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 receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.
 
(E) = Article in English

Diplomacy

• Addressing family members of the martyrs of the Egyptian uprising invited to Iran by the government, Ahmadinejad said: "I am ready to work at a factory in Egypt in order to help Egypt develop." Ahmadinejad continued: "Countries such as the United States have conditions for giving $2 billion in aid, but we in Iran do not have any conditions for helping Egypt."
  • Asr-e Iran slams Ahmadinejad's statements: "Such statements may be to the delight of the Egyptian guests and they may clap for him... but it has nothing to do with the principle of dignity in foreign relations and is very humiliating. There is no doubt that establishment of political relations between Iran and Egypt is to the benefit of both nations, but one should not make requests from the Egyptians such as: 'As soon as you invite me, I'll come,' 'we will also give financial aid,' and 'I'm ready to work at your factories.' Even more remarkably, the Egyptian party ignores such statements and the most it can promise is: 'We will study [the request] later.' If Mr. Ahmadinejad is so in love with traveling to Egypt, he should wait one year to the end of his presidency, apply for a visa to Egypt to visit this historical country, and enjoy flying over the air space of this country. But as the president of Iran, he has no right to show this degree of weakness and passivity by even proposing to work as a factory worker in Egypt... Ahmadinejad's statements are so undiplomatic that even the weakest country in the world has never used such a discourse in the face of super powers... and this, in the face of a country like Egypt, which is itself struggling with numerous domestic and foreign problems and is in need [of financial assistance]."
• [E] Khamenei underlined the significance of the recent developments in the Middle-East, and called on the Iranian parliament to show timely reaction to regional events whenever they happen.
• [E] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is in Tehran to meet high-ranking Islamic Republic officials, renewed his country's opposition to unilateral sanctions and threats against Iran.

Military and Security

• According to Khabar Online, nine former members of the Revolutionary Guards have become members of the parliamentary Foreign Policy and National Security Policy Committee:
  • Mohammad Esmaeili, former head of the Ansar al-Mahdi Staff; former Zanjan Revolutionary Guards unit coordination deputy; and deputy of the unit.
  • Mohammad-Hassan Asfari, member of the Revolutionary Guards.
  • Ebrahim Agha-Mohammadi, Lorestan Revolutionary Guards Command Council member; Lorestan province Basij commander.
  • Mohammad-Saleh Jokar, Yazd Basij organization commander; Revolutionary Guards commander of the provinces of Yazd; Chahar-Mahal va Bakhtiari and Hormozgan.
  • Seyyed Baqer Hosseini, Revolutionary Guards Elite Association deputy.
  • Mansour Haqiqatpour, Airports Revolutionary Guards Flight Security commander; Quds Force member.
  • Hassan Kamran, Commander of the Basij of the Professors.
  • Javad Karimi Qodousi: Razavi Khorasan Basij commander
  • Safar Naimi-Raz, Veteran of the Revolutionary Guards.
    • A parliamentary debate on the educational backgrounds of the members of the Parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee results in Ali Larijani, parliamentary speaker, admitting that "former Intelligence Ministry officials only said they were public servants."
• Esmail Kowsari, parliamentarian and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards:
  • "Prior to the June 12, 2009 election, it was predicted that the election would have consequences. And if Mir-Hossein Mousavi prevailed in this election, the conditions would have been much worse than the sedition [that followed after the election]. Had the seditionists risen to power in the country, they would have pursued the regime change project which had been dictated to them from abroad... A number of elites, who seemed to be the followers of the Imam and the Leader, took to the streets because of this worldliness and tramped on divine and Islamic values. By cooperating with the hostile current, they distanced themselves from the path of God and joined the line of injustice and in doing so they revealed their true face to all."
• Bonyad-e Hefz-e Asar va Nashr-e Arzesh-ha-ye Defae-Moqaddas publishes Jang Be Revayat-e Farmandeh [War According to the Commander], a conversation with former Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohsen Rezaei.
• Former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Ali-Akbar Jamshidian, Tractor Football Club board member, discloses that the Ashoura Revolutionary Guards unit helps finance the football club.
• [E] The US and its allies have exhausted all their options and possibilities to force Syria to surrender to the West's aspirations, but to no avail, a senior Iranian military commander said. 

Economy

• Asr-e Iran warns against unauthorized withdrawals from the Foreign Exchange Reserve and claims the remaining amount is as small as $35 billion.

Media

• The authorities close Paydari TV, close to the Islamic Steadfastness Front and Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi.

Trade

• [E] The trade exchanges between Iran and Malaysia have witnessed a remarkable increase during the last year, an Iranian diplomat announced on Wednesday. 

Photo of the Day

• The Minister of Culture meets family members of the martyrs of Egypt’s uprising.