Iran News Roundup - June 13, 2017

Aseman Airlines and Boeing signed a $3 billion purchase agreement on June 10 for 30 737 Max jets with a possible addition of 30 more after the first delivery. Boeing is expected to deliver the first batch of jets in 2022 over a period of two years. The deal comes days after the U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill that would add new sanctions against Iran. (Mehr News Agency) (E)

The Artesh Navy 47th Fleet departed Bandar Abbas for Oman on June 11. The fleet will then travel to international waters north of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to “ensure the security of naval routes.” Saudi Arabia and several other countries recently severed ties with Qatar. (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Intelligence Minister Hojjat ol Eslam Mahmoud Alavi announced that security forces had “crushed several terrorist teams in the past two weeks.” (Fars News Agency) (E)

• The Intelligence Ministry also announced the arrest of 41 individuals connected to “Wahhabi ISIS extremist groups” in Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Western Azerbaijan and Tehran provinces. (Tasnim News Agency)

News outlets circulated a photo of IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani with members of the Afghan Shia militia Fatimiyoun Brigade on the Iraq-Syria border on June 12. (Fars News Agency) (E)

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani denounced the US move to impose new sanctions “at a time when the Iranian nation was facing the terrorist incidents.” Larijani further censured the US Senate for lacking in “affection for humanity” thereby proving Iran is facing “two ISIS groups, one in the region and one at the international arena.” (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi criticized Iraqi Kurdistan’s forthcoming independence referendum as “inconsistent with the Iraqi Constitution.” (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani claimed that that America’s alignment “with ISIS in the region” proves that the U.S. is “the Great Satan.” Larijani alleged that the U.S. issued sanctions against Iran because “it knows [that] the Quds Force is the most important regional fighting force.” (Fars News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency)

IRGC Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami censured the Tehran terrorist attacks as the result of a “joint Saudi-Israel-US project” intended to “strike a blow at Iran’s political and security power.” (Fars News Agency) (E) (Ghatreh)

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani met with the Interior and Intelligence ministers and IRGC Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami on May 11. The officials discussed measures to prevent future terrorist attacks. (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

IRGC Ground Forces Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour claimed that ISIS is “making a cozy backyard for the Zionist regime of Israel… The Zionist regime’s existence relies on the rift and disputes among Muslims” on June 11.  Pakpour stated that ISIS “does not distinguish between Sunnis and Shia Muslims.” Pakpour warned that the “global arrogance” is attempting to use “disunity” among Muslims in order to pursue “its ill intentions.” (Fars News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency)

Intelligence Minister Hojjat ol Eslam Mahmoud Alavi stated that Iran’s security forces cooperated with “friendly foreign intelligence services” to apprehend and kill the “mastermind” behind the Tehran terrorist attacks. Alavi did not identify the country to which the “mastermind” fled following the attacks. (Fars News Agency) (E)

President Hassan Rouhani claimed that the Tehran attackers wanted to “take revenge” since “democracy abolishes terrorist’ thoughts and indicates that violence is not the solution.” Rouhani warned that Iran’s enemies are targeting the Iranian people following Iran’s “big victory,” a reference to his recent re-election as president. (IRNA) (E) (Fars News Agency)

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, foreign affairs advisor to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, claimed that there is evidence that certain “extremist agents inside the U.S. government” may be complicit in the Tehran terror attacks. Abdollahian also stated that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman “must be held accountable” for their comments calling for a fight “in Iran and not in Saudi Arabia.” (Mehr News Agency) (E)

Armed Forces General Staff Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri stated, “The hegemonic system and Zionism, which employ their cohorts, namely the regional reactionary regimes and rulers of tribal regimes...and dispatch terrorists trained by their intelligence services to Iran, will suffer defeat.” Bagheri made the statement on June 12. Moreover, Bagheri referenced President Donald Trump’s visit to Riyadh and stated, “we are warning the participants in a recent sword dance with Saudi Arabia and those who try to make plots against Iran to learn the lessons from the result of their proxies in the recent Tehran attacks and to avoid repeating [and] even thinking about [making] mistakes.” Bagheri warned that Iran will “teach new unforgettable lessons to the terrorists and [their] regional and transregional supporters.” (Tasnim News Agency) (E) (Tasnim News Agency)

IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari stated, “The U.S. and the Zionist regime supported these [terrorists]. We have detailed information that, unfortunately, Saudi Arabia has supported the terrorists as well as demanded them to carry out operations in Iran.” Jafari made the statement on June 12. (Fars News Agency)

• Armed Forces General Staff Deputy Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mostafa Izadi said that as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated, Iran possesses “documents and information” demonstrating the U.S. “imperialism’s [support] for this highly disgusting stream [ISIS]... We are facing a proxy warfare in the region as a new trick by the arrogant powers against the Islamic Republic.” (Fars News Agency) (E)