Iran News Round Up

Unverified sources claimed that Russian Special Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev requested on April 10 that Iran allow Russian long-range bombers to use the Artesh’s Shahid Nojeh Air Base in Hamedan, Hamedan Province in western Iran. Lavrentiev allegedly made the request during his meeting with Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Shamkhani. Russian forces previously used Shahid Nojeh Air Base to conduct operations into Syria in August 2016. (Telegram)

President Hassan Rouhani and a ministerial delegation approved and announced 16 directives to organize and manage Iran’s currency exchange market. Directives include the requirement for imported goods into Iranian Special Trade-Industrial Zones and Special Economic Zones (SEZ) to be registered. First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri announced the new directives to relevant state institutions, including Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, and the Central Bank of Iran. The directives follow President Hassan Rouhani Government's order to unify Iran’s official and free market exchange rates. The establishment of a fixed-rate for the Iranian Rial comes after significant devaluation of the Iranian Rial. The Iranian Rial has devalued by more than 30 percent since September 2017. (President.ir)

Forty-three of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ministers and deputies noted that Ahmadinejad’s recent “destructive behavior and positions” have affected Iran’s national unity and sense of togetherness in a public statement issued on April 12.They criticized Ahmadinejad and suggested that his disagreeable and critical approach toward certain government officials has opened the door for “foreign enemies” and “rioters” to endanger the regime and damage the Iranian people’s interests. Ahmadinejad has capitalized on recent Iranian anti-regime protests to leverage popular discontent to erode the legitimacy of regime officials and key institutions. Ahmadinejad has called for “immediate and free presidential elections” and the removal of Judiciary head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani in recent letters sent to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Ahmadinejad-era ministers and deputies expressed their dissatisfaction with the current economic state of the country and praised regime strengths , such as strengthening the Axis of Resistance and defending Iranian security. The letter’s signatories also noted the country’s poor economic condition and livelihood issues present amongst the country’s “weak and intermediate strata.” They attributed these issues in large part to the “incorrect approach” of President Hassan Rouhani and his government. (Tasnim News Agency)