Iran News Round Up

Opposition Leaders urge clergy to intervene to free political prisoners; Ahmadinejad appoints controversial deputy head of President’s Office; Ahmadinejad under fire after new cabinet appointments; Rafsanjani says no ‘power struggle’ exists between political elites, hails Supreme Leader as ‘progressive, forward-looking thinker’; IRGC chief refutes reports about Iran’s alleged plan to conduct nuclear test in near future; Kayhan interprets Clinton’s ‘defense umbrella’ remarks as acceptance of nuclear Iran; Central Bank says inflation at 22.5%; IRGC chief says, “The entire territory of Israel is within reach of Iran's missile capability and our answer to them is decisive”

Politics

• Former President Mohammad Khatami and presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi send a letter to the sources of emulations demand their intervention in order to free political prisoners
  • Zahra Rahnavard, Mir-Hossein Mousavi's wife, attacks those who are making false cases against imprisoned political activists and warns them against the wrath of God. 
  • Mohammad Hejazi, Revolutionary Guards Deputy: "We are in favor of broadcasting the confessions in order to illuminate the public mind and clarify the public opinion. This in our view is very efficient, but it depends on the authorities what they decide..." 
• Aftab-e Yazd documents that Supreme Leader Khamenei's decree dismissing Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei was issued a week ago and asks why Ahmadinejad has not responded to it earlier.
  • Ahmadinejad answers the Supreme Leader's letter. 
  • Ahmadinejad appoints Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei as the head of the President's Office and Abd al-Reza Sheikh al-Eslami as Special Presidential Advisor in Human Resources Issues. 
  • Alef News Agency's Jalil Mohebbi analyzes Ahmadineajd's response to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's call dismissal of Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, which according to Mohebbi is too short and not respectful. 
  • Aftab-e Yazd's editorial slams Ahmadinejad's behavior with regard to the Mashaei affair. 
  • Ayatollah Khazali complains that Ahmadinejad ignored his phone call with regard to the Mashaei appointment. 
• Mohammad-Reza Naderi, Head of Responses to Public Complaints Office in Zanjan Province says Ahmadinejad'd latest visit to Zanjan seven months ago led to 178,000 letters from the public, 40 percent of which were petitions to receive economic assistance, 30 percent were demands for social service, 20 percent were job applications, 5 percent general complains and the rest petitions for housing and other problems. Naderi also says his office is beginning to receive complaints about why the President has not responded to the letters and says Ahmadinejad's Office and not the General Governor is responsible for answering the petitions.
• Ahmadinejad dismisses Hojjat al-Eslam Gholam-Hossein Ezhehi, Minister of Intelligence and State Security and Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Mohammad-Ali Khajeh-Piri is appointed as acting Culture Minister and a certain Alavi is appointed acting Intelligence Minister.
  • (E) Ahmadinejad fired Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.
  • (E) Iranian Minister of Culture and the Islamic Guidance Saffar-Harandi resigned.
    • (E) President Ahmadinejad did not accept Saffar-Harandi’s resignation. 
• Ayatollah Ali-Mohammad Dastgheib: "It is not permissible to attack Ayatollah Hashemi [Rafsanjani] because of the truth he has expressed." 
• (E) On Sunday, Majlis Speaker Larijani called on Minister of Road and Transportation Behbahani to explain the recent plane crashes in Iran, adding that “serious measures need to be adopted regarding the case and the Ministry of Road and Transportation must carefully fulfill its duties.”
• (E) Speaking of post-election unrest, Larijani noted the role played by Western countries, stating that “it was not so strange to see that enemies, particularly the United States and Israel, concentrate their efforts on disturbing Iran's status.”
• (E) Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani rejected talk of a “power struggle” among the political elite, calling the Supreme Leader a “progressive and forward-looking thinker” and adding that "the current differences are only related to the [June 12] election and its aftermaths. If these disputes are settled, the row will end."
• (E) Ahmadinejad said of Westerners: “They have devised their own rules and criteria and view themselves as the judges… and even if a country holds 30 elections, based on their rules they will say that democracy is not being put in practice while they approve of the most dictatorial states.”
• (E) August 5^th will be Ahmadinejad’s inauguration.
• (E) Representatives of the Supreme Leader met with veterans from the Iran-Iraq War.

