Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by AEI Critical Threats Project Iran Analysts Marie Donovan, Paul Bucala, and Caitlin Shayda Pendleton and contributors Ali Javaheri and Wali Miller. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

(E) = Article in English

Excerpts of these translations may only be used with the expressed consent of the authors.

Key takeaway: President Hassan Rouhani warned President-elect Donald Trump against ripping up the nuclear deal.

Rouhani downplayed Trump’s ability to unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He stated, “He may want many things. He may want to weaken or rip up the JCPOA. Would we or the Iranian nation permit it? America cannot influence our will or our path of resistance and endurance.” Rouhani also elaborated on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warning that renewing the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) will constitute a violation of the nuclear deal. He stated, “If the ISA is implemented [without waivers], it is an egregious and clear violation of the JCPOA, and it will be met by a harsh response from us. If the president of America signs this law and then waives it, we will still consider it an infringement of the JCPOA, and we will respond to it.”

Rouhani also announced that an Iranian council tasked with supervising the JCPOA’s implementation will meet on December 7 to discuss Iran’s response to the ISA. Council members include Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati. Despite statements from Iranian officials, renewing the ISA will not violate the nuclear deal. A “clean” ten-year extension of the ISA will only renew the authority to impose existing sanctions, many of which are already waived under the nuclear deal.

AEI Must-Reads

• Paul Bucala and Marie Donovan analyze recent changes to Iran’s military command structure in “A New Era for Iran’s Military Leadership.”
   
• J. Matthew McInnis and Ashton Gilmore argue that understanding Iran’s use of force is essential to prepare for potential crises with Tehran and develop effective strategies to respond to a modernizing Iranian military in “Iran at War: Understanding why and how Tehran uses military force.”

Regional Developments & Diplomacy

• Rouhani: Iran will not let Trump rip up the nuclear deal. President Hassan Rouhani discussed the future of the nuclear deal during a speech to university students on December 6. Rouhani stated that an Iranian council supervising the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will meet on December 7 to discuss Iran’s response to the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). Rouhani reassured Iranians to “not worry” and stated:
  • “This situation has two cases. If the ISA is implemented [without waivers], it is an egregious and clear violation of the JCPOA, and it will be met by a harsh response from us. Our country is unified in confronting violations of the JCPOA. There is no difference in opinion among the administration, Parliament, and the opinions expressed by the Supreme Leader… [In the second case] if the president of America signs this law and then waives it, we will still consider it an infringement of the JCPOA, and we will respond to it.” Rouhani did not specify what Iran’s response to either case would be but noted, “We will certainly defend the rights of the Iranian nation.”
  • Rouhani referred to President-elect Donald Trump and stated, “He may want many things. He may want to weaken or rip up the JCPOA. Would we or the Iranian nation permit it? America cannot influence our will or our path of resistance and endurance.”
  • Rouhani emphasized the Supreme Leader’s support for the nuclear negotiations and agreement, stating, “We did not take any step regarding the JCPOA without consulting and meeting with the Supreme Leader.” (Fars News Agency)
     
• Rafsanjani: Congress cannot unilaterally violate the JCPOA. Expediency Discernment Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani downplayed America’s impact on the nuclear deal’s implementation during a speech on December 6. He stated, “The JCPOA is an international document that was confirmed by the UN Security Council and European countries. The U.S. Congress cannot unilaterally violate the deal because America is not the world’s spokesman.” (IRNA)
   
• Parliament speaker: Iran should file complaint against U.S. for JCPOA breach. Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani claimed that the ISA “is in contradiction with several clauses of the JCPOA and is considered a violation.” He added that Iran should file a complaint with the nuclear agreement’s dispute resolution body over the ISA while noting that the nuclear agreement is a deal between Iran and the international community rather than between Iran and the U.S. At the same time, Larijani stated that the JCPOA suffers from “ambiguity” and “differing interpretations” by different parties. (Fars News Agency)
   
• Advisor to Supreme Leader: There is a consensus that the ISA violates the JCPOA. Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati stated that members of the JCPOA implementation supervisory committee have a “consensus” that if the ISA is “signed by the American president, then it is a violation of the JCPOA. Iran will certainly respond appropriately, clearly, and strongly.” (IRNA)
   
• Foreign Ministry denies Saudi spying allegation. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghassemi criticized Saudi Arabia’s sentencing of 15 men to death on charges of spying for Iran as “baseless.” Ghassemi stated that Iran “has no type of activity in Saudi Arabia that is inconsistent with international norms and diplomatic principles.” In addition to sentencing the 15 men to death, the Saudi court sentenced 15 others to prison terms as long as 25 years. Many of the men were Shia and former government employees. (Asr-e Iran)

Military & Security

• IRGC Air Force Commander: We are increasing our missile production. IRGC Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh stated, “In addition to boosting the precision and quality of our ballistic missiles, Iranian officials and experts have taken innovative measures to produce missiles relatively cheaply. Today, we are witnessing an increase in the production of missiles despite the lack of resources.” (Fars News Agency)

Domestic Politics

• Judiciary spokesman: We are ready to try the leaders of the Green Movement protests.Judiciary Spokesman Hojjat ol Eslam Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei announced that the Judiciary is ready to prosecute the leaders of the 2009 Green Movement protests -- a reference to reformists Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi -- if the Supreme National Security Council directs the Judiciary to hold a trial for them. Karroubi, Mousavi, and Rahnavard have been under house arrest since 2011 for their role in the protests, but they have not been formally charged for any crime.
  • He also dismissed the ongoing scandal surrounding Judiciary Head Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani’s misuse of bank accounts as an attack “by the corrupt and infiltrators.” He further criticized reformist parliamentarian Mahmoud Sadeghi’s comments on the scandal in a recent parliamentary session as “defamatory” to Amoli Larijani. (Mehr News Agency) (Tasnim News Agency)
     
• Larijani: If Zanjani had cooperated, he would have received a lighter sentencing.Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani discussed the death sentence for Babak Zanjani, a billionaire businessman who was arrested in December 2013 on charges of embezzling money from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), during a press conference. Larijani attributed Zanjani’s sentence to the fact that he failed to cooperate with Iranian authorities by returning the embezzled funds. (Shafaf)

Casualties in Iraq & Syria

• Basij Student Organization head: Fifty Iranian students have been killed in Syria. Davood Goudarzi, the head of the Basij Student Organization, discussed the role of Iranian students who “had volunteered” to participate in the “Resistance Front” in a speech marking National Student Day, which commemorates the death of three university students by Iranian police in 1953.  Goudarzi announced that 50 Iranian students have been killed in Syria so far, according to statistics collected in the past month. (Defa Press)

Economy

• Iran and Russia to form joint energy commission. Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei met with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow to discuss efforts aimed at increasing energy cooperation between the two countries. The two pledged to form a joint energy commission and discussed agreements for the construction of thermal power plants in Iran’s port city of Bandar Abbas. (Fars News Agency)
   
• Thailand company awarded agreement to conduct preliminary study on three Iranian oil fields. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed an agreement with a subsidiary of the Thai state-owned PTT Public Company Limited to conduct a preliminary study on the Changuleh, Balal, and Dalamperi oil fields in Iran. A NIOC official also announced to reporters that NIOC had signed agreements with several other international companies to conduct studies on the three fields. (Press TV) (E)