Iran News Round Up

Politics

• According to Deuttsche Welle Persian, Supreme Leader Khamenei has for the first time in an answer to a theological inquiry called himself "Mojtahed-e Jame' al-Sharayet" [A holder of the authority of ijtihad with all the qualifications], the "deputy of the Imam of the Era during the occultation", and says obedience towards his decrees is a sign of obedience of the guardianship of the jurist.
• The Islamic Republic prohibits employment of smokers in the public sector.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Reza Taghavi explains why Rafsanjani is absent from the Friday prayers: "In the post-election atmosphere, there were some who wanted to abuse their Friday prayers. I was the pre-sermon speaker at his latest Friday prayer speech and when I was speaking I encountered many problems. When I was speaking there were some a couple of meters away chanting slogans... If we allow anyone who is politically defeated to have the courage to come and disturb the Friday prayer we will not be able to arrange Friday prayers in this country. We have always abstained from using the Friday prayer for the purpose of political and electoral rivalry... Whenever news of Mr. Hashemi [Rafsanjani] leading the Friday prayer was released, we saw SMS messages planning attacks against the Friday prayer... It is possible that Ayatollah Hashemi [Rafsanjani's] latest presence at the Friday prayer was his final presence... There is nothing wrong in new people delivering the sermons and old persons leaving it... There is nothing sensitive about this..."
• Fars News Agency depicts Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani as "a fugitive" in London, asks why no one is demanding his extradition to Iran to face a trial.
• Mohsen Rafiqdoust, former minister of the Revolutionary Guards, criticizes Mir-Hossein Mousavi's war-era cabinet of not having a "warrior like character."

Diplomacy 

• Rafsanjani: "Around Iran important issues are arising and those who had suffered blows because of our revolution are now arising to pursue their evil goals... They did not achieve any result by war, coup or creation of obstacles in the path of the Islamic Republic of Iran but are now planning targeted sanctions... Through an active foreign policy and by preserving domestic unity we can reduce the effects of the sanctions..."
• Sadegh Zibakalam, academic, says "Russia’s foreign policy is a balancing act. The Russians have many interests more important than their relations with Iran, have vast interests in relations with the United States and the European Union and they will not sacrifice all this for the sake of Iran's nuclear program... In [our relations] with Russia we have many common interests such as energy, the Caspian, republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus, military and security cooperation and the like. We should not sacrifice all this on how far Russia defends our nuclear program... We must advance a realistic foreign policy."
• [E] A delegation from Turkmenistan is scheduled to visit Iran on July 24 to continue talks on energy cooperation.
• [E] Head of parliament's Cultural Commission: "Expansion of all-out relations with the African states, especially parliamentary ties, [is] a priority in the Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy.”
• [E] The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it believes conditions are ripe for boosting cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
• [E] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Kabul stressed Iran's key role in the establishment of peace in Afghanistan.
• [E] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki: “We see no difference between Bush policies during his 8 years in office and those of Obama."

Military and Security

• Reactions to the terrorist attack in Zahedan:
  • Interior Minister Mohammad-Mostafa Najjar says "we have the situation under control" and "the terrorists' acts are tactical."
  • Abbas-Ali Noura, parliamentarian, demands resignation of the interior minister.

·         [E] A senior Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) official told Fars News that "a message was sent from the White House officials to the leadership council of the PKK on Saturday demanding the PKK officials to permit the members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) to settle in the Qandil Mountains at Iranian borders.”

·         [E] Ayatollah Khamenei: "One of the main objectives the enemy pursued through the terrorist attack in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan was to create division and religious dissension.”

Economy

• Abrar reports 200,000 unemployed in Khorasan-e Razavi province.

Trade

• Ahmad Ghal'e-Bani, National Iranian Oil Company executive director, says he has "no official knowledge" of Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base and SEPANIR company pulling out of development of the 15th and 16th phases of South Pars oil and gas field. Ghal'e-Bani continued: "It is possible that Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base has given this project to other companies," and stressed: "effects of sanctions in the field of management of the oil and gas industries has been neutralized."
• Iran and Turkey agree upon natural gas swap.
• Iran begins export of building materials to Iraq through the Mehran border point.

·         [E] Iran announced Wednesday that it has suspended gas exports to Turkey due to technical problems in Turkey.

o    [E] An explosion hit a pipeline that carries gas from Iran to Turkey near the eastern Turkish town of Dogubayazit, close to the Iranian border.

Nuclear Issue

·         [E] Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada: "Japan wants the Tehran nuclear declaration implemented, [as has] been stressed in the past.”

Photo of the Day

• Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani attending an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Geneva.