Iran News Round Up - April 11, 2017

Hojjat ol Eslam Mohammad Hossein Momeni was a Pakistani cleric. He appears to have been part of the Pakistani Shia militia Zeinabiyoun Brigade. The date and exact location of his death are not reported yet. (ABNA) (Khabar One)

Abd al Azim Sakhi Zada was a member of the Afghan Shia militia Fatimiyoun Brigade. The date of his death is unknown.  (Tasnim News Agency)

• Mehdi Shakouri was killed in Syria on April 6. He was buried in Gorgan Province. (ISNA)
• Morad Abbasi Fard was from Kermanshah Province. Iranian media reported on April 7 that he was killed in the village of Maardis in Hama, Syria, “in recent days.” (Jameh News Agency)

Astan Quds Razavi Foundation Head and Assembly of Experts member Hojjat ol Eslam Ebrahim Raisi issued a statement formally announcing his presidential run. Raisi stated that “the key solution to our problems is fundamental change in the executive management of the country by the will of the people, and the formation of a competent and knowledgeable government that works day and night to bring back the dignity of the people and fights poverty and corruption.” Raisi is one of the finalists to represent the conservative Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces. (Reuters) (E) (Fars News Agency)

Expediency Discernment Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei discussed Russian-American relations during an interview on state-run television on April 8. He stated, “Now, a bigger gap has been created between Mr. Putin and Trump, and Putin has understood that if he loses his strategic ties with Iran, he will face a Trump whose behavior is not based on any standards.” Rezaei indicated that Trump launched the airstrikes in order to alter American domestic political opinion and demonstrate that he does not support Russia. Rezaei also indicated that Trump launched the airstrike in order to boost “the terrorists,” who he claimed “are in the depth of their failures.” (Fars News Agency) (E)  (Tnews)

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed the recent U.S. airstrikes in Syria during a meeting with senior IRGC and Artesh commanders on April 9. The meeting was likely planned prior to the U.S. airstrikes.

• On the airstrikes: “What the Americans did was a strategic mistake. They are repeating the mistakes of their predecessors… Former American officials created” ISIS “or helped it, and the current [U.S.] officials are also strengthening” ISIS “or a group similar to it.”
• On chemical weapons: “The hypocrite European governments, who currently claim that chemical weapons have been used in the case of Syria, supplied [former Iraqi president] Saddam [Hussein] with tons of chemical weapons” during the Iran-Iraq War.
• On “psychological” operations against the armed forces: Khamenei warned that Iran’s enemies are using “psychological warfare tactics to create weakness and shakiness among officials and infuse them with the sense of “it is not possible and we cannot do anything.”” He stressed that senior commanders must work to boost “the morale of the Armed Forces.” (Leader.ir) (E)

President Hassan Rouhani said that the U.S. airstrikes are “incompatible with international law, reason, and the interests of other countries.” Rouhani also called for the formation of “an international fact-finding commission” to investigate the chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun. Rouhani also stated that “Of course, the government of Syria needs reforms... for us, these reforms are necessary; however, in the latest incident, firstly the Americans carried out the attack under a pretext” that has not been proved. (President.ir) (Fars News Agency)

• Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated the world is still paying the price for the latest “impetuous unilateralism” that is based on “self-serving allegations” in a post on Twitter. Zarif also separately called his counterparts in Russia, Oman, Algeria, Syria, and the EU to discuss the importance of forming an international fact-finding commission to investigate the chemical weapons attack. (Tasnim News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency)
• Judiciary Head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani similarly called for the formation of a fact-finding commission. Ayatollah Larijani added that the use of chemical weapons in Syria was “merely a pretext for the U.S. aggression.” (Fars News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency)

 President Hassan Rouhani called Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 8. Rouhani stressed that the UN Security Council must debate and “condemn” the U.S.’s “unilateral decision” to launch the airstrikes on Syria’s Shayrat Airbase. Rouhani claimed that “reports indicate that terrorists have access to chemical weapons and the U.S. [air]strikes will prompt terrorist groups to use chemical weapons once again.” Rouhani reiterated Tehran’s readiness to “consult, cooperate, and coordinate with Moscow” in the fight against terrorism. He also criticized other countries’ decision to support the U.S. airstrikes.  

• Rouhani called Syrian President Bashar al Assad on April 9. Rouhani stressed that the airstrikes “will not have any effect on the outcomes of combatting terrorism and the future of Syria,” and expressed hope that “free countries of the world” will “explicitly condemn such attacks and acts of aggression.” Rouhani warned that “such attacks only contribute to encouraging the terrorists who have suffered heavy losses in Syria and Iraq in recent months.” (Fars News Agency) (E) (President.ir) (E)  (President.ir) (E)

Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Shamkhani spoke with Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev on April 8. Shamkhani stated that as Syria has surrendered its chemical weapons, another actor launched the chemical weapons attack at Khan Sheikhoun as an excuse for the U.S. airstrikes on Shayrat Airbase.

• Shamkhani spoke with Syrian National Security Bureau Gen. Ali Mamlouk on April 9. Shamkhani stated that the airstrikes were designed to improve terrorists’ morale, and reiterated Iran’s ongoing support for the Syrian government and people. (Fars News Agency) (E)

Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Head IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri discussed the situation in Syria during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov on April 8. The two sides “condemned the missile strike” as “a definite and obvious aggression against an independent country” and a “plan aimed at slowing the Syrian army and its allies’ victories and boosting the morale of the terrorists and their supporters.” The two sides stressed that the “fight against terrorism will continue unabated.” They also stated that “the chemical episode was suspect, and we believe an independent fact-finding committee should look into the issue and provide clear information as to the perpetrators.” The two sides promised that “the fight against terrorism will continue, and the operations against terrorists in Syria will be intensified.” (Jahan News)

• Bagheri called the chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun a “suspicious incident” meant to criminalize the Syrian government during a call with Syrian Arab Army Commander Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayyoub on April 9. Bagheri stated that Iran is proud to be on the coalition against “terrorism” with Russia and Syria. (Akharinkhabar News Agency) (Press TV)