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 subscribe to this daily newsletter, e-mail [email protected].

(E) = Article in English

Diplomacy

• Kayhan editor Shariatmadari warned Ahmadinejad against attending the Durban conference in Geneva which he termed a "trap."

o    Vice President Mashayi, the father of Ahmadinejad’s daughter-in-law: "There was a time when Iran hardly participated at international summits and was mostly forced to leave the scene. But today the President of Iran participates at a very important international summit, it is others who leave the scene and there are some who claim it is us who have become isolated…?!"

o    Alef News Agency publishes Iranian and foreign reactions to Ahmadinejad's speech at the Durban II conference in Geneva:

§  "210 members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly [the Iranian parliament] in a declaration expresses support for Ahmadinejad."

§  First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad-Hassan Abou-Torabi-Fard: "Iran's decisive position in anti-racist Durban II shows the exceptional success and excellence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in explanation of inhumane foundations of the world order."

§  Economics Committee Chairman of the Parliament Mesbahi Moghaddam: "Many governments and nations have considered and do consider Iran's position has justice seeking."

§  Parliamentarian Mohammad-Karim Shahrzad: "Words of the President in the Geneva Summit which is being broadcasted through the international networks will awaken the nations in the future."

§  Parliamentarian Ali Mottahari: "This must be considered a great victory for the Islamic Republic of Iran. I praise the performance and positions of Ahmadinejad in the face of the Zionist regime."

§  National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman of the Parliament Ala al-Din Boroujerdi: "Ahmadinejad's speech at the Swiss Durban Summit was breave and will generate great happiness."

§  Parliamentarian Mehdi Kouchakzadeh: "This is a source of great pride for us. I proudly declare that I am ready to serve as a janitor for such a President."

§  Social Affairs Committee member of the Parliament Ali Mir-Khalili: "This issue, like previous issues in international affairs ended to our benefit and once again the supporters of imperialism were defeated."

§  Parliamentarian Hassan Vanayi: "The Iranian nation is proud of such bravery and boldness of the President."

§  Member of the National Security and Foreign Policy of the Parliament Mahmoud Ahmadi Bi-Ghash: "The Geneva Summit became an opportunity to present and stabilize the position of the Islamic Republic regime."

§  Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani: "Bravery of Ahmadinejad at these summits is praiseworthy."

§  Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami: "The words of Mr. Ahmadinejad showed that Iran is the vanguard of the fight against racism."

§  Professor Seyyed Hamid Mowlana: "Deeds of the President at the Geneva summit were brave and his presence is the sign of Iranian and Islamic thought and culture entering the global arena."

§  Islamic Motalefeh Faction Secretary General Mohammad-Nabi Habibi: "Brave positions of the President against crimes of the racists of the Zionist regime is a source of pride for us."

§  Islamic Moetalefeh Faction Deputy Secretary General: "With his politeness Ahmadinejad gave a lesson of love to the entire world and presented the lessons he himself had learned from the Imam [Khomeini] and the Supreme Leader."

§  Deputy Communications and Information Chief of the President's Office Mohammad-Ja'far Mohammadzadeh: "At the summit venue it was very clear who has been isolated."

§  Resalat editor Mohammad Anbar-Loui: "Clear, straight and illuminating statements of the President made the audience punish the insulting Zionists."

§  Deputy Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards Hojjat al-Eslam Mojtaba Zolnour: "The planners behind last night's events for which they had planned for some time received a decisive answer from the majority of the public."

• (E) President Ahmadinejad questions the “change” in U.S. policy after President Obama boycotted the Durban II conference.

• (E) Lebanese Hezbollah praises President Ahmadinejad for his remarks at the Durban II conference.

o    Alef News Agency's analyst discusses Ahmadinejad's performance at the Durban II:

§  "Second of Khordad-Brothers [the Khatami supporters] who criticize Ahmadinejad for his aggressive and powerful speech in Geneva should not forget that Iran, with its 5000 years civilization, is the inheritor of great empires and vast lands and the people of such a land do not accept that the great powers of today treat them as a pawn...

§  It was expected from the Western media that they should be angry and unpleased with Mr. Ahmadinejad's speech, but why have the reformist media and reformist candidates joined the chorus of Zionist media?

§  If they think that the Iranian nation prefers humility towards the aliens and that [propagating] such ideas are ideal for election propaganda purposes they are badly mistaken.

§  Everyone whose heart beats for the name of Iran will never exchange Iran's independence and dignity with humility and misery in front of the foreigners."

o    Commentators write into the Alef News Agency's website:

§  "I accept your argument, but I wish that Mr. Ahmadinejad who thinks so much of the Holocaust would think more about inflation, corruption, and the like.”

§  "Ahmadinejad has a thousand flaws, but he has also one advantage which is that in the face of the Westerners he bullies, and does not pay protection money. To be honest, I support the reformists, but I didn't like Mousavi and Karrubi's statements against the Geneva speech."

