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].

Diplomacy

• Hojjat al-Eslam Mohsen Alviri, member of the Academic Board of the Imam Sadeq University releases his travel memoirs from the United States, including a summary of a conversation he had with Seyyid Hossein Nasr, the father of Holbrooke-aide Vali Nasr.

• Ahmadinejad deplores Zahedan bombing and accuses Pakistan: "News reached us that some authorities in Pakistan cooperated with the true perpetrators of these terrorist acts and we consider it our right to demand Pakistan to extradite them..."

  • Following the terror bombing, the Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry summons Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires to protest against Pakistan "arming and allowing entrance of terrorist elements to Pakistan" and "allowing the terrorists and highwaymen to use Pakistani territory against the Islamic Republic."

• (E) President Ahmadinejad presented two bills to the Iranian Parliament with provisions for tightly coordinated policies for Iran and Qatar regarding extradition of criminals and convicts. This move to expand judiciary cooperation reflects Iran’s effort to strengthen bilateral ties between Tehran and Doha.

• (E) Turkmenistan's Ambassador Ahmed Qurbanov emphasized the importance of Iranian participation in multi-lateral discussions about the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Claims to the Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed body of water, have been contentious since the fall of the Soviet Union with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan asserting their own demands. The Turkmen Ambassador explained that any conversation addressing the Caspian Sea would be meaningless without Iran.

• (E) TheIranian Foreign Ministry summoned Pakistan’s charge d'affaires following a terrorist attack in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Balouchestan where 14 Iranians were killed. Pakistani officials condemned the attack and portrayed Pakistan as a victim of terror. Members of the Pakistani government also agreed to cooperate with Iranian officials to investigate the attack.

• (E) In a session at the 121st General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani boldly asserted that controversial Iranian policies are now seeing positive results. Referring to the Iranian protest of the US invasion of Iraq, Larijani claimed that the US would engage in unrestrained unilateralism if not for Iran.

• (E) Soaib Iqbal, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Delhi Assembly, blamed the recent terrorist attacks in southeastern Iran on the US and Israel. While voicing sympathy for the victims and their families, Iqbal explained that the attack was an act of revenge by Israel and the US due to their defeat on several measures to constrain Iran.

• (E) The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with President of Senegal, Abdullah Wade to discuss the importance of Muslim unity. In addition to increased economic and political cooperation, the meeting focused on Muslim unity regarding the plight of the Palestinians. Abdullah Wade, who expressed his support for the June 12^th elections, noted the important role of Iran in the Arab world.

• (E) After the Jundallah terrorist ring carried out a bloody attack in southeastern Iran, Dimitri Medvedev offered Russian support to help Iran address its problems with terrorism. The Pakistan-based terrorist group Jundallah, affiliated with al-Qaeda, launched the attack during a Shia-Sunni unity conference. Medvedev condemned “this new evildoing by extremists."

Politics

• Fars News Agency discussing a blog post written by Foundation of the Defense of Democracy scholar Michael Ledeen, indirectly accuses "defeated candidates" from the presidential election - a reference to Mohsen Rezai - of being Ledeen’s source of information on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's alleged illness and coma.

  • Hojjat al-Eslam Rouhullah Hosseinian, head of the Islamic Revolution faction in the parliament, accuses "individuals and movements who have lost" of spreading rumors about the health of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Warning the public, Hosseinian concluded: "The Islamic revolution of Iran is supported by God and will never be unstable or weakened. Secondly, the Leader of the Islamic regime will guide the Islamic revolution healthier than ever."

• Hojjat al-Eslam Reza Taghavi, Policy Head of the Friday Prayer Leaders, praises Supreme Leader Khamenei as the primary uniting factor in the Islamic Republic.

• Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, former Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister, addressing an assembly of students, attacks Mousavi Khoeini-ha, former representative of Grand Ayatollah Khomeini to the Students Following the Line of the Imam, which seized the American Embassy in Tehran:

  • "After the passing away of the Imam [Khomeini] and during the beginning of His Holiness Ayatollah Khamenei’s leadership, Mousavi Khoeini-ha was against his leadership and always displayed opposition to Khamenei’s leadership position. Some of his Satanic behavior today is because of that viewpoint..."

  • "At one of his lectures at one of the branches of the Azad University, Mousavi Khoeini-ha says that Absolute Guardianship of the Jurist is fundamentally unacceptable. He was asked: 'You belonged to the group which during the era of the Imam [Khomeini] accused those who had expressed doubt about the Guardianship of the Jurist of being opposed to Islam. You said they were counter revolutionary and proponent of American Islam. How come you speak like this now?'..."

  • Saffar-Harandi also attacked Iranian religious innovator Hojjat al-Eslam Mohsen Kadivar and accused Kadivar and Khoeini-ha of having opposed the Guardianship of the Jurist from the very beginning.

• Friday prayer sermon:

  • Hojjat al-Eslam Abol-Hassan Hassanzadeh, Ahwaz Friday prayer leader: "The post -election incidents were a sign of lack of political piety..."

Religion, Society and Culture

• As an earthquake shakes the Iranian capital.

• Abd al-Hamid Esmail-Zehi, Zahedan's Sunni Friday Prayer Leader: "We announce to all the authorities of the country that the thought and idea of Wahabism has no place in our mind and that we are all followers of the Hanafi and Shafi'i sects."

• (E) Iran is hosting the 3rd International Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Tehran. The top advisor of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ali Akbar Velayati participated in the opening ceremony over the weekend.

• (E)Iran's Taekwondo Team obtained the second place in the WTF World Taekwondo Championships. The Championship took place in Denmark from October 14-18. The Iranian team, which has held second place for years, was defeated only by the South Korean delegation.

