Iran News Round Up – February 28, 2017

Ali Asghar Karimi was killed in Mosul, Iraq, on February 25. Karimi reportedly traveled to Iraq recently. (Tasnim News Agency) (Qasem Soleimani)

Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani denied reports that he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir in Baghdad. Meanwhile, Shamkhani added that Saudi Arabia continues to pursue its “destructive policies” in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere. (Fars News Agency) (Tasnim News Agency)

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to “show restraint” in light of the recent clashes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Ghassemi later expressed Iran’s “readiness” to assist both parties with reestablishing peace and security in the region. (IRNA)

• Ghassemi also met with family members of Mousa al Sadr, an Iranian-Lebanese senior Shi’a cleric who disappeared during a visit to Libya in August 1978. Ghassemi also stressed that al Sadr’s disappearance remains an “important” issue for the Iranian government. A mob targeted the offices of Al Jadeed television station in Beirut, Lebanon, two weeks ago after the station aired a sketch which some argued insulted Sadr and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (Fars News Agency) (E) (Mehr News Agency)

Hardline Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to President Donald Trump on February 26. Ahmadinejad lauded Trump for “truthfully” describing “the U.S. political system and electoral structure as corrupt” and against the public’s best interests. Ahmadinejad stated that the U.S. electoral system has “enslaved people’s votes to benefit a certain minority, i.e. a group that seemingly rules in the form of two parties, but in fact represents a minority.” Ahmadinejad called on Trump to change the U.S. electoral system and to free the “people’s will and interests from that imposed slavery.” He also pushed back on President Trump’s executive order preventing nationals of Iran and six other Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S. Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. of creating and supporting terrorist organization and of obstructing the “right performance” of the United Nations.  Ahmadinejad has written similar letters to former U.S. presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.  (Tasnim News Agency) (E)  

Judiciary Head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani stated that “one of the most ungracious acts is the use of anti-revolutionary tools… for the advancement of electoral objectives.” Further, Larijani highlighted that “Some media, on behalf of certain individuals within the country, behave in an anti-revolutionary way, which is absolutely a crime.” (Mehr News Agency)

Iranian media outlets circulated reports that the Astan Quds Razavi Foundation chief of staff indicated that the foundation’s head, Ebrahim Raisi, will not run in the May 2017 presidential elections. Senior officials recently discussed the possibility of Raisi’s candidacy in the elections. (Fararu)

Parliament began an open session to study the details of the budget for the next Persian calendar year (March 2017-March 2018) on February 26. Parliament approved the general outline of the budget on February 21, with 111 members voting in favor, 77 voting against, and five abstentions. The budget is based on an average oil price of $50 per barrel. The Guardian Council still needs to approve the budget before it can be implemented. (Farda News) (IRNA)

• Rouhani administration spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht stated, “Our budget in the defense and security field has increased 86% in the past four years.” (Fars News Agency) (E)

IRGC Ground Forces Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour announced the formation of the IRGC Ground Forces Drone Organization on February 26. The new unit is responsible for the IRGC Ground Forces’ drone operations. The IRGC Ground Forces has also established a “center” for the new unit. Pakpour stated that the new unit “has bases in operational areas” in Iran, but did not specify their locations. (Tasnim News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency) (E) (Press TV)

Artesh Navy Commander RADM Habibollah Sayyari stated that the “Velayat 95” exercises are taking place in Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Aden. The exercises began on February 26, and will conclude on March 1. Sayyari stated that one of the purposes of the exercise is to improve the Artesh Navy’s “maritime counter-terrorism” capabilities, “especially in the northern Indian Ocean.” The exercises featured launches of a cruise missile named “Nasir” and a “smart” laser-guided anti-submarine missile named “Dehlaviyeh.” The range of the “Nasir” cruise missile was not specified. The exercise also included defensive operations by the Artesh Navy Special Operations along the Makran coast, as well as Artesh Navy paratrooper jumps from Fokker F-27 aircraft “for the first time” in Iran’s history. The Artesh Navy’s minesweeping helicopter unit also participated in the exercises. (Ghatreh) (Mehr News Agency) (Mehr News Agency) (Mehr News Agency) (Fars News Agency)