Iran News Round Up

A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh, Katherine Faley, Ahmad Majidyar and Michael Rubin.  To subscribe to this daily newsletter, e-mail [email protected].

(E) = Article in English

Cleric assails opposition leaders, warns against attempts to undermine Guardianship; controversy continues over Rafsanjani’s Friday prayer sermon; Iran’s clergy urges Rafsanjani to voice clear support for Supreme Leader; Ahmadinejad pressured to dismiss ‘friend of Israel’ deputy; Supreme Leader’s representative hails IRGC’s role in tackling recent unrest

Politics

• Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami at Friday Prayers in Tehran: "The heads of the riots speak one day of annulling the election result, and another day they demand a referendum. They are ignorant of the fact that the referendum has already taken place and that 40 million people participated in it. The rioters want to repeat it all over in the next four years to come that the government which has come to power with popular vote is illegitimate and they don't want to abandon this theme...Our people, even before there was a regime called the Islamic Republic and the Islamic legislation of today, recognized Guardianship of the Jurist...There is a conspiracy in the making against the Guardianship of the Jurist. We know conspiracy against the Guardianship and we tell the plotters that their ridiculous struggle will not bear any fruit...It is quite natural that someone wins, and those who do not get enough vote respect the popular vote and congratulate the winner and the issue is over..."
• Controversy over Rafsanjani's Friday sermon continues:
  • 306 members of the Association of the Professors at the Theological Seminaries of Qom send an open letter to Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, expressing support for his statements against Rafsanjani: "The discord which was directed by the enemies of the Islamic revolution and because of lack of strategy of some individuals in this country, was controlled after the elaborate and well wishing words of the Guardian Jurist of the Era, His Holiness Grand Ayatollah Khamenei... It was expected that the honorable Chairman of the Expediency Council would guard the calm achieved and disclose the conspiracies of the enemies, but most unbelievably he appeared in the robes of the head of the opposition and a minority which considers itself a majority and spoke words which are against the tradition, the jurisprudence, opinions of the jurist and great speakers of the Shi'a and ignored the dimension of religious legitimacy of the Islamic Republic and hid tens of Quranic Ayahs and tales with regard to the divine leadership having the final say and repeated the vanquished candidate and his supporters in the media."
  • Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani says "those who received a blow from the Imam [Khomeini] have now become assassins of the character of Hashemi [Rafsanjani] and other original personalities of the revolution." 
  • A majority of the members of Assembly of Experts publish an open letter to the Iranian nation, but also addressed to the Chairman of the Assembly, Rafsanjani:
    • "2. Absolute Rule of the Guardian Jurist is continuity of the path of the prophets and the Imams and is rooted in Quranic thought, culture of the household of the prophet and has continuously been practiced since the greater occultation until now. The guardianship of the just and divine Jurist, is the theoretical foundation of the Islamic movement of Iran led by Imam Khomeini blessed be his soul. The validity of all government positions and legitimacy of decisions and their rulings in general affairs and legal duties is derived of direct or indirect appointment and recognition by the Guardian Jurist. Also with regard to the Presidency, as the blessed Imam [ed. Khomeini] and the Constitution has clarified, should it not be recognized by the Guardian Jurist the Presidency is revolt against God [Taghout] and has no legitimacy...
    • 4. The enemies of the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran have created a media atmosphere...have increased the demands of some ignorant presidential candidates...and have entered the arena of a total psychological warfare with the fantastic claim of the great fraud of election which is inspired by velvet revolutions…
    • 5. Many Shia scholars, elites, personalities and lovers of the regime expect that the honorable Chairman of the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership and Chairman of the Expediency Council who has ever with wisdom and intelligence been on the side of the Imam [Khomeini] and the leadership and has contributed to solution of problems and complexities, shows a greater and more visible support to the Guardian Jurist and statements of the Leader under such circumstances...
    • 6. Of the honorable President His Excellency Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who with renewed trust of the people and decisive majority of more than 24 million votes was reelected, we demand to follow the orders of the Leader and pay attention to religious well wishers..."
• Asr-e Iran points out that Supreme Leader's disapproval of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei is visible on Khamenei's website and urges Ahmadinejad to obey the Supreme Leader. 
  • Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami at Tehran Friday Prayers: "We consider this government legitimate and we support it and out of care and love we tell the President to reconsider his appointment of First Vice President..." 
  • Students from Tehran University demonstrate against appointment of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei in Palestine Square. 
  • Ayatollah Nouri Hamadani says those taking office must have the necessary qualifications. 
  • Former parliamentarian Ali-Reza Zakani says Rahim-Mashaei's past shows that he has been in contact with the British and is therefore unfit for Vice Presidency. 

Diplomacy

• Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami speaking at Tehran Friday Prayers attacks "internal enemies":
  • "There are some who no longer consider it shameful to be in contact with the foreigners and reasoned: 'In order to achieve victory we need a social shock, but also an external shock.' The external shock is the support of foreign media of the rioters...When the honorable Minister of Intelligence says that during the past two months some election headquarters have been in contact with foreign embassies - including the British Embassy - more than hundred times, what should we do with such sorrow? Britain which is the stupid old imperialist, our nation has not seen anything from it but betrayal, conspiracy and deceit...Some people connected to the political groupings even before the election said that they were in contact with America and urged it to have relations with Iran when succeed Ahmadineajd in office. Now, I ask this, what is relationship with America worth? You poor idiots, think of the people. You who want to establish relationship with Radio America and the BBC, you are unfortunate. America only pursues its own interests..." 
• (E) The Leadership Assembly of Experts issued a statement about the current situation in Iran, condemning the country’s enemies for inciting unrest over election fraud: “By exploiting the negligence of some of polls candidates, they embarked on a full-blown psychological warfare and tried to ruin public minds through [spreading] the phony and myth-like allegation of major fraud which was taken from velvet revolutions projects.”

Military and Security

• Hojjat al-Eslam Saidi, Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards also speaks at Tehran Friday Prayer: "Anyone who resists the Guardian Jurist is resisting the Imam of the Era...The Islamic Revolution is the vanguard of divine revolutions...The Revolutionary Guards has during the latest unrests demonstrated its total obedience to the Leadership..." 
• The Basij arrests father of Masoud Hashemzadeh, killed by the Basij in recent demonstrations, because of displaying his mourning over the loss of his son by planting a black banner over his private home and accepting condolences of neighbors and family. 
• (E) Commander of Iran's Navy Rear Admiral Sayyari stated that “the presence of the Iranian warships in the northern Indian Ocean has nearly abolished the phenomena of piracy in the region.”

Trade

• (E) The Developing 8 countries chose Iran’s mineral research facility as its international research institution to further the group’s economic interests and growth.

Religion, Society and Culture

• (E) July 24^th marked the 30^th anniversary of Friday prayers in Iran.
• (E) An Iranian film workshop held in Baku, Azerbaijan encouraged cinematic collaboration between the two nations, of which Hassan Najafi commented that “the common religious, cultural and historical backgrounds between Iranian and Azeri nations provided a suitable field for bilateral cooperation in this regard."
• (E) An archeological excavation is underway in Damghan, Iran where ceramics possibly from the Seljuk era were found.

Photo of the Day

• Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami at Tehran Friday Prayer.