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.

Politics

• Ninety three parliamentarians call the president to the parliament for a questioning session.
  • Two of the signatories say they don't expect "a decent answer" from the president.
• Rafsanjani says he is not ready to run for president in 2013, stresses the need for "younger people."
• Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf announces that he will resign as mayor of Tehran before March 2013 in order to run for president.

Military and Security

• Mohsen Rezaei, Expediency Council secretary and former Revolutionary Guards commander, addresses "Iranian students" at the Towhid Association in London via video conference: "We don't want war, but we have fully prepared ourselves for defense. Of course, the Zionists don't dare attacking Iran and make such statements in order to extract concessions from the next president of the United States, but if they attack Iran's deterrent power will deal a deadly blow to them and Israel's casualties will not be less than ten thousand. Therefore, they will be stopped very early on."

• Army Ground Forces Commander Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan: "The enemies don't dare attacking [Iran]."

• Navy Commander Admiral Habibollah Sayyari: "The Navy is ready to be present in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and in the South Pole."

Economy

• Arman releases an interview with Rafsanjani:

• "For the time being, weak management as well as the sanctions are to blame [for Iran's economic problems]... of course, there is a discussion among the governmental people and the principled [faction]. Some say [Ahmadinejad]s] management is problematic and there are those who say the sanctions regime are effective. I am wondering why they are having [this] debate, since it is harmful for them both. Should we consider the sanctions [regime] effective, one should ask why are doing things which make us so vulnerable to sanctions, and if one blames the management, one should ask who is responsible...?"
•  "One can't give the job to any inexperienced individual or someone undergoing training."
• "In general, the economic conditions of the country are not appropriate."
• "Once, inflation reached 49-50% because of a mistake in the Central Bank and the Ministry of Commerce, something which is repeated every single day [by Rafsanjani's critics]. I was abroad. The leader called and said 'you should intervene.' I returned and within two months the situation returned to normal. When we took responsibility for the country after the war [with Iraq,] inflation was 30%, and when we gave it to Mr. [Mohammad] Khatami it was 17%, meaning that we managed to gradually reduce inflation. Of course, one or two years, inflation was bellow 10%. Later, because of the [economic] stabilization policy which was natural and necessary, and which we expected, the inflation rose, but we contained it anew and reduced it."
• "When Kuwait was occupied, their entire [state] collapsed and the government disintegrated and they left [the country]. But because of their foreign exchange reserve abroad, they managed to administer themselves well. They even took care of their refugees, and supported their lives until they returned home. This country [Iran] could have such [foreign exchange] reserves."

Trade

• Iran's natural gas export to Turkey is disrupted because of an explosion in the pipeline.

Media

• Digarban closes down because of economic problems.

Photo of the Day

• Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi and his wife.