Iran News Round Up – March 4, 2017

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, international affairs advisor to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, praised pro-Syrian regime forces’ recapture of Palmyra, Syria from ISIS as a sign that “the terrorists have come to the end of the line.” (Mehr News Agency)

President Hassan Rouhani is expected to travel to Russia following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to that country from March 9-10. Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour said Rouhani will sign “more than five” memoranda of understanding during his visit. (Tasnim News Agency)

Fatimiyoun Brigade Cultural Deputy Hojjat ol Eslam Hajjat Gonabadinejad stated that a “mosque dedicated to the Fatimiyoun warriors” in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, has been built and acts as a “base for cultural activities” of the “Fatimiyoun Basij.” He stated that “the Fatimiyoun Basij base recently began its activities,” and noted that Fatimiyoun Brigade members “carry out activities” at the base after returning from fighting abroad. (Tasnim News Agency)

Mohammad Reza Aref, a senior reformist politician and head of the reformist List of Hope parliamentary faction, stressed that the Supreme Reformist Policy-making Council intends to select a single candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. He also stated, “My prediction is that the situation of [President Hassan] Rouhani or a final reformist candidate is good. [The reformist candidate] will be elected in the first round.” Iran’s presidential elections move to a second round of voting if a single candidate fails to receive a majority vote in the first round. (ISNA)

Interim Tehran Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami discussed the May 19 presidential elections during his sermon on March 3. Khatami warned that “the election space in the country should not be a space to vent about Islamic values. No one - neither candidates nor their supporters - have a right to persecute [Iran’s] Islamic political system under the pretext of campaign speeches, nor raise questions about the Islamic Revolution’s 38 years of services.” Khatami also noted that “until the seditionists repent, the people will not reconcile with them.” The regime typically refers to individuals involved in the 2009 Green Movement as “seditionists.”

• Khatami also stated that the “atmosphere” surrounding Iran’s forthcoming presidential elections “must be different from that which surrounds Western elections; you see what a mess the American [presidential] campaign arena was.” He continued, “Our priority in the elections must be to prioritize the glorious presence of the people at the ballot box, regardless… of what faction wins the elections.” Khatami warned that Iran’s enemies “do not want the electoral atmosphere” in Iran “to be calm,” a standard regime refrain leading up to previous presidential elections.
• Khatami stated that the U.S. is seeking to establish no-fly zones “under the pretext of sheltering refugees,” but in reality wants to shield “terrorists.” Khatami warned that the creation of no-fly zones would be a “prelude to the dissolution of Syria.” (Fars News Agency) (Tasnim News Agency)