Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by the AEI Critical Threats Project's Iran research team. 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

• Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, a spokesman for President Hassan Rouhani, said the “promotion of ties with Saudi Arabia is on the [Rouhani administration’s] agenda,” but he stopped short of indicating how Iran would respond to the Saudi foreign ministry’s formal invitation for the Iranian foreign minister to visit Riyadh.

• National Security and Foreign Policy Parliamentary Commission Member and former IRGC commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Kowsari announced “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s ballistic missiles will not be introduced in the nuclear negotiations whatsoever. The Supreme Leader and MPs have given their reminders.”

• Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei met with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak to explore strengthening Tehran-Moscow ties in various sectors. Sanaei also expressed Iran’s interest in cooperating with Russia in order to build more energy facilities throughout Iran.

• Ahlul Bayt News Agency reported that “one of the defenders of hazrat-e zeinab-e kobra’s pure sanctuary,” Hassan Qassemi, was killed in Syria. The Mashhad-born native “who had traveled to Damascus was elevated to the sublime degree of martyrdom in combat with takfiri terrorists.”

• Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) 38^th Zolghadr Armored Brigade Commander (ret.) Brig. Gen. Hossein Afshar Manesh was killed in a car crash in Bam, Kerman Province.
  • IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani expressed his condolences publicly following the accident. Suleimani and Afshar Manesh served in the IRGC Sarallah 41^st Division during the Iran-Iraq war.

• IRGC Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Haji Zadeh spoke about the recent exhibition of military hardware:
  • “Yesterday we presented our latest achievements and progress in the past 34 months: a new set of UAVs, radar and defense systems, ground to ground, ground to air and coast to sea anti-ship missiles, which gives a complete picture of our capabilities.”
  • “Obtaining the RQ 170 [drone] is a great achievement in the field of intelligence. The prototype for the Iranian model of the aircraft will fly in the next few months. “