Iran News Round Up - June 28, 2017

Chinese customs sources claimed that Chinese imports from Iran have increased by 41 percent in the first five months of this year as compared to the same period in 2016. (Tasnim News Agency)

Mehdi Hosseini, Yahya Azimi, Sindar Hosseini, Seyyed Abdolhossein Hosseini, Alireza Rezaei, and Mohammad Sharif Sarouri were killed in Syria. The dates of their deaths are unknown. They will be buried in the city of Qom, Qom Province, on June 28. (AhlulBayt News Agency) (Defa Press)

• Afghan national Eid Mohammad Rezaei was killed in Syria. He was from Bushehr province, and will be buried in Ganaveh, Bushehr province, on June 28. (Mehr News Agency)

Kermanshah Province Prosecutor Nemat Sadeqi said that security forces have arrested at least 50 people with suspected links to terrorist groups since the twin ISIS attacks in Tehran on June 7. Sadeqi claimed that a considerable number of suicide belts, electronic detonators, and weapons have been seized from the detainees. (Tasnim News Agency)

Intelligence Minister Hojjat ol Eslam Mahmoud Alavi said Intelligence Ministry operatives confiscated a “very large” cache of arms and ammunition belonging to a terrorist group on June 25. The location of the arms cache and the affiliation of the group are unclear. Alavi claimed that Iran’s crackdown on terrorism following the Tehran attacks have decreased terrorist groups’ capabilities to a “minimal level.” (Press TV) (E) (Fars News Agency) (BBC Persian)

IRGC Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Ali Hajizadeh indicated that Russia may have informed the U.S. of the IRGC’s missile strikes in Syria’s Deir Ez Zour Governorate on June 18. (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded via Twitter to the partial reinstatement of Trump travel ban, calling it a “bigoted ban on Muslims” that may serve to strengthen extremists’ positions. (Twitter)

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized regional countries that think “security is purchasable,” a likely reference to the latest Saudi Arabia-U.S. arms deal, during a speech to the European Council on Foreign Relations on June 26. Zarif commended Europe for its role in shaping the negotiations leading up to the nuclear deal, Zarif advised European nations to play a greater role in the setting up of talks in the Persian Gulf. (Press TV) (E) (Mehr News Agency)

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated, “Today, the fight against the Zionist regime is obligatory and necessary for Muslims. Why do some evade this duty?” during a meeting with senior Iranian officials and ambassadors of Muslim countries. Khamenei described the division and discord between Muslim states as “harmful to Islam and the entire Islamic ummah [community].” (Press TV) (E) (Fars News Agency)

President Hassan Rouhani called Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani on June 25. Rouhani addressed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries’ diplomatic rift with Qatar and stated, “The siege of Qatar is unacceptable… If there is a conflict between regional countries, pressure, threats, or sanctions are not the right way to resolve differences.” Rouhani emphasized the need for private sector co-operation and the importance of the advancement of relations between Iran and Qatar. (Reuters) (E) (Fars News Agency)

IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari reacted to President Hassan Rouhani’s criticism of IRGC-controlled foundations’ involvement in the Iranian government’s large-scale effort to privatize its holdings. Jafari stated, “A government that does not have guns is humiliated by its enemies and eventually surrenders.” Jafari also defended the IRGC’s involvement in Iran’s economy as part of the IRGC’s larger mission to protect the Islamic Revolution and its achievements, stating, “We believe that attempts to reduce… the [Iranian] economy’s dependence” on foreign countries “is a one of the main examples of [the IRGC’s mission of] this protection.” Jafari continued, “The IRGC does not have profitable economic activities; our activities in the [economic] field are… construction and the neutralization of the enemy’s strategies designed to put economic pressure” on Iran. (Tasnim News Agency) (E) (ISNA)