Nuclear Issue

• (E) Commander of the IRGC Jafari stated that “Iran does not seek to conduct a nuclear test or any other similar tests," adding that “German reports that Iran plans an atomic test within the next six months are sheer lies.”
• Kayhan editorializes:
  • "In her speech last week, Clinton accepted a hypothetically nuclear Iran and only tried to show that the threat of a nuclear Iran has been exaggerated and the classic doctrine of deterrence works with Iran as any other nuclear power...The key issue is that the statements of the U.S. Secretary of State are that the United States recognizing a nuclear Iran.
  • One general understanding in Tehran right now is that America is sending this message to the entire world that its strategic need for Iran is so bad that it does not desire to abandon the possibility of negotiating with Iran even should the price be the rise of a nuclear Iran. America's strategic needs in the region are now so bad that the prospect of the rise of a nuclear Iran does not seem so important in comparison with that. As the American authorities have repeated over and over again de facto threats for them stems from other places such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Therefore, rather than wasting their energy in a futile conflict with Iran, they attempt to attract Iran's cooperation as a medicine for their ills.
  • The cumulative activities of the Zionists and the U.S. Congress - in the first instance the threat of using military force and the second with regard to economic sanctions - do not represent America's strategic decision to punish Iran after the failure of negotiations and it is quite interesting that even the American authorities don't stress upon, and solely stress upon the several months long deadline of the G8 to Iran (until September) to reenter negotiations. In other words, for now the Americans fundamentally don't think of the phase following the negotiations and their main worry is that Iran does not accept negotiations at all.
  • What punishments they threaten are to persuade Iran to come to the negotiation table, not in order to punish Iran after eventual failure of negotiations which they themselves know is neither realistic nor effective. For now the situation is this: that the Americans in a very impolite way and like uncivilized cowboys beg Iran to negotiate. Their imperialist nature has not yet taught them that begging someone to negotiate with has its own ways and shouting and screaming in a state of emergency can't be interpreted as a sign of strength.
  • The final and returning point is...that they have no strategy, but only beg to negotiate. After the elections they for a couple of days wanted to speculate that something had changed in Iran and that they should use a different method, but not much time had passed after which they found out that the governments in Iran only execute the decisions of the Leader..." 

Economy

• Central Bank says inflation reaches 22.5 percent.
• (E) 400 more Compressed Natural Gas stations will be built by March 20 in order to cut gas consumption.

Trade

• Alef News criticizes the travel of a group of Iranian parliamentarians to South Africa under the sponsorship of semi-public company Irancell.
• Economy and Finance Minister Hosseini says Iran has managed to attract "$3 billion in Foreign Direct Investments during the last couple of years."
• Rejal Petrochemicals of Iran signs a contract with Germany's Coperion to expand its capacity. 
• According to Mehran Governor Val-Allah Hayati, Iran exports 74,000 tons of natural gas to Iraq on daily basis. 
• Khorasan-e Razavi Export Organization Chief Ali Safarzadeh says saffron exports will reach $1 billion. 
• Iran inaugurates Iran-Alborz offshore drilling station in the Caspian Sea. 

