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

• Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei returns to Tehran from Kermanshah.
• Website of Iran, which had ridiculed Khamenei's statements about replacing presidential system in Iran with a parliamentary one, is blocked by the Intelligence Ministry.
  • Pro-Ahmadinejad bloggers protest against filtering their websites. Here, here, and here.
• Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi: "I am not the leader of the [Islamic] Resistance Front, but support them and give them advice."

Diplomacy

• Mohammad-Javad Larijani, secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Justice Ministry, comments on the United Nations' report on rights abuses in Iran:
  • "This is an unwarranted move totally based on the West's attempts to deal a blow to our country’s prestige... Our best answer to the United States is to laugh at the stupidity of American statesmen who have used this scandalous trick to counter the Islamic regime of Iran."

Military and Security

• Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi: "We have complete intelligence superiority in monitoring the borders... But of course, the security is implemented by the Law Enforcement Forces... We have the slightest movements of the Monafeqin [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization] under surveillance..."
• Basij commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi: "The United States will soon collapse and a global power vacuum will emerge which the enemies will try to fill. We must be vigilant and by presenting and propagating the pure Muhammedan Islam to the nations of the world make this divine school of thought the ruling school of thought in the world."
• Reactions to American allegations about Iran’s alleged terror plot:
  • Khameini:

• "The constant propaganda and political, economic and security campaigns of the front of arrogance clearly prove that the Iranian nation is moving fast to realize its goals and ideals. Had the Iranian nation been backward and weak, the enemy would not have done all this!"

• Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, Propaganda Headquarters commander:
  • "The aim of these actions by the United States is to negotiate with Iran... Under present conditions, the United States is in a historical point of weakness and is facing lack of success both at the domestic and foreign fronts. Therefore, slapping this government in the mouth is not such a difficult thing."
• Ala al-Din Boroujerdi, Parliament’s National Security Committee chairman, receives the ambassador of France to Tehran:
  • "These baseless allegations [signify] a new round of propaganda games and political pressures by the United States against the Iranian nation, which have always been there since the Islamic revolution... The Islamic Republic of Iran is the greatest victim of terrorism in the world and Western countries have always used the human rights issue as a political instrument... The language of threats is not a logical instrument to solve international problems..."
• Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee chairman:
  • "Saudi Arabia is the axis of reaction in the region... The Saudis are encircled by the freedom wishing nations of the region."
• Diplomasi-ye Irani warns against "new American conspiracies" against Iran.

Photo of the Day:

• The Mehrnavazan Orchestra.