Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by�Ali Alfoneh, Ahmad Majidyar and�Michael Rubin.��To subscribe to this daily newsletter, please visit this page, fill out the "New Subscribers" section, and check "Iran News Round Up" listed under "Projects."�
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(E) = Article in English

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Politics

• Tehran Mayor Qalibaf says he will not consider the presidential elections as "solving Tehran's problems requires full attention."
• Iran will hold parliamentary elections on March 2, 2012.
• [E] Ahmadinejad says the new Middle East will be created without US influence or Israel's existence.�

Diplomacy

• Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi expresses the Islamic Republic's readiness to "secure safe transport of Lebanese citizens from Ivory Coast."
• Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh, Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chairman, says the Islamic Republic will "reconsider its relations with the United Arab Emirates" following UAE's "interventions" in Bahrain.
• [E] Iran and Turkey stress the importance of bolstering relations in all fields and holding constant consultations with regard to the unfolding developments in the Middle East.
• [E] Prominent Iranian legislator condemns Saudi official's recent remarks as provocative, and an attempt to "spread Iraniphobia" in the region, and cautions Saudi Arabia to cease threatening behavior.

Military and Security

• Revolutionary Guards Chief Mohammad-Ali Jafari announces new changes within the IRGC due to "rapid change in the nature of threats the regime is facing."
• Chief of the General Staff Hassan Firouz-Abadi answers parliamentarian Hojjat al-Eslam Rouhollah Hosseinian's call for military action against Saudi Arabia:
  
  • "In the culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran, war, arms and aggression have no place. Iran does not intend to entangle itself with other countries of the region... Those Arab countries which deployed forces to Bahrain were wrong... Saudi Arabia committed the greatest mistake to answer the call of the United States and intervene in Bahrain. This country had motives of its own, but it was through American demands that it entered the arena."

Nuclear Issue

• Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to the IAEA, says inspecting the TABA centrifuge parts production factory is not covered by Iran's Non-Proliferation obligations of the Islamic Republic.
• Senior Presidential Adviser Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi: "Our most important work in the field of acquiring nuclear technology is to build electrical power plants. For the time being, a 350 Megawatt plant is being built and an experimental plant is being constructed in Arak."�
• [E] Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) denounces the illegitimacy of the UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions against Iran.
• [E] Senior Iranian official says the Islamic Republic and the 5+1 group are ready to hold the next round of multifaceted talks, but the time and venue have not been decided yet.

Economy

• Mahmoud Bahmani, Central Bank Director General, explains the plans to remove four zeros from the national currency: "The new rial (which will be 10,000 rials of today) will have the same value as a dollar... In the future, one rial will equal 100 dinars." Most commentators ridicule the Central Bank's plans to introduce an Arabic name for the currency.
  
  • Economy Minister Shams al-Din Hosseini says the number of the zeros to be removed from the currency is undecided and that the issue of the Rial being equal to 100 Dinars still is unclear.
• Economy Minister Shams al-Din Hosseini: "People who go to the bazaar to purchase gold or [gold] coins should take the world gold price into consideration... and abstain from buying it if they are more expensive [than the world market]... We will show the speculators that they will be defeated. The Central Bank has enough gold reserves..."
• The Central Bank reports increasing prices of chicken, eggs, and butter.
• Sharq's editorial warns of the "bubble" at the Tehran Stock Exchange: "The Iranian capital market should prefer reality to daydreaming in current circumstances of the country. If it is the assessment of the directors of the Stock Exchange that the happy and ecstatic community of investors has forced the prices up, they should immediately find ways to counter it... They should avoid bursting the bubble..."

Trade

• Ali Taheri Motlaq, Marine Facilities Company executive director: "All the active projects of this company in the South Pars [oil and gas field] will end in two years... the value of the projects amounts to $8 billion... We have also projects in Syria and India, we are also trying to execute projects in Brazil and have not faced problems in this regard."
• Economy Minister Shams al-Din Hosseini: "A part of the money from oil purchased by India used to be transferred through German banks. The German financial authorities applied certain restrictions but, following conversations with Indian and German authorities, the problem was solved and the mentioned amount [of money] was transferred... As we have said on numerous occasions, sanctions are a defeated project and only the countries propagating it will pay for it."� �
• The Iranian parliament's research institute releases a comprehensive report on "planners of sanctions against Iran" and involvement of "the Zionist lobby" in the sanctions scheme. �
• [E] Iranian Foreign Ministry announces resolution with India over payments for Iranian crude oil, citing no legal problems.
• [E] Iranian Oil Minister stresses that US and international sanctions against Iran have left no negative impact on the country's oil sector.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Reports on the CD-Rom "Emergence [of the imam of the Era] is close":
  
  • Judiciary Spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ezhehi condemns the CD-Rom, adds the CD-Rom spreads lies.
  • According to Mashregh News, the second part of the CD-Rom will soon be released.
  • Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei says he has had nothing to do with production of the CD-Rom.��
  • Hojjat al-Eslam Jafar Shojouni refutes claims of his involvement in production of the CD-Rom, but welcomes it as a way propagating the culture of awaiting the Mahdi in society:
    
    • "Pursuing the issue of Messianism is a very important issue. I believe that the era of 'isms' and ideologies has come to an end and the 'isms' have collapsed. Two ideologies have remained in the world. One is democracy and the other Messianism. However, the United States and Europe have discredited democracy and, in my opinion, the only thing left in this world is Messianism."
    • "It is wrong to make comparisons [between individuals of the Day of Reckoning mentioned in sacred texts and political individuals of today]. The main issue of Messianism must be propagated."
    • "You know, they want to attack the president. He is pursuing the government of justice. He wants to establish Islamic justice... Mr. Ahmadinejad wants to annihilate Israel - God willing. Mr. Ahmadinejad is following the thoughts of the Imam [Khomeini]. This is why so many are against him and are vindictive. The aggressor Israel is among them..."
    • "Can you say that the President has no halo of light... I said it is possible that there is a halo of light..."�
• Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani: "According to the tales, at the Day of Reckoning [the city of] Qom will have an elevated and desirable position and the sound of pure Islam will arise from this city and reach the entire world."�
• Ayatollah Haeri Shirazi criticizes the government's celebration of Nowruz, adds: "With the Nowruz festivities, we can't export Islam."

Photo of the Day

• Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei at Sayyid Shirazi's commemoration.

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