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

• Iran inaugurates the "ninth" parliament.
• Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel and Ali Larijani compete for the parliamentary speaker position. 
• Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf says he is not "craving" for presidency: "One does not know what happens in an hour, if one is alive or not. But should it become expedient, I'll consider it [running for president] in future."        

Diplomacy

• [E] Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast blamed foreign actors for the recent massacre of the Syrian people in Houla region, and said Israel is involved in any crime committed in Syria since the regime benefits from insecurity and turmoil in the Muslim Arab country.

Military and Security

• Esmail Qaani, Revolutionary Gaurds Quds Force deputy, admits the Revolutionary Guards intervenes in the Syrian regime's suppression of the protestors to minimize the casualties.
• Reports on interventions of the Revolutionary Guards in politics:
  • Parliamentarian Ali Mottahari discusses his controversial speech on the Revolutionary Guards interventions in politics:
    • "What I said was for wishing the Guards well. If one should not want to correct a wrong deed of the Guards, who were also well-wishers [of the regime], that person would not be a supporter of the Guards. You could argue that one should say this at a private meeting with the commanders of the Guards. This of course is a good way as well, but experience shows that when a certain behavior exceeds limits, warnings from the public opinion are more effective. It is particularly a source of consolation to those who believe their rivals have been supported [by the Revolutionary Guards]. In my opinion, giving advice to the Guards or any other institution should be a normal affair and should not be depicted as bigger than it is... The Guards has, because of safeguarding the Islamic revolution and having relationship with Islam, has become sanctified. But this does not mean that it is above criticism, warning and advice..."
  • Melli-Mazhabi website releases a tape recording of a speech made by a certain Commander Seraj, a political, ideological indoctrination officer of the Guards:
    • "In the first round of parliamentary elections, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Israel tried to organize terrorist groups to engage in acts of sabotage in Tehran, Mashhad, Zahedan and Khuzestan."
    • "The current of deviation [Ahmadinejad] and the current of sedition [the reformists] expected a popular participation below 40 percent... which is why they were not ready to participate in parliamentary election."
    • "Mohammad Khatami and other reformists voted because of their fear of the regime..."
    • "Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei is at the helm of the current of deviation and manages Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."
    • "The current of deviation thought low popular participation [in election] could be used to pressure the Leader to accept negotiations with the United States..."
    • "Hashemi [Rafsanjani], Ahmadinejad and the United States desires negotiations and Ahmadinejad has started negotiating with the United States..."
    • "Ahmadinejad has accepted to participate at the Expediency Council meetings in order to get closer to Hashemi Rafsanjani."
    • "Should the triangle of Hashemi [Rafsanjani], Ahmadinejad and [the next speaker of the parliament] be shaped, there will be more pressure on the Leader for negotiations with the United States. If Haddad Adel is elected parliamentary speaker, this triangle will not be shaped..." 
• Mohsen Rafiqdoust, former Revolutionary Guards Logistics commander and later Minister of the Revolutionary Guards, says there is no conflict between the Guards and the regular military. 

Nuclear Issue

• Reports on nuclear negotiations in Baghdad:
  • Said Jalili, Supreme National Security Council secretary, returns to Tehran from the Baghdad negotiations with the 5+1 Group.
  • Hassan Abbasi, Revolutionary Guards theoretician: "They [the West] came to Baghdad with a reactive position to see what proposals Iran had which whether to accept it or not... The Iranian party had the upper hand in the negotiations... This is due to the stability of the Islamic Republic, the result of two rounds of parliamentary elections, the strength of the state and the clear positions of the Supreme Leader..." 
• Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, the Islamic Republic's ambassador to the IAEA:
  • "The agency has once again declared the peaceful nature of the nuclear activities of our country to the world... In this report too, there is reference to the inspection visits to 16 nuclear facilities and 9 related facilities, more than 6 tons of uranium enriched up to 5%, and more than 140 kilogram uranium enriched up to 20%. This shows Iran's enrichment under the agency's supervision..."

Photo of the Day

• Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani at the inauguration ceremony of the ninth parliament.