Iran News Round Up - March 16, 2018

Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh announced that the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed two contracts to develop Iranian oil fields with Russia’s state-owned oil company Zarubezhneft on March 14. The agreement aims to develop the Aban and West Paydar oil fields in western Iran. Zarubezhneft has an 80 percent share in the agreement and Iran’s Dana Energy has the remaining 20 percent. (IRNA) (Reuters) (E)

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze in Baku, Azerbaijan in a quadrilateral meeting to discuss regional developments, narcotic trafficking, and economic relations on March 15. Zarif also met with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev during this visit. Zarif then flew to Astana, Kazakhstan on March 16 to meet again with Cavusoglu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for a continuation of the Astana talks on the Syrian peace process. (IRIB) (IRNA) (E) (Mehr News Agency)

• Military attache participates in quadrilateral Iran-Russia-Syria-Iraq counterterrorism meeting. Military attache IRGC Brig. Gen. 2C Mostafa Moradian attended a meeting of  the Iran-Russia-Syria-Iraq Intelligence Center in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 14. Military representatives from each member state participated in the meeting, including Iraqi Defense Minister Erfan al Hiyali. (Tasnim News Agency)

Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy (NSFP) Committee spokesperson Hossein Naghavi Hosseini said that Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi stated that if the U.S. were to leave the nuclear deal then so will Iran. Araghchi allegedly made the comments during an extraordinary meeting of the NSFP Committee on March 14. Araghchi also noted that the UK, France, and Germany have been trying and failing to keep the United States in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Araghchi also criticized the Europeans’ promise to U.S. President Donald Trump to strike a new deal following the JCPOA’s expiration. Araghchi also noted that “Iran has received a lot of benefit from the deal but has not received all [of the deal’s promised] benefits.” (Tasnim News Agency)

The Judiciary sentenced widely-respected reformist Tehran University professor Sadegh Zibakalam to 18 months in prison and barred Zibakalam from any political and press-related activities for two years. Mizan Online reported that the 15th Islamic Revolutionary Court summoned and accused Zibakalam of “promoting anti-regime propaganda,” citing an unspecified interview Zibakalam gave to a “foreign [website].” Zibakalam’s interview with Deutche Welle’s Persian service on January 1, 2018, four days after the beginning of the widespread anti-regime protests in Iran, likely resulted in the summons. Zibakalam has opposed Iran’s nuclear program and debated hardline politicians on numerous occasions. (Alef) (Twitter) (Mizan Online) (Telegram)

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli discussed the late December 2017-early January 2018 widespread anti-regime protests with IRAN newspaper on March 11. Fazli discussed some of the findings from the Interior Ministry’s report with President Hassan Rouhani from mid-January 2017. Fazli stated that the Interior Ministry “did not come to the conclusion that a single group… hostile [party], or anti-Islamic Revolution [group] organized the protests from outside” of Iran. Fazli qualified his statement by noting that hostile groups exerted “their utmost effort to exploit, guide, and exacerbate” the protests. Fazli disputed claims that “economic pressures and and issues like unemployment” led to the protests. The Interior Minister stated that “results from field research shows that 60 percent of those who [participated] in the protests were employed.” Fazli’s comments contradict Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s January 9 speech when Khamenei accused the U.S., Israel, “a wealthy Persian Gulf [Arab] nation,” and actors connected to the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) of organizing the protests. (IRAN)

Reformist Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi submitted a letter of resignation to the Tehran City Council on March 14. Tehran City Council head Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani noted that Najafi’s resignation is due to Najafi’s poor health, and stressed the council’s desire for Najafi to continue as mayor. Najafi has not commented officially on his resignation. Najafi was elected Tehran City mayor in August 2017. The Tehran City Council must approve Najafi’s resignation. Najafi’s resignation follows his attendance at a heavily-criticized performance of a young women’s dance ensemble during an event at Tehran’s Milad Tower on March 7. (Tasnim News Agency) (Mehr News Agency) (BBC Persian) (Ghanoon Daily)