Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh and Ahmad Majidyar. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.

(E) = Article in English   

Politics

• Ahmadinejad, in a letter to Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, expresses concern about the "execution of the principles of the constitution" by the Judiciary, and accuses the Judiciary of not dealing with corrupt individuals. He promises to visit prisons and detentions centers in order to report to the public. 
  • Judiciary Spokesman Hojjat al-Eslam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ezhehi says Ahmadinejad visiting the Evin Prison would not be "expedient." Ezhehi added: "The country finds itself in special circumstances, and for the time being the number one priority of the country is the economy of the people."
  • Kayhan Editor Hossein Shariatmadari, too, criticizes Ahmadinejad's wish to visit the Evin Prison, and asks why the president has not visited the prison during his first seven years in office.
  • Farda editorializes: "The people demand economic reforms of the president, not inspection of Evin."
  • Sadeq Zibakalam explains Ahmadinejad's sudden interest in visiting Evin Prison: "During the past seven years, none of Mr. Ahmadinejad's friends and advisers was imprisoned at Evin... However, one can also hope that Mr. Ahmadinejad has gone through an intellectual, political and social metamorphosis which also makes him interested in Evin."
• Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani addressing the students at Iran University of Science and Technology, criticizes Ahmadinejad and says "disobeying the Leader is not a source of honor."

Diplomacy

• Fars News Agency on the third US presidential debate.
• Larijani discusses the prestige of the Islamic Republic at Iran University of Science and Technology:
  • Larijani: "Is the Iranian nation today not proud [of its international stature]?"
  • The students: "No!!!"
  • Larijani: "Your minds suffer from the domestic problems. Do not get me wrong, my information about international affairs is not limited. Ask someone like [Egyptian journalist] Hossein Heikal and you will find out what [the Arab public opinion] says about the Islamic Republic. They say: 'The Islamic Republic supports countries desiring to establish democracy.'"
  • Discussing the harsh conditions under which Islamic Republic diplomats operate Larijani added: "Do not think that we in the international arena only face those who say their nightly prayers, some of them are drunkards and some of them homosexuals... One of the [European] foreign ministers with whom we had a meeting was a homosexual. What were we to do? Should we not meet them?"
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, Representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards:
  • "Relationship with the United States is something which both Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani] and [Mohammad] Khatami were pursuing, and each wanted to be recognized as the one establishing that. I don't know what this indignity [relations with the United States] is that the gentlemen want to have it as a medal hanging from their necks. I really don't know what is going on in the mind of Ahmadinejad which makes him talk about relations with the United States. Our conflict with the United States is a fundamental one. What has the United States done with Saudi Arabia? The United States has planted its claws into the inner depths of Saudi life. What good has the United States done for Saudi Arabia and other states following it so it could do something similar for us? Our problem with the United States is a fundamental one. We shook the world and we prepared the grounds for global change. Now, really, what do we want to tell the Americans? Make a calculation of what the United States desires to give to us and what it desires from us. Our problems with the United States are fundamental, and our executive power is in need of someone with firm foundations upon whom such dependent factors do not make any impact. The president must be someone who works for the sake of God, not someone who becomes the hostage of this and that person. The team of Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani], the team of Mr. [Mohammad] Khatami, and Mr. Ahmadinejad's team have all had this weakness, and still suffer from it."
• The Islamic Republic delegation to the Inter-parliamentary Conference strongly protest against the Canadian Prime Minister's speech.
• Under the title "Who is the representative of the Zionist Regime in the White House?" Mashregh News releases a "biography" of Ambassador Dennis Ross in its series on "Generals of Soft Warfare."

Military and Security

• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, Representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards, in an interview with Mehr News, urges the "high ranking authorities" to show courage, and rather than trying to find a scapegoat, "apologize to the people." 
  • In a separate interview with Etemad, Saidi voiced repentance over earlier expressions of support to Ahmadinejad: "The Leader had a positive view of Mr. Ahmadinejad's slogans, but it was not so that he [Khamenei] supported Mr. Ahmadinejad in the presidential election..."
  • "[Answering the question if it would have been better if the Guardian Council disqualified Ahmadinejad in 2005] The Guardian Council has no occult insight [could not have known that Ahmadinejad would develop into what he is now]. Apart from this, the hands of this Council are tied. This is even true of some of the infallible Imams and such things would even happen to them. The Imams would trust someone, and would support them as long as they were good people, but when they deviated, the viewpoint of the Imams would also change. But in my view, the problem is that the hands of the Guardian Council are tied, and we have a problem of legal vacuum. This position [of presidency] is in need of grandees, which is very different with what is available in society today... We did not have occult insight, and did not know what is going on in the mind of Mr. Ahmadinejad and what he desires to do in the future. This is fundamentally an issue of [the Guardian Council] trusting the popular vote. We can't say that the popular vote is valid for Mr. Khatami, but not for Mr. Ahmadinejad. We can't have double standards. The popular vote is valid. Now, if Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani] is elected with such vote, as long as he his operating within the framework of principles, he must be respected."
• Mashregh News runs a background story on the combat divers of the 41st Sarallah Division led by Commander Qassem Suleimani during the war with Iraq. 

Economy

• Samad Karimi, Foreign Exchange Center spokesman, says all travelers leaving Iran can once a year apply for $300 at subsidized rate.

Trade

• Hassan Khosrowjerdi, Petrochemicals Exporters Association director, says the "private sector" will in the coming days export "more than 20 million barrels of oil to Asian and European markets" through several shipments, and added: "Now, the private sector has completely neutralized the sanctions on foreign currency trade, insurance sanctions and Western oil tankers [' boycott of Iran's oil.]" 
• [E] Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi said that Iran has a new plan for carrying on without oil revenues, stressing that the country will halt its oil exports if the anti-Iran economic sanctions are intensified.

Photo of the Day

• Ali Larijani addresses the students at Iran University of Science and Technology.