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

Politics

• Presidential crisis:
  • Ahmadinejad at the farewell ceremony of Baghaei, defends the former chief of the Iran Cultural Heritage Organization in the face of allegations of corruption:
    • "There are those who say the Cultural Heritage Organization and Tourism Organization authorizes building of hotels and consider that a crime. If this is a crime, we are proud of it!"
    • Commenting on the exhibit of the Cylinder of Cyrus the Great Ahmadinejad continued: "After all, is this the Cylinder of Cyrus or not? Is it connected to this land and a source of pride or not? The very civilized nation which created the Cylinder of Cyrus knowingly accepted Islam... Safeguarding the cultural heritage does not mean defending nationalism. It is a stepping stone of a nation upon which it must step in order to reach a higher level [of civilization]... Nations lacking roots and a cultural background like the Zionist regime are false and artificial nations..."
  • Yadollah Javani, Revolutionary Guards Political Bureau chief:
    • "Ahmadinejad is one of the prominent faces of the history of the Islamic revolution. Now, he is going through a great and difficult ordeal…
    • "What is his great ordeal? [It is] emergence of a totally deviant current in the periphery of the current Principalist cabinet with a discourse different than the discourse of the Islamic revolution, which is unsparingly and totally supported by the head of the executive. This is Ahmadinejad's great ordeal..."
    • "The people considered him a clean and ascetic man in his private life, a man who like [former president] Rajai managed to help the downtrodden and unprivileged and fight against the economically corrupt..."
    • "When the head of the Judiciary talks of the current of deviation drowning in economic corruption the people are shocked. When the people find out that SAIPA automobile manufacturing firm - as a part of the privatization scheme... is controlled by the current of deviation, and when efforts are now implemented to control the Iran Khodro [auto manufacturer] as well, the people become perplexed..."
    • "The people ask: 'Was Ahmadinejad not meant to fight against economic corruption and against the plunderers of public funds?'"
  • Former parliamentarian Mohsen Yahyavi says 150 parliamentary hopefuls - including a number of individuals who are currently members of the parliament - are on listed as members of "the current of deviation" and will not qualify to run for parliament.
  • Abrar condemns Tehran Governor General Morteza Tamadon's call for a "million man march" in praise of "philanthropist school builders," since the march - according to Abrar - could be used by the government for political purposes.

Diplomacy

• Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi: "I have had visits to Oman, Qatar, the Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq and these visits have been successful. Misunderstandings in certain countries based on hypotheses are done away with during these meetings. For example, many Iranians and Iranian companies are active in Emirates... The people of Bahrain are only demanding their human rights just like all other countries of the region, but the government of this country has opposed it and the people resist in return. We respect Bahrain's independence and territorial integrity and hope that the problem of Bahrain will be solved among the Bahrainis and foreigners don't intervene..."   
• [E] China's Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Thursday underlined that Beijing is willing to strengthen its bilateral relations with Tehran in all fields.
• [E] Venezuela's Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez reiterated that Caracas will continue its relations with Iran regardless of unilateral sanctions imposed against the Venezuelan companies by certain countries.
• [E] A senior Iranian lawmaker urged the officials in Tehran and Kabul to intensify their efforts to further increase mutual cooperation between the two countries, especially in trade and economic fields.
• [E] Ahmadinejad warned about the Zionist regime's danger and threat to the regional states.
• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi underlined Beijing's important role in international equations, and called on the Chinese officials to double their efforts to play a greater role in the new world order.

Military and Security

• Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi says members of a spy network’s confessions will soon be televised.

Nuclear Issue

• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev or Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will accompany Ahmadinejad in an upcoming ceremony to be held to mark inauguration of Iran's first nuclear power plant in the Southern port city of Bushehr.

Photo of the Day

• Baghaei's farewell ceremony.