Iran News Round Up - January 24, 2017

National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Managing Director and Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Reza Araghi reiterated that NIGC will sue in international court over the decision by Turkmenistan’s national gas company to cut oil exports to Iran if Turkmen and Iranian officials do not resolve the balance of payments between the two companies. (Mehr News Agency)

 IRGC Najaf Ashraf Base Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Nazer Azimi stated that two goals of the IRGC Ground Forces’ “Imam Ali” exercise currently taking place in western Iran are to “increase the combat power of the soldiers and Basij members of the IRGC Najaf Ashraf Base’s units for participation in missions as needed,” as well as to “create deterrent and defensive power.” The IRGC Najaf Ashraf Base is located in Kermanshah province. (Tasnim News Agency)

Rouhani Administration Spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht stated that a special committee is investigating the Plasco building collapse during a press conference on January 24. Nobakht appeared to blame the Tehran municipality for the collapse, stating, “One debate is over who had responsibility for preventing this event. Of course, the law clearly recognizes the municipality as responsible… One must wait for the committee to prepare its report, however.” Nobakht added that the collapse was not “unexpected,” likely given known safety violations in the building. Iranians reportedly launched a social media campaign questioning conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s “competency” in light of the collapse. The controversy may hurt his chances in the May 2017 presidential election if he decides to run. Meanwhile, the public relations department at the wealthy Mostazafan Foundation denied that the foundation’s head apologized and accepted responsibility for the collapse. The Mostazafan Foundation owned the Plasco building. (Fars News Agency) (Ghatreh)

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif defended the  nuclear deal during a meeting with officials at the Tehran Chamber of Commerce. Zarif stated,  “Some believe that I am ashamed of the nuclear deal, but in reality I am proud of it. However, I believe that we should not be discussing the nuclear deal every day. The deal is a part of reality.” Zarif was probably referring to a recent controversy in which hardline parliamentarian Javad Karimi Ghodousi accused Zarif of admitting he was “wrong in trusting [U.S. Secretary of State] John Kerry” and that the he “accepts responsibility for the mistake” of the nuclear deal during a session of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. (ISNA)

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the international affairs advisor to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, met with Lebanese officials in Beirut to discuss developments in Syria. During a conversation with reporters, Abdollahian emphasized the need to pursue talks in order to solve conflicts in Syria as well as Yemen and Bahrain. (Press TV) (E)

Iran, Russia, and Turkey reached an agreement to establish an enforcement mechanism for the current ceasefire in Syria during negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan. The three sides will work on outlining the details of the ceasefire mechanism in future negotiations. Russia, Iran, and Turkey released a statement stressing their “commitment to preserving the territorial integrity of Syria, strengthening the comprehensive ceasefire agreement, and delivering humanitarian assistance.” (Fars News Agency)

• Iranian news outlets reported that IRGC Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Fallahzadeh attended the talks. He is reported to be a “senior IRGC commander” and appears to be a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War. He also served as a military advisor in Syria, where he was wounded in 2016. (Mehr News Agency)

The Critical Threats Project team explains the significance of Iran’s upcoming 2017 presidential election and tracks important electoral developments in “Iran Presidential Election Tracker: Updates and Analysis.”

Paul Bucala and Caitlin Shayda Pendleton discuss how Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s death will upend Iran’s political landscape in “What Rafsanjani’s death means for the Supreme Leader’s succession.”