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, please visit this page, fill out the "New Subscribers" section, and check "Iran News Round Up" listed under "Projects." 

(E) = Article in English

Politics

• [E] Supreme Leader Khamenei and a large number of Iranian elites in a meeting discussed tenets, fundamentals and features for compiling an Islamic-Iranian paradigm of progress.

Diplomacy

• According to Sobh-e Sadegh, Gambia has severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic in the hope of receiving economic aid from the United States.
• The Foreign Ministry summons the Swiss ambassador to protest against the U.S. Navy's use of "Arab Gulf" rather than "Persian Gulf."
• Fars News Agency reports that India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for closer diplomatic ties with Iran. Fars quotes Singh as saying that Iran is India’s friend and ally and that New Delhi would not cut diplomatic ties with Tehran under U.S. pressure.
• [E] Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Ahmed al-Sabah underlined importance of the ties between Iran and Arab states, and warned that the recent cables posted by the whistleblower site of WikiLeaks on the internet are aimed at undermining the close ties among Muslim countries.
•  [E] Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says the West's concern about Islamic awakening is the root cause of the recent terrorist attacks on Iranian scientists.
•  [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad underlined the two countries' strong support for territorial integrity of Sudan.
• [E] Ali Larijani says peace talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Zionist regime of Israel did not and will not solve the problems of the Palestinian people.
• [E] Mottaki called on the US administration to announce its clear stance on the recent claims released by the whistleblower site of WikiLeaks.

Military and Security

• Sobh-e Sadegh's Reza Garmabedarieditorializes: "Many of their schemes and conspiracies – although seemingly not directed at the Basij – are in reality planned to harm the Basij. In this context, the Basij’s unpopularity is the enemy’s main goal, which they pursue through precise and expansive psychological operations. Previously, the Supreme Leader dealt wisely with this dangerous strategy and said: “Ignoring the Basij and disrespectful behavior towards it is either unwise or treacherous... Most importantly, the enemy is angry with the Basij's ability to deal with the sedition."
• Self-Sufficiency Research Bureau of the Revolutionary Guards' Navy prepares for the "first national academic conference on fast boats."
• Commander Rostam Qasemi, Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base chief, says Khatam al-Anbia does not compete with small, private and middle-sized contractors.
• Commander Abdollah, Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces deputy, says "one must have faith in God in the face of shortages."
• [E] Iran has initiated proper measures to boost security for the Iranian scientists.
• [E] Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi underlined popularity of the Islamic ruling system in Iran, adding that the recent terrorist attacks against Iranian scientists cannot undermine people's support for the Islamic establishment.
• [E] Former Director of Pakistan's Military Intelligence Organization General Hamid Gul took the Zionist regime responsible for the assassination of Iranian university professors Fereidoon Abbasi Davani and Majid Shahriari in Tehran on Monday.

Nuclear Issue

• [E] Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has told CNN's Larry King that Moscow has no grounds to suspect peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
• [E] A senior Iranian diplomat rejected the West's recent claims about technical problems in Iran's enrichment activities, and stressed that the country is continuing its peaceful nuclear activities under the supervision of the UN atomic agency.

Photos of the Day

• Basij Theater Festival.