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

• Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf criticizes the government's economic management in a TV interview.
• Parliamentarian Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel indicates that he may run for president. 
• Hojjat al-Eslam Qodratollah Alikhani, Rafsanjani's parliamentary adviser, says return of Mehdi Hashemi [Rafsanjani] to Iran has "disarmed and critics of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani."
  • Jomhouri-ye Eslami discloses that one of the sons of Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani, former head of the Revolutionary Tribunal, was killed in an armed struggle against the regime, and his two other sons committed suicide by taking cyanide capsules.  The newspaper uses this argument to defend Rafsanjani and return of his son Mehdi Hashemi to Iran.

Diplomacy

• Iran's political analysts defend Ahmadinejad's statements on relations with the United States. A certain Mohammad-Ali Ramin says: "As His Holiness Imam Khomeini has said one can't establish relations with the United States as long as it [remains an animal] and has not become a human being... But our humane duty obliges us to guide the United States to [leave the animal stage behind and] become a human being." 
• Jomhouri-ye Eslami editorializes: "The issue of removing the Monafeqin [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization] terrorist group from the U.S. list of terrorist groups was widely publicized in the past week. However, from the viewpoint of the Iranian nation, there is no difference in political and propaganda support of the United States to this group... The Monafeqin are only experienced in two fields: 'Terror' and 'Espionage...' Why should the group not do so in the future?"  

Military and Security

• Hossein Salami, Revolutionary Guards deputy:
  • "Since the end of the imposed war, the Guards has prepared a comprehensive defense strategy enabling it to fight a major war with a global coalition headed by an extra regional power like the United States. Our defense planning is based on the most dangerous and worst case scenarios... Another hypothesis in our defense strategy is to expand the impact of our defensive strength and deterrence thousands of kilometers beyond the borders and identify vital interests of the enemy... Our missile capabilities can simultaneously launch several missiles, which shows our ability to engage in parallel operations. Today we don’t have enough space to store our missiles..." 
• Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, Army Ground Forces commander, says the Islamic Republic is closely monitoring war games in the Persian Gulf.
• Sobh-e Sadeq comments on Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani's return to Iran and imprisonment: "The truth is that the reports on Mehdi Hashemi [Rafsanjani's] role in the sedition of 2009; record of activities during the past three years; his suspicious behavior abroad; and his not returning to the country have raised public sensitivity about this issue. Clarifying his situation has become a public concern. Therefore, not attending to his case... would  undoubtedly create some concern in the security atmosphere of the country."
• The Intelligence Ministry displays alleged examples of sabotage against the arms industry.

Religion, Society and Culture

• Hojjat al-Eslam Qeraati: "Male students who can't afford to marry can engage in [temporary] marriage with young widows. When their education is over they can engage [in permanent] marriage... There are 500,000 young widows in the country... Maybe the number of these women has reached a million people. How can these women avoid sin? Should they all abstain [from sexual activity]? Or should they engage in sin? Should they silently suffer...? Temporary marriage is the only solution..."

Media

• Sharq is banned after publishing a caricature which "insults the war veterans."

Photos of the Day

• Anti-Ahmadinejad protest in New York.