Key takeaway: Judiciary Head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani dismissed a reformist-driven initiative to achieve “national reconciliation” in Iran.
Larijani stated that “there are no fundamental differences or divisions [in Iran] which require national reconciliation.” Over 40 political prisoners connected to the 2009 Green Movement called the current moment an “opportunity to achieve dialogue and national reconciliation” in an open letter to Iran’s government in mid-January. Reformist former President Mohammad Khatami similarly called for “national reconciliation” in Iran in light of the uncertainties and dangers facing Iran during the Trump presidency.
Iranian media circulated reports that three Iranians recently died in Syria, including Mustafa Zal Nejad. Zal Nejad was from Amol, Mazandaran Province, and was killed on February 14. Iranian news outlets circulated a photo of Zal Nejad with IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani, suggesting that Zal Nejad may have been an IRGC member. Mazandaran Province is home to the 25th Karbala Division. The IRGC halted its deployments of troops from Mazandaran province to “operational areas” in Syria in May 2016 after the 25th Karbala Division suffered heavy casualties during the Khan Tuman offensive.
Iran and Luxembourg sign MoU to boost economic ties.
Economy and Finance Minister Ali Tayyebnia and Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn in Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand economic relations during a meeting in Tehran on February 13. (Fars News Agency) (E)
- President Hassan Rouhani stated that “Iran welcomes” the “deepening” of relations with the EU “in all fields” during a meeting with Asselborn on February 14. Rouhani stated that “Iran can, from one side, supply a large part of Europe’s energy, and be a very important transit route for connecting Europe to the Indian Ocean and East Asia from the other.” (President.ir) (E)
Citations & Links
President.ir Fars News Agency: http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951126000537NIOC: We are not abandoning the IPC.
National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) CEO Ali Kardor denied reports that the Iran is no longer formulating the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC). The IPC Is designed to provide more incentives for international firms to invest in Iran’s energy sector compared to the terms of the previous “buyback” model. Kardor attributed the IPC’s delayed formulation to its “high sensitivity.” Hedayatollah Khademi, a member of Parliament’s Energy Commission, had claimed that the IPC “has been shelved.”(Tasnim News Agency) (E) (Tasnim News Agency) (E)
Citations & Links
Tasnim News Agency: https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/02/14/1328146/official-denies-halt-to-new-style-iran-oil-contract Tasnim News Agency: https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/02/14/1328071/iran-s-new-oil-contract-model-shelved-mpThree Iranians killed in Syria.
- Mustafa Zal Nejad was killed in Syria on February 14. He was from Amol, Mazandaran Province. Iranian news outlets circulated a photo of Zal Nejad with IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, suggesting that Zal Nejad may have been an IRGC member. Mazandaran Province is home to the 25th Karbala Division. The IRGC halted its deployments of troops from Mazandaran province to “operational areas” in Syria in May 2016 after the 25th Karbala Division suffered heavy casualties during the Khan Tuman offensive. (ABNA)
- Mehdi Nemaei Aali was killed in Hama governorate on February 11. He was from Alborz province. (Defa Press)
- Mousa Hosseini was buried in Varamin, Tehran province, on February 9. The date of his death is unknown. (Tasnim News Agency)
Citations & Links
Tasnim News Agency: https://www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1395/11/21/1323694/%D9%BE%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%B1-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DA%A9-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%B9-%D8%B4%D8%AF Defa Press: http://www.defapress.ir/fa/news/226977/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%BE%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1 ABNA: http://fa.abna24.com/service/iran/archive/2017/02/14/715898/story.htmlRouhani’s roads and urban development minister to undergo impeachment hearings.
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani stated that Parliament will begin impeachment hearings for Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi on February 19. Parliament is investigating Akhoundi regarding “rail and road accidents and inattention to this area” and “uncertainties” related to Iran’s recent aircraft purchases, among other issues. Parliamentarians called for Akhoundi’s resignation following a train crash in Semnan province in November 2016 which killed 45 people. Iran Air also faced a number of challenges in 2016 during negotiations over purchases of aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. Regulatory issues and domestic political pressure in Iran, for example, caused Iran Air to decrease its initial agreement with Airbus by over $15 billion. (Mehr News Agency)
Citations & Links
Mehr News Agency: http://www.mehrnews.com/news/3907317/%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%A2%D8%AE%D9%88%D9%86%D8%AF%DB%8C-%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%81%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%AFLarijani: There is no need for “national reconciliation.”
Judiciary Head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani reacted to a reformist-driven initiative to achieve “national reconciliation” in Iran. Larijani stated, “National reconciliation is necessary in cases where substantial differences exist.” Larijani continued, “There are no fundamental differences or divisions [in Iran] which require national reconciliation… No one denies the existence of difference of preferences; but we see that when we talk about the national interests and national security, all the people put their different preferences aside and work together.” Larijani stressed that the “problem is not with the people” of Iran in general, but rather with “those who were separated over the course of the sedition.” Officials frequently refer to the Green Movement protests as a “sedition.” (ISNA)