Iran News Roundup - June 17, 2017

Afghan Shia militia fighter Ali Asghar Baloch was buried on June 9 in Pakdasht, Tehran Province. Kazim Ebrahimi was buried in Eslamshahr, Tehran Province on June 16. Both were killed in Syria. (Tasnim News Agency) (Mehr News Agency)

News outlets circulated a photo of IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Karbala, Iraq on June 15. (Mizan Online)

IRGC Ground Forces members dismantled “a team of takfiri terrorists” in Qasr-e Qand, Sistan and Baluchestan Province on June 16. The IRGC claimed it destroyed a “car bomb with 600 kilograms of explosives” and discovered five “suicide bombs.” (Tasnim News Agency)

President Hassan Rouhani discussed Iran’s approach to the world during an iftar [fast-breaking] dinner with members of the Iranian media on July 15.

• Rouhani called for Iran to reform the “tone” it uses to address the world, and stated, “Why don’t we modify our tone? Why don't we know which tone we want to use with the government, the region, and the world? We won’t get anywhere with a harsh tone. There is no other way but moderation.” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other hardline regime figures frequently use harsh and condemnatory language against the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Israel, and other countries.
• Rouhani claimed that his administration is the “most oppressed administration,” and stated that “under today’s circumstances, we should be more in the future than in the past, and look more to national goals than to competitions of yesterday [e.g. the presidential election].”  Rouhani also called on Iran’s media to amend its handling of his administration, stressing that his administration must be treated as “nothing but [the] people’s representative.” Rouhani also stressed the importance of “deciding on the status” of several reformist Telegram channel administrators arrested prior to the May presidential elections. (Tasnim News Agency) (Radio Farda)

Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati condemned the Senate’s vote to impose new sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional activities. Velayati called the move “against the spirit and the letter” of the nuclear deal. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi also condemned the move, stating that “no measure will deny Iran its legitimate right to defense.” (Mehr News Agency) (E) (Fars News Agency) (E) (Press TV) (E) (Mehr News Agency)

• The Supreme Leader’s Representative to West Azerbaijan Hojjat ol Eslam Mehdi Qureshi called on people not to trust “Western governments and in particular that of the U.S.” during his Friday prayer sermon on June 16. Qureshi made the statement in response to the U.S. Senate’s decision to impose new sanctions on Iran.  (Tasnim News Agency)

Former IRGC Commander and Expediency Discernment Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei stated, “Finally, six months into [President Donald Trump’s administration]... the new government announced its policy toward Iran.” Rezaei highlighted U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statement that the Trump administration supports a “peaceful transition” of the Iranian government and stated, “a few days ago, Mr. Tillerson said… “We [the U.S.] are planning to overthrow the government. But we want to carry out a peaceful exchange of power.” Rezaei referenced the U.S. Senate’s approval of the newest round of sanctions against Iran and the Tehran terror attacks and stated, “the policy of Trump and the enemies of this country is… to combine sanctions and terror.” Several Iranian officials have implicated the U.S. and its allies in the June 7 attacks on the Parliament and Imam Khomeini Mausoleum.  

• Rezaei also stated separately, “After four years in office, Tillerson will come to [understand] Iran… Mr. Tillerson’s mistake is that he has ignored the role of the people and the leadership in Iran.” (Fars News Agency) (E) (Tasnim News Agency)