Diplomacy

• Aftab-e Yazd panel discusses the posture of the Ahmadinejad government with regard to suppression of Muslims in China:
  • Heshmat-Allah Falahat-Pisheh, member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Parliament: "Had the diplomatic apparatus of our country taken a position it would not have dealt a blow to Iran and China's relations. Too much pragmatism was shown in this regard... Our country usually takes a position when it comes to killings all over the world...The Islamic Republic of Iran in whose foreign policy defense of the Muslims has a position should have taken a posture in this regard, and naturally Iran/China relations is such that one political positioning would not have damaged it."
  • Academic Sadegh Ziba-Kalam: "Our regime is an ideologically based regime and therefore also considers the world and other countries as based on ideology. In reality other states are either capable of passing through our ideological framework - which means are compatible with our ideology and we are good towards them - or we have ideological problems with them and they don't pass through our framework. Therefore, the most important questions is where China is in our ideological world view? The viewpoint of Iranian statesmen is that China's ideology is desirable for us. We are Muslim, we believe in God and our counterpart is Marxist and Communist thought and does not believe at all in God...Despite such differences we have an ideological unity with China... Therefore, even if the Chinese behead all the Muslims of China and engage in genocide we will not protest. As our diplomatic apparatus never protested...You also see the same thing in Russia. What the Russians have done in Chechnya during the past couple of years is truly horrific. There is no crime that the Russians have not inflicted upon the Chechen Muslims. But the diplomatic machinery of our country did not protest against the Russians a single time as to why you treat the Muslims in such a way...Why? It is because there is compatibility between the ideological view of the Russia and us...When it comes to our allies, such as China, Cuba and Russia our diplomatic machinery prefers silence towards genocide of minorities, but if a much lesser crime takes place in country which we oppose such as Germany, France or Britain we protest promptly. This shows that we have different standards in this regard...In my opinion states with an independent foreign policy follow the path of honor. It really does not count on which countries we depend. Dependency is dependency, be it China, Russia, or America and Britain..." 
  • Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani condemns killing of Muslims in China in the hands of the government of China. 
  • Parliamentarians Falahat-Pisheh, Ali Mottahari, Ahmad-Reza Dastgheib, Bizhan Nobaveh, Naghavi Hosseini and Ghodrat-Allah Ali-Khani in a letter to the Foreign Minister Mottakki demand to know why Iran has not taken a clear position in condemning killing of Muslims in China.
• (E) Referring to reports that Saudi police fingerprinted Iranian pilgrims at the airport, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qashqavi stated that “due to Saudi police misbehavior with Iranian pilgrims, the country's ambassador to Tehran will soon be summoned to Iran's Foreign Ministry.”
• Ahmadinejad meeting the Islamic Republic's ambassadors to Europe:
  •  "Without having an active presence in the global stage and decisively impacting the equations, it is not possible to preserve honor or independence... It is the nature of imperialism not to be happy unless all fields have been subjected to its control...We have seen this in the nuclear issue. When it came to confidence building measures, the dominating order used this as an excuse to intervene in our affairs, to damage our self esteem and placed our country in an Axis of Evil...
  • The first thing which was crushed right after the victory of the Islamic Revolution was the bipolar world order. The bullying powers considered the bipolar order the best means of preserving their domination. Based upon this order no country outside these spheres of dominance is capable of development, but the Islamic revolution showed the humanity a third path with the slogan of 'Neither East, Nor West.'...
  • The bullying powers imposed their political positions upon the nations with military means. During the Imposed War [1980-1988] some of this dominance crumbled and another part of it was crushed during the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq and today use of military force is no longer effective...Science is the most important and the first instrument of the nations in order to achieve development and denying a nation new technology and stopping the country to step into the boundaries of wisdom is a much more heavier pressure than political pressure or attacks against the political independence of a state. The Islamic Republic has broken their monopoly as representative of all nations...Also another domination was broken during the latest presidential election of our country the effect of which - should it not be more important than the other dominations mentioned, then not less important - is the breaking of the dominant theory of government and governance in the world..."

Military and Security

• Ahmad-Reza Pour-Dastan, Islamic Republic of Iran Army Chief, speaking in Kermanshah speculates about why the enemy does not attack Iran: "Iran has two types of deterrence. The first is its capacity to receive strikes, and secondly our armed forces have second strike capability at which they manage to deal a harder blow to the enemy." Pour-Dastan also added that Iran has "invisible forces". 
• (E) Deputy Commander of the IRGC Hejazi boasted of Iran’s ability to combat enemy threats.
• Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari, Revolutionary Guards Commander in Chief:
  • "The latest events have shown that the enemies utilize every opportunity to deal blows to the revolution and the revolutionary forces must maintain their preparedness to preserve the regime...
  • Germany's report with regard to Iran's nuclear test six months from now is a total lie and Iran is not pursuing such a thing... Naturally, such reports are meant to prepare the ground to counter Iran's progress and the enemy is forced to engage in psychological operations and make allegations in order to prepare the background for how to deal with Iran's progress...
  • The new organizational structure of the Guards has enabled it to perform even better which was apparent in the latest events...We consider Israel too small to pose a threat to Islamic Iran. Today, Iran enjoys deep and expansive influence in the countries of the region. Therefore, we are capable of answering all the deeds of the enemy both by military and other means...The latest events were soft threats against the Islamic revolution...We consider the most important threats against the Islamic revolution and the general positions of the regime of being from within. It is natural that the vulnerability of the revolutions and values-based movements are from within, since external threats have a reverse effect and usually lead to internal consolidation...Most of them knew that this method [velvet revolutions] is not effective in Iran, but they engaged in it and inside the country there were many who were misled by them and thought that it is possible to change the general posture of the regime...
  • But such goals were neutralized thanks to the vigilance of the people and the Supreme Leader and the revolutionary authorities of the country. But it had considerable material and spiritual effects on the country and the instigators must be held responsible for it...Such threats are without end and we must be prepared in this field...
  • The entire territory of Israel is within reach of Iran's missile capability and our answer to them is decisive...It is possible that their [Israel's] anti-missile system is efficient when it comes to launching of a few missiles, but in the face of expansive missile capability of Iran they - specially the fact that their project is in its preliminary phase - can't resist...Our missiles can reach the enemy and their supporters within a great radius..."
• Hojjat al-Eslam Zolnouri, Deputy Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards, demands punishment for rioters and their instigators: "The politically dead don't harm the Islamic Republic, but some assume the pose of heroes and mislead the people...If the Islamic regime has not yet dealt with the main instigators of the post election unrest and chaos it is not because of lack of the ability to do so or infirmity, or because those people belong to the grandees..." 
• An unnamed member of the National Security and Foreign Policy of the Parliament says the committee is trying to free "those misled by the propaganda of the enemy" from imprisonment. 
• 25 years old Mohsen Rouh al-Amini, son of Abd al-Hossein Rouh al-Amini, one of presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai's imprisoned advisors, dies in custody after being arrested at a demonstration. 
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards, speaking at Tehran Friday Prayers says in an Islamic regime the role of the people is not to provide the regime with legitimacy since the legitimacy of such regime is derived from God. 
• Commander Rouyanian resigns from the Law Enforcement Forces to take a position in the ninth government. 
• Amir-Habib-Allah Sayyari, Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Chief, praises the capacity of the Navy to defend the Southern shores of Iran.
• Khan-Char-li, Deputy Chief of Operations of Greater Tehran Law Enforcement Forces: "On Saturday, following Western and counter revolutionary media propaganda, a small group attempted to disturb the public order in the streets a few of whom have been arrested."

