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].

(E) = Article in English

 Politics

• Ahmadinejad and his cabinet nominees defend themselves in the parliament:
  • Hojjat al-Eslam Heydar Moslehi, candidate for Intelligence Ministry: "My knowledge of intelligence issues dates back to the era of the Sacred Defense. In the heat of the war, many executives were made and I too had the luck of being the political representative of His Holiness the Imam [Khomeini] in the Karbala Base...After that responsibility...I was the representative in Karbala Base and missions I received from the Imam [Khomeini] made me have a detailed understanding of intelligence issues which I can't disclose here, but I have shared with the chairmen of the committees...After this I was engaged in intelligence issues in the Basij...Developing means to counter the soft threats and achieving intelligence superiority is one of the most important issues..." Critics of Moslehi pointed out that he is not the theological degree of ijtihad and that the intelligence minister should be the intelligence minister of the entire regime, not of the government.
  • Sousan Keshavarz, candidate for the Education Ministry, points out that she has been a member of the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij and the Construction Jihad of the Sisters which qualify her as a cabinet minister. Her critics attacked her limited managerial experience.
  • Manouchehr Mottakki, incumbent Foreign Minister, defends his cabinet post.
  • Ghazanfari, candidate for Commerce Ministry, defends himself and the Ahmadinejad government against crushing criticism of uncontrolled imports from China which has crippled Iran's agriculture.
  • No parliamentarian commented candidacy of incumbent Economy and Finance Minister Shams al-Din Hosseini.
  • Reza Taghi-Pour, candidate for Communication and Information Technology Ministry, promises privatization of the third mobile phone operator.
• Parliamentary debate about Ahmadineajd's proposed cabinet:
  • Parliamentarian Alireza Zakani provides documents against Ahmadineajd's minister of roads, creates tumult in the parliament, accuses Behbahani of trying to bribe the parliamentarians to receive a vote of confidence.
  • The parliament introduces a more precise counting method to manage votes of confidence on Ahmadinejad's cabinet nominees.
  • Parliamentaian Hamid Rasayi refutes rumors on one billion rial "gifts" of the government to parliamentarians prior to the vote of confidence.
  • So does Ali Larijani, speaker of the parliament.
• Agah-Sazi's analyst warns that Ahmadinejad is seeking a new revolution which will polarize Iranian society and create instability. Agah-Sazi's analyst warns that Ahmadineajd's first victims may be members of the reformist camp, but that he will not restrict his purge, and that other groups - such as "followers of sources of emulation" - will become victims of the ideological cleansing of "religious individuals who do not believe in sources of emulation."
• In the face of increasing government attacks against the Azad University system, Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani, brother of the former president and co-founder of the Azad University, says the Founding Assembly of the university has converted the university into a "Vaqf," so its belongings are protected against confiscation.
  • Fars News Agency reports that the Office of the Supreme Leader has not accepted conversion of the Azad University into a charity.
  • Abbas Salimi-Namin says the Azad University is a public institution and not owned by the Founding Assembly of the university. Therefore, declaration of the university as a charity is illegal.
  • Iranian lawyers discuss if the Azad University can be converted into a charity.
  • An authority from the Awqaf Charitable Organizations says he has not received any application from the Azad University.
  • Mohammad-Reza Mokhber Dezfouli, Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in Iran spokesman, says conversion of the Azad University into a charity without the council’s authorization is illegal.
• Ahmadinejad appoints Mohammad-Javad Mohammadizadeh as the Environmental Protection Agency chief.
• Rumors that Parviz Fattah will become First Vice President.
• An unnamed member of the Rafsanjani family says Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the ayatollah, has left Iran for Great Britain but that "this travel has nothing to do with rumors on his possible arrest based on accusations of his being engaged in planning of and executing post-election unrest."
• Gholam-Hossein Elham, government spokesman, urges media to disclose the "new curtains of discord," a reference to Ahmadinejad's critics.

Diplomacy

• 40 Ambassadors of the Islamic Republic are purged from the Foreign Ministry and will be replaced with "experts who believe in the foundations of the revolution."
• Rafsanjani speaking with Ambassador of China: "Most certainly, the nature of your understanding of Muslims in China affects your relations with 60 Muslim countries whose total population is larger than China. Muslims on the other hand have during the years proven that they are satisfied people...I have always believed that China is one of our best partners..."

Nuclear Issue

Said Jaili, Supreme National Security Council Secretary says Iran is ready to present a new "package" in the nuclear issue.

Akbar E'temad, pre-revolutionary chief of the Iran's Nuclear Energy Organization, says in a television interview that it is Iran's right not to sign the additional protocol.

Trade

• National Iranian Oil Company Executive Director Jashnsaz says $1.4 billion was invested in development of South Pars Gas Field last year.
• Abd al-Mohammad Delparish, National Iranian Oil Company Planning Chief, reports irregular deliveries from foreign suppliers to the 9th ad 10th phases of South Pars Gas Field.

