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

• Election Headquarters director Solat Mortazavi: "Taking the existence of the Guardian Council into consideration, establishing a committee to safeguard the vote is contrary to the law... Iran has the best and strongest supervisory establishment and nowhere in the world is there a better supervisory committee... Monitoring elections in Iran has been planned in a beautiful way so that the supervisors are independent from the powers."
• Ahmadinejad's family members criticize "the current of deviation":
  • Motalefeh member Hamid-Reza Taraqi criticizes Davoud Ahmadinejad's prediction concerning "the current of deviation [Mashaei]" entering a "military phase."
  • Ahmad Khorshidi, the father of Ahmadinejad's son-in-law, accuses "the current of deviation" of being behind the $3 billion embezzlement.
    • So does Mehdi Khorshidi, Ahmadinejad's son-in-law.
• Parliamentarian Emad Afrough says Morteza Aqa-Tehrani, Islamic Resistance Front member, holds a Green Card to the United States.

Diplomacy

• Reactions to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's interviews to BBC Persian and VOA Persian:
  • Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani comments on Clinton's idea of establishing "an Internet embassy" to Iran:
    • "One must not take her statements seriously... Under the current circumstances the Democrats have domestic problems such as the economy and election. Israel too has become isolated because of regional revolutions. Therefore, the Zionist lobby is making moves to escape isolation... If she is waiting for a movement inside of Iran, she should know that all the regional movements are the results of the Islamic revolution of Iran, since the Iranian revolution is an energetic revolution... [The idea of establishing an Internet based embassy to Iran] is a sign of their narrow political [worldview]... Such statements lead to greater national unity among Iranians..."
  • Kayhan "quotes" Clinton: "We were behind the Green Movement."
• The Islamic Republic denies visas to a delegation from the European Parliament planning to visit Iran to discuss Iran's nuclear program, human rights, energy, environment, national security, and the March 2012 parliamentary election in Iran.
• Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Shahab al-Din Sadr: "The Islamic awakening [the Arab Spring] was historic... The enemy's effort is to stop export of Iran's revolution."

Military and Security

• Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi: "Today, the eastern borders of the country have a satisfactory and particular security, which is thanks to the people living in the border area, the military forces and the Law Enforcement Forces."
• Hamid-Reza Moqadam-Far, Revolutionary Guards Cultural and Social Mobilization commander: "Hashemi Rafsanjani has misunderstood the statements of the Leader of the Revolution concerning a parliamentary system."
• Ayatollah Yahya Jafari, representative of the Supreme Leader to Kerman: "All Iranian families are obliged to make their children Basij members with the help of the educational system."
• According to Ria Novosti, Russia has sold electronic jamming equipment to Iran to disrupt satellite broadcasts to Iran. Asr-e Iran's readers comment:
  • "The Russian Embassy is the 'Den of Spies.' I hate them."
  • "May God grant Russia death."
  • "Just wait and see: Later they will also sell us medical services and doctors to fight the cancer it [the jamming devices] cause."
  • "May God damn Russia."
  • "Russia, the most stupid country!"
  • "Let the corpse washers [at morgues] see the bodies of Russians."
  • "Damn you Russia."
  • "Death to the base and money worshiping Russia."

Photo of the Day

• Ahmadinejad and Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei.