which states, “In emergencies, upon the request of either the president, or one of the ministers, or ten representatives, a closed session may be formed if the security of the country requires such.” Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist parliamentarian who signed the letter, stated that the parliamentarians requested the review in order to ensure that they have “the necessary information regarding the reasons for this decision and its consequences.” Moderate-conservative parliamentarian Ali Motahari, reformist parliamentarian Mostafa Kavakebian, and conservative parliamentarian Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh were among the signatories. (ILNA)
     
  • Rouhani defends nuclear agreement. President Hassan Rouhani praised the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for protecting Iranian interests during a speech on August 18. He stated, “Ill-wishers of the Islamic Republic had two goals for the nuclear issue. The first was blocking the path of nuclear knowledge and technology. The second was striking at the people’s confidence in the system by using this excuse.” Rouhani added that the JCPOA defended Iran from both goals by allowing the country to pursue nuclear energy and preserving “national cohesion and public confidence in the efficiency of the [political] system.”
    • Rouhani also discussed security and intelligence services. He stated that their purpose is “the protection of peace and a sense of security among the people.” He added that “moderation” is “necessary” in intelligence and stated, “As in other work, excess and waste in intelligence work is harmful… One must also be sensitive and wary of any type of influence or misuse of positions.” (president.ir)

Domestic Politics

  • Rouhani’s education minister to undergo impeachment hearings for a second time. Hossein Maghsoudi, a member of Parliament’s Education Commission, stated that 75 parliamentarians voted to begin impeachment hearings for Education Minister Ali Asghar Fani. This will be the second time Fani will undergo the impeachment process following accusations in June 2015 of failing “to attract the administration’s attention to the importance of education and training." Fani survived that impeachment process with 176 “votes of confidence.” Fani is scheduled to appear in front of the Education Commission on August 21. (Tasnim News Agency)
     

Military & Security

  • Bagheri calls for Iran-Iraq border security committees. Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri called for the creation of joint border security committees between Iran and Iraq during a meeting with Iraq’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Faleh Fayyaz. Iran has witnessed an uptick in activity on its western border in recent months and has conducted a number of operations against ISIS-linked militants andKurdish separatist groups in that area. (Mehr News Agency)
     

Casualties in Iraq & Syria

  • Fatimiyoun Brigade member killed in Syria. Mohammad Bakhshi, a member of the Afghan Shia militia Fatimiyoun Brigade, was buried in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, on August 18. (ABNA)