Trade

• Hamid-Reza Katouzian, Chairman of the Energy Committee of the Parliament: "The United States' move to sanction gasoline does not seem to be challenge to the country. The United States desires to pressure Iran in international decision making but will not reach its goals...Some refineries produce different products. Now, considerations are made to reorganize their production, increase the percentage of gasoline produced and decrease other petroleum products...By changing the technical systems of some refineries, it is possible to change the production line."

  • Nour al-Din Shahnazizadeh, National Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products Executive Director: "Several plans are under consideration to counter the United States Senate's sanction schemes...I believe that we, by concentrating the capacities and talents in the National Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products can find effective ways of neutralizing the tricks of the agents of the West...What is certain is that Iran is not facing any problem whe it comes to a United States' gasoline sanction...Establishment of the Star of the Persian Gulf refinery is one of the plans under development which deals with the gasoline crisis..."

Economy

• Head of Labor and Social Affairs Organization of Sistan va Balouchestan Province says "100,000 job opportunities in Sistan va Balouchestan are being tapped by foreign citizens."

Nuclear Issue

• Ayatollah Jannati, temporary Tehran Friday Prayer Leader:

  • "These meetings [in Geneva] were a great victory and a sign of strength and dignity of the country and proved to the Westerners that they can't bully the Islamic Republic of Iran...Prior to the meetings the Islamic Republic, had sent an incentive package to the Westerners..."

  • "In this package there was nothing about the nuclear issue of Iran...At these meetings there were some powers which tried to discuss Iran's nuclear issue, but Jalili [Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council] who protected Iran's honor during the meetings announced that he had not gone to Geneva to investigate our country's nuclear issues and that the order of the discussion must be Iran's proposed package which led to ignoring of the nuclear issue at the meetings..."

  • "The Deputy Foreign Minister of the United States [sic] tried on three occasions during the meetings to meet Jalili, but Jalili did not accept..."

  • "At the end, and after the end of one of the meetings an American authority, approached Jalili and says that he wants to engage in a dialogue, and Jalili accepts the wish of the Deputy Foreign Minister of the United States...In the beginning of the conversation, between the Deputy Foreign Minister of the United States and Jalili, the American authority discussed the nuclear issue and stresses the importance of issues related to nuclear energy to Jalili, but Jalili, addressing the Deputy American Foreign Minister, says that the issues related to Iran's nuclear question have been solved and there is no reason to discuss them..."

  • "The Deputy Foreign Minister of the United States at this meeting also said that some discussions about lack of respect for human rights are being discussed. Jalili addressing this American authority says that we too have heard that Obama has said that you will end torture in the United States, after which the American authority looked down..."

• (E) With the upcoming continuation of nuclear talks in Vienna, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Shirzadian said that Iran will continue its work to enrich uranium to 20 percent should the 5+1 talks fail. Iran hopes to purchase highly enriched uranium, and Shirzadian explained that many countries, including the United States, are willing to sell such materials to Iran.

Military and Security

• The terrorist bombing in Zahedan:

  • Commander Nour-Ali Shoushtari, the Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces Deputy and some other commanders of the Guards, assassinated by unknown armed men as they allegedly were engaged in "establishing unity between the Shi'a and the Sunnis of the country." Apart from Shoushtari, the list of the dead includes Commander Mohammadzadeh, Sistan and Balouchestan Revolutionary Guards Chief, Iranshahr Revolutionary Guards Chief, Sarbaz Revolutionary Guards Chief and the Amir al-Moe'mening IRGC unit chief.

  • The IRGC commanders and a number of local tribal elders died because of a suicide bombing.  Names. Death toll reaches 49.

  • Commander Mohammad Pakpour, the Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces Chief: "Most certainly, the revenge of the blood of the martyrs Shoushtari, Mohammadzadeh and Balouch elders who are a symbol of the unity between the Shi'a and the Sunnis in the country will not remain unanswered... The world imperialism was very angry with the new security strategy and tactics initiated by the person of martyr Shoushtari in the region...Therefore, they decided in a blind act to decrease their own pain...The southeastern part of the country - because of the tribal structure dominant in it - led Commander Shoushtari to arrange successful meetings with the tribes and consolidate the region with their help..."

  • Sunni members of the parliament demand decisive action against the perpetrators of the terrorist act in Zahedan and accuse “the Wahabis" who allegedly are "the puppets of the imperialists."

  • Mowlavi Abd al-Hamid, Zahedan Sunni Friday Prayer Leader: "This terrorist act is a great calamity and its planners are trying to ignite the fire of discord and conflict between the people in this important region...The gray beards of the Shi'a and the Sunnis know just how much these terrorists feel enmity towards them and fear closer cooperation of the Shi'a and the Sunnis. In reality the true motive of the terrorists was the unity of the sects of Shi'a and Sunni..."

  • (E) The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has promised to offer severe punishment for those responsible for the Pishin attack that killed Nour-Ali Shoushtari, Rajab-Ali Mohammadzadeh, and Baluch tribal leaders. Commander of the IRGC ground force General Mohammad Pakpour explained that this tragic event will only strengthen the unity between Shia and Sunni communities.

• The Revolutionary Guards Center for Cyber Crimes will soon release information about a "regime toppling conspiracy" which allegedly is a sign of "a deep discord." The Revolutionary Guards is also expected to show a number of "cyber criminals" arrested by the Guards.

Media

• A communications' expert discusses BBC Persian television: "The BBC is a threat against the Voice and Vision of Iran since it shows the world to our people in way which is not shown by the national media. It discusses issues which are not the priorities of the Iranian government. Therefore, it can change the news preferences and the world view of the viewers. It can present Iran's international position in a way that the national media may not be interested in...this is very serious."

Photos of the Day

• Shoushtari and Mohammadzadeh, both killed in Baluchistan bombing.