§  "I wish Ahmadinejad would become a Foreign Minister and would leave the government to an economist."

§  "Please do excuse me, but Iran's greatness should also be reflected in an Iranian passport. If Mr. Ahmadinejad is a real player he should tell the Dubai and Abu Dhabi Police not to humiliate Iranians like Indians and the Bangladeshis at their airports."

§  "Is it really not enough insult against dignity of Iranians that had Mr. Ahamdinejad not been introduced to the public as the president of Iran the audience would have guessed he was from any country but Iran! He did not mention Iran a single time, but spoke of all other countries!"

§  "I wish the popular President would have shown as forceful a position towards those who are guilty of inflation in Iran."

• At the seminar of the Prosecutor Generals of Islamic countries, Feisal Raouf (a New York – though the paper says Washington--Mosque) and Mohammad-Javad Larijani argue about Obama's slogan of change.

o    Feisal Raouf said: "Mr. Ali Larijani says we have not witnessed any change from Mr. Obama. But I must say the very fact that a black man has become U.S. President, and a person whose father and his middle name is Muslim at that, has an Iranian and Islamic name, was unimaginable...Obama has said that the process of change has not finished yet and racism has not come to an end...It would be injust to ignore such change. We must also contribute to the change...Obama wants to close the old pages of the U.S. and open new pages. Therefore the Islamic Republic must take his message seriously...In reality America has started change from within, and changing the United States is like turning a ship upside down in sea..."

o    Mohammad-Javad Larijani responded: "We too like to be realistic, but our hesitation with regard to the seriousness of Mr. Obama's slogan of change is a very realistic doubt...In our view Mr. Obama's moves are mostly superficial. But we want them to be genuine...During the entire war in Gaza, Mr. Obama did not utter a single word in declaration of solidarity with the people of Palestine..." 

• (E) Gaza conference begins in Tehran featuring legal experts from various Muslim countries.
  • (E) Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi proposed establishing an international Islamic tribunal.

• (E) President Ahmadinejad called for the U.N. and the international community to take legal action against Israel for its military operations in Gaza.
  • (E) Iranian official claims the government has evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

  • (E) President Ahmadinejad lashed out at Israeli supporters

Economy

• Ham-Mihan reports slow down of construction in Assalouyeh natural gas and oil facilities.

• Shafaf News reports smuggling of subsidized gasoline to Pakistan.

• (E) The Central Bank of Iran is enforcing a new Anti-Money Laundering law.

• (E)  Iran’s Parliament wants to bring major oil and gas deals signed between Iran and other countries under its supervision.

• SAIPA car manufacturer Executive Director Mehrdad Bazrpash to be replaced. 

Trade

• (E) Iranian exports of petrochemical products to Europe will increase by next year.

Military and Security

• (E) Armed Forces Chief of Staff says Iran has enough military power to protect the entire region.

• Ali Larijani congratulates the IRGC on the anniversary of their formation. 

Nuclear Issue

• (E) New U.S. legislation will redirect sanctions against Iranian gas imports.

• (E) Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy director for international affairs of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), issued a statement on why Iran needs a nuclear program.

• (E) Iran's Atomic Energy Organization announced that Iran will be a nuclear fuel producer by 2010.

• (E) Iranian officials have responded to international community’s invitations for talks on its disputed nuclear program.

• (E) Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Iran is carefully considering U.S. proposals for talks

Politics

• Former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezai announces his candidacy for president.

• (E) Iranian Reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi reveals his campaign slogan.

• Mir-Hossein Mousavi, speaking in Gorgan, answers a question about the Iran Freedom Movement: "Before the revolution, there were many forces which pursued the same goal. The Freedom Movement headed by Engineer Bazargan operated along side clerical personalities such as Martyr Beheshti and Martyr Mottahari in the revolutonary movement. Dr. [Ebrahim] Yazdi's presence along side the blessed Imam [Khomeini] in France is another example. After the revolution, because of differing views between the transitional government with some of the viewpoints of the revolution, the transitional government met its demise and gradually criticism was made against its ways during the Sacred Defense [Iran/Iraq War 1980-1988]... As long as there are political differences we do not cooperate politically with the members of the Freedom Movement, but there is no reason to call such devout people as infidels. Since I think of the Day of Reckoning, I never consider such groups [Iran Freedom Movement] combatants against God..."

• A Princiaplist faction forms to support Mir-Hossein Mousavi. The faction is headed by Said Abou-Taleb, but there is no news of other members of the faction.

• Motalefeh defends distribution of free potatoes prior to visits by Ahmadinejad. 

Religion, Culture, and Society

• (E) Iranian filmmaker Bahman Qobadi’s movie Nobody Knows About Persian Cats will be featured at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. 

Human Rights and Labor

• (E) Information Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejeie said that Roxana Saberi’s trial was legal under Iranian law.
  • (E) A judiciary spokesman said that Saberi’s sentence may be eased.

Photo of the Day

• Crowds awaiting Ahmadinejad at Varamein.