Iran News Round Up - August 28, 2017

Two Afghan Fatemiyoun fighters were buried in Saveh, Markazi Province, on August 24. Mohammad Shojaei and Esmatollah Mohammadi died in Syria. (Ostan-e Saveh)

Head of the Organization of Foreign Investment Mohammad Khazaei and Central Bank representatives signed a $10 billion loan with South Korea’s Export-Import Bank. This deal comes after Iran signed a $7.1 billion deal with China’s Export-Import Bank for powering a rail line between Tehran and Mashhad and after a 2.2 billion euro deal with Russia for transportation and energy development. (ABNA) (Mehr News Agency)

Iran’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Ali Reza Jahangiri stated that Iran and the Netherlands had witnessed a 50 percent rise in bilateral trade in the past year. Jahangiri stressed that Iran “is prepared for extensive economic cooperation with European countries.” (Mehr News Agency)

Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission member Morteza Saffari Natanzi said “according to international laws, no country has the right to interfere with the military affairs of another country.” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley recently pressed the IAEA regarding access to Iranian military sites. The nuclear deal permits the IAEA to request access to military sites under certain conditions. (Tasnim News Agency)

• Parliamentarians issue statement on Ambassador Haley's visit to the IAEA. Parliamentarians issued an official statement expressing that “Iran will never permit the IAEA to take advantage of [Iran] for one specific country’s political objectives.” (ISNA)
• Iran’s representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi echoed Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s criticism of Haley’s visit to the IAEA. Najafi stated that “multiple reports by the [IAEA] indicating Iran’s abiding by its promises in the nuclear deal demonstrate America’s defeated policy of attempting to foment anti-Iranian sentiment.” (Mehr News Agency)

A meeting of the Global Resistance Front took place during the Union of Independent Student Organizations’ International Conference at Allameh Tabatabaei University on August 24. Representatives from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the al Houthi movement, Lebanon, and Kuwait reportedly also attended the meeting. Representatives discussed matters relating to Yemen, the Axis of Resistance, and Israel. Iran uses the term “Axis of Resistance” to describe its network of proxies and anti-U.S. allies, including Hezbollah and the Syrian regime. (Defa Press)

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced on August 24 that it will return its ambassador to Iran. It stated that Qatar “desires the reinforcement of its bilateral relations” with Iran. Qatar recalled its ambassador from Tehran in January 2016 following Saudi Arabia’s severing of diplomatic ties with Iran. (ISNA)

• Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi stated that Iran “welcomes” the return of the Qatari ambassador and views it as a “positive and logical step.” Ghassemi added that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had discussed the return of the ambassador with his Qatari counterpart Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman al Thani prior to the announcement. (Tasnim News Agency)

Newly appointed Justice Minister Ali Reza Avaei stated that “if the government requests it, I am prepared to follow up [Mehdi] Karroubi’s demands with the Judiciary.” Avaei’s statement follows Green Movement leader Mehdi Karroubi’s hunger strike on August 16-17. Karroubi demanded the removal of security officers from his home and a date for a public trial. Karroubi, as well as Green Movement leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, has been under house arrest since 2011. Avaei previously served as President Hassan Rouhani’s Special Inspectorate head and Tehran’s Chief Prosecutor prior to his appointment as Justice Minister. (ISNA)

Newly appointed Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi stated that there are ongoing negotiations to unblock Twitter in Iran.  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei oversees the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which controls which websites are blocked. The regime has banned everyday Iranians from using Twitter since the 2009 Green Movement protests. Some senior regime officials, such as Khamenei, use Twitter nonetheless. (Radio Free Liberty) (E)

Reformist parliamentarian and editor of the newspaper Etemaad Elias Hazrati denied allegations of internal dissent within the reformist-backed Omid parliamentary faction. Omid has been conducting internal investigation after members reportedly broke the faction line on the confirmation of certain members of President Hassan Rouhani’s second-term cabinet. The faction failed to block the appointment of Information and Communication Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi. It was also unable to secure the appointment of proposed reformist Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf. Hazrati stressed that “Omid unanimously voted for Mr. Bitaraf.” Hazrati claimed that the rumors of internal dissent were “due to a lack of information” in the media regarding the faction’s procedure. (ISNA)