Iran News Round Up

Members of President Hassan Rouhani’s proposed second-term cabinet met with various parliamentary factions ahead of votes on their respective appointments this week. Intelligence Minister Hojjat ol Eslam Mahmoud Alavi met with reformist-backed Omid parliamentary faction on August 12. Alavi stated that “the atmosphere was very friendly and fraternal” and added that “no one among them has any animosity or malice” towards Alavi remaining in the role for a second term. (ISNA)

• Proposed Health Minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi met with Omid members on August 12. Ghazizadeh characterized the meeting as “relaxed” and added that the faction’s members “provided guidance that [he] will definitely put to use.” (Mehr News Agency)
• Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Omid members on August 12. Zarif stressed that “the Foreign Ministry was the first branch [of government] to make use of the presence of women as deputy ministers and ambassadors” during Rouhani’s first term in office. Zarif’s comments follow continued criticism of Rouhani’s proposed cabinet selection for lack of gender diversity. (ISNA)
• Zarif met with members of the principlist Velayat faction on August 13. Zarif stated that “economic diplomacy and attention to the region are the two priorities of the Foreign Ministry” in Rouhani’s second term in office. He added that “concentrating on our neighbors is a new policy that we will define [in due course]. We will present our ‘neighbors policy’ as a new discussion for the Islamic Republic during the twelfth government.” (Mehr News Agency)

Reformist Women’s Council Member Ashraf Boroujerdi met with reformist former President Mohammad Khatami on August 14. Boroujerdi reported that Khatami “believes that the capacities of capable women should be employed in government and [that] there are, of course, obstacles that must be removed from women’s paths.” (ILNA)

• Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Motahari commented that Rouhani’s proposed second-term cabinet is “good, all in all, but it ultimately depends on the opinions of [Parliament’s] representatives.” He added that “there are principlists and reformists present in the cabinet, which shows there is no prejudice in the cabinet over group or faction.” (ISNA)
• Reformist Policy Council Secretary Zhaleh Faramarzian criticized Rouhani for choosing “ministers incompatible with his plans” in order to guarantee stability during his second term in office. She added that “if this was not expediency he could have chosen more effective, stronger individuals.” (Tasnim News Agency)

IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari accused groups and individuals in Iran of being part of a “weakening” of Iran’s defensive capacities in remarks on August 13. Jafari stated that in addition to U.S. sanctions, “unfortunately some [groups] domestically lap up the promises of [our] enemies and don’t realize the depth of our enemies’ plots and plans for the weakening of [our] defensive capabilities, but still support them.” Jafari’s comments follow a protracted spat between President Hassan Rouhani and senior IRGC figures over the IRGC’s role in Iran’s economy. (Radio Farda)

Security forces arrested Reformist newspaper Etemad’s deputy editor Sassan Aghaei on August 12. The charges against Aghaei, who is imprisoned in Evin prison, are not clear. Aghaei was previously arrested during the 2009 Green Movement and released four months later. (Radio Farda)

Newly appointed Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi reacted to accusations regarding his health on August 12. Najafi acknowledged that he discovered he had a heart condition in 2013, but noted, “three and a half years have passed so please rest assured, I have no problem.” (ILNA)  

Parliament passed a bill on “Countering America’s Mercenary and Terrorist Actions in the Region” by 240 votes and one abstention on August 13. The bill grants $300m each to the IRGC’s Quds Force and Iran’s ballistic missile program respectively and requires the foreign and defense ministries to provide periodic reports to Parliament on U.S. activities in the region. The bill imposes sanctions on members of the U.S. military. (Fars News Agency)

Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on August 12 and 13, respectively. Jaberi Ansari reiterated the regime’s claim that “there is no military solution” to the Yemen crisis. (Fars News Agency)

Armed Forces General Staff chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri is travelling to Turkey on August 15 to meet with senior Turkish military and political officials. The meetings will focus on terrorism, regional developments, and defense cooperation. (Mehr News Agency) (E)

Artesh Shahid Babaei Air Base Commander Brig. Gen. Massoud Rouzkhosh announced that the Artesh Air Force tested “new weapons and missiles successfully” aboard F-14 and F-7 jets. Rouzkhosh did not provide further details regarding the weaponry. He also stated that they “created combat capabilities [for] the PC-7 aircraft and successfully mounted and tested machine guns [on them].” He also noted that F-14 and F-4 jets “are capable of maritime conflict,” and that that the Artesh Air Force had cooperated with Iranian universities to upgrade the F-14’s radar system.  (Mehr News Agency)