Military and Security

• Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, the Supreme Leader's Representative to the Revolutionary Guards, attacks elite members who have allowed themselves to be misled by Western political thought.
• IRGC Chief Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari:
  • "Some of the arrested gentlemen have made confessions and bluntly announce that they have pursued the same goals but with different means..."
  • "There are some who think this event [attempted velvet revolution] was a simple event, only to be considered as a political rivalry which took place within the regime. The issue having taken place within the regime is true in one sense since all the people live under the umbrella of the Islamic Republic regime. But if we define it as those who recognize the substance of the regime and those who don't the issue of the election was not as simple as that..."
  • "When it comes to toppling of the regime, as the Americans spoke of it earlier but today no longer dare to do, it is expressed differently today. What they mean is the so-called 'changing the behavior of the regime.' In other words, changing of the main posturing of the revolution and diversion from the principles and ideals of the revolution. This is the aim of the Americans today."
  • "There may be people who claim that the published statements - as the statements of Mr. Abtahi - were due to force and coercion. Well, such people have no other choice but to lie. Mr. Abtahi was imprisoned for a time, and by the virtue of having left an atmosphere which no longer was imposed on him and by the virtue of being away from his friends, he made confessions based upon the free discussion [in prison] which led to his personal transformation. One day, he will be released and at that time you can ask him for his reasons. Knowing is the right of the people. People should know..."
  • Ja'fari continued by quoting passages from the confessions of reformist political activists and journalists which oddly enough has not been made in the court:
    • "Mr. Mousavi Kheini-ha in February 2008 said: 'We should see to it and dedicate our efforts to dethrone the Leader. He must understand that the country is not in such a way that it can be led in the direction he desires. [Former President] Khatami and his followers have a lot of experience today.'"
    • In his confessions Mr. Abtahi says: 'Khatami, Fateh and Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani used to say that winning this election is very different from winning other elections. If they lose this time, it is done with the honor and prestige of the Principalist movement and the Leader. This would make things final. In other words we would reach a regime with an extremely weakened Guardian Jurist, or without a Guardian Jurist. The protests were completely planned...'"
    • "Mr. Khatami in February 2008 said: 'If Ahmadineajd falls at this election the Supreme Leader will in reality be eliminated and if the reformist movement returns to the executive the Supreme Leader will no longer have any power in the society. The collapse of Principalism equals to the end of power of the Supreme Leader. One must tame the power of the leadership through defeating the Principalists.'"
    • "Mr. Nabavi says: 'We must see to it to present Ahmadinejad as the candidate of the Supreme Leader. In case Ahmadinejad loses it is a defeat for the leadership. We did that once in 1997 which was a heavy blow from which they rose with difficulty. Now we must deal the final blow to the leadership. In order to restrict the power of and making the power responsive one must begin from the apex of power.'"
    • "Mr. Atrianfar confesses: 'Mr. Tajzadeh would say during the election: If we win, with the experience we have gained during these years we can easily tame the leadership.' Mr. Tajzadeh was probably the only individual who had totally theorized the concept of the velvet revolution. He did not speak of it openly, but expressed the same ideas."
  • Ja'fari adds: "Such deviations in the path of the revolution have become extremely serious today, they have become difficult to detect and the enemy has invested achievement of his goals on such foundations...There were some who cooperated with them and God willing, they will receive guidance. Even more interestingly some of them claim they want to stop deviations from the path of the revolution and the Imam [Khomeini]..."
  • "This event was not a crisis, but a great test. If we want the survival of the regime, and want the path of the Imam [Khomeini] to continue we should pay greater attention to the posturing at elections and in our support to political movements we should get to know the enemies..."
  • "Unfortunately some of the elites of the society failed, but one should not judge the performance of the regime with behavior of you or me, one should measure it by the standards of the path of the Imam [Khomeini] and the martyrs..."
  • "Unfortunately some of the elites did not pay attention to the important issue that the Guardian Jurist is Fasl al-Khetab [has the final word] and easily criticize it. If they behave in such a way one can't claim to be followers of the path of the Imam [Khomeini] or of being supporters of the regime."
  • "There are some who in practice want to oppose the principles of the regime, but don't want the people to know. It is our duty to disclose them. This heavy duty is on our shoulders, the vanguards of the Jihad and martyrdom."
  • "I believe that we, today, after this great discord, and after this great blow has been dealt to the honor of the regime of the Islamic Republic should name [and shame certain political personalities.]"
• Tabesh, minority [reformist] faction leader in the parliament, slams IRGC chief Ja'fari's demand of trial and prosecution of reformist politicians: "The confessions made by some reformist individuals under illegal circumstances and transmitted by the media have in my opinion no value...The Revolutionary Guards is a social and popular institution and one should not degrade its prestige by the Guards' support for a certain political faction...There are many issues of which we do not speak for the sake of the regime and the revolution. Had we said those things the enemies would have used it. Therefore we have not said it. They [IRGC] should not force us to say those things...In my opinion individuals who contrary to the viewpoint of the Imam [Khomeini] and the Supreme Leader have authorized the Guards to enter the realm of politics and the election should be put on trial and prosecuted. They rather than people who firmly believe in the regime and the Imam [Khomeini] and have roots in the revolution should be on trial..."
• Hojjat al-Eslam Mojtaba Zolnouri appoints Mohammad-Vali Razavi-Rad as the Supreme Leader's Representative in the Hamadan Revolutionary Guards unit.

Human Rights and Labor

• Abd al-Hossein Rouh-Al-Amini, adviser to presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai who lost his son Mohsen during the son's imprisonment in Kahrizak Detention Center, speaks up to Khamenei during the Supreme Leader's Sunday meeting with academics and university deans and demands justice.
• IRNA claims Rouh-Al-Amini's son died because an illness.

Photo of the Day

• Former Vice President Hojjat al-Eslam Mohammad Abtahi breaks his Ramadan fast at home - after 74 days of solitary confinement - and returns to Evin Prison.