Religion, Society and Culture

• Jomhouri-ye Eslami: "A news site close to the government [Jahan News] wrote: 'A senior authority of the country who has had several trips to India during the recent years...has visited a Fakir who is claimed to be 400 years old of age and enjoys a very high position among his supporters and it is quite interesting that among all the foreign visitors this Fakir has only allowed this senior authority from Iran to visit him on regular basis. During the visits the individual in question is engaged in predicting the future and has asked for concerns of the Fakir with regard to future world developments in general and more specifically about Iran. Until now, many of such ideas and predictions have been communicated into Iran and many attempts have been made to use this thinking and viewpoints in planning and policy making and some of them have faced widespread resistance...This authority has also had regular and systematic meetings with individuals and strange personalities with the same inclinations as the Indian Fakir in the Iranian desert and in border areas. The individual in question has also met great degree of criticism, but has not reacted to them..." 
• Grand Ayatollah Sanei's latest fatwa: "Those making confessions to escape pressure have not committed a religiously impermissible act, but those forcing confessions out of them are sinners...Forced confessions have no religious value or otherwise..."
• (E) On August 7^th, Tehran will open its “100 Works, 100 Artists” exhibit.
• 14 cabin personnel and 3 passengers die as Flight 1525 Tehran to Mashhad crashes. 
  • Urumiyeh-Tehran flight is diverted from the runway because of technical problems.
  • (E) In light of the second plane crash in Iran, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qashqavi reiterated his statement that US sanctions on airplane parts are “a serious sign of violation of human rights.”
• Ayatollah Moghtadayi claims there are 1200 Shi'a theological students in Sistan Va Balouchestan Province, compared to 34,000 Sunni theological students. 
• Baztab News reports water rationing in seven provinces. 
• Hojjat al-Eslam Hassani, Urumiyeh Friday Prayer Leader: "It is not suitable for people of old age who are incapable of administering a country to participate in election and in case they don't win they disturb the calm and security of the country." 
• Hojjat al-Eslam Ja'far Shajouni, Moetalefeh Central Committee member, says "During the era of reforms there were more than 2350 occasions of insult against the sacred issues of the regime and religion." 
• Tabnak News Agency releases the Friday Prayer sermon of then President Ali Khamenei in which he explained Iran's recognition of ceasefire in the war with Iraq.
• Abrar discloses that the number of clerics supporting Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, Guardian Council member who has attacked Rafsanjani's Friday prayer sermon is less than ten and featuring only a couple of well known individuals such as Hojjat al-Eslam Ahmad Salek and a certain Abd al-Karim Farahani.
• Ayatollah Abd al-Karim Mousavi Ardebili calls for respect for the rights of arrested individuals.

Human Rights and Labor

• Parliamentarian Masoud Pezeshkian: "The son of Rouh al-Amini was a person known to them [Law Enforcement Forces and the Basij], and despite this fact he met such a destiny [died while in custody]. Therefore we are worried about the unknown prisoners."
  • Abd al-Hossein Rouh al-Amini says he will follow up on the death of his son through legal channels.
• (E) An Iranian official announced that Mohammad Karami and Mohsen Ruholamini, both arrested during post-election protests, died in prison of meningitis.
• (E) In ordering Iranian officials to address the fate of the arrested protesters, Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Shahroudi recommended that “those prisoners who have not committed serious enough crimes to be kept in jail should be freed.”
• (E) An Iranian official announced that a commission will investigate the condition of arrested protesters in order “to inform the general public about their physical condition and the nature of the arrests.”

Photo of the Day

• The Law Enforcement Forces destroy alcoholic beverages.