(Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his assistance in compiling)

Politics

• Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Alam al-Hoda, Friday Prayer leader of Mashhad continues his dispute on intervention of the Basij militia in internal politics of the Islamic Republic with former Supreme Public Prosecutor of the Islamic Repblic, Mousavi Tabrizi.
• (Background in Nov. 24 Iran news Round Up).
• Javad Aryan-Manesh, representative from Mashhad in the Iranian parliament: “Basij transcends political party formations.”
• Raja news agency “exposes” Hassan Rowhani’s “British connection”: “The British granted Rowhani a Ph.D. degree after having granted [former nuclear negotiator Seyyed Hossein] Mousavian a Ph.D.” [Mousavian is accused of espionage for Britain].
• Rowhani responds: “Only the Judiciary has the right to condemn people, not the government.”
• Former president Khatami, speaking in Mashhad: “The slogan ‘Iran for Islam and Islam for Iran’ is a huge piece of obscurantism and a great mistake… They don’t think about the national interest of Iran.”
• Raja condemns the Iranian authorities tolerance towards demonstrators who, while attending Khatami’s speech, shouted: “Death to the Dictator [Ahmadinejad]… Incompetent government, resign, resign.”
• Fatemeh Rajabi, wife of Gholam-Hossein Elham, spokesman of the Iranian government, criticized former president Khatami’s travel to Mashhad as: “Waste of public funds.”
• Ayatollah Khaz’ali: “Ahmadinejad is God-sent… he is a duplication of Raja’i [second president of the Islamic Republic, assassinated in 1981].”
• Poll: 55 percent of Iranians view current parliament as more successful than last parliament.

Nuclear Issue

• Supreme Leader tells Islamic Student Associations at foreign universities: “Conspiracies and machinations of the enemy, including the ’scientific Apartheid’ which they try to subject our nation to, only strengthens the unity of our people.”
• Head of Iran’s Nuclear Energy Agency: “Conditions not right for implementation of the Additional Protocol.”
• More reactors coming online?

Military

• Admiral Habib-Allah Sayyari, chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy: “Closure of the Hormuz Strait is not under consideration” during upcoming war games.
• Added that Iranian-made submarines are soon to leave docks in southern Iran.
• Seyyed-Yahya Rahim Safavi, former IRGC head and current advisor to Supreme Leader: “Risk of an attack against Iran is minimal… Iran’s defense doctrine does not entail nuclear weapons.”

Society and Culture

• Iranian psychologist, Davar Sheikhavandi: “Window shopping brings girls and boys together in socially dangerous environments, such as shopping malls… which are a prelude to decadence.”
• The Islamic Republic’s minister of interior informs the public of changes in the pre-Islamic Nowruz [New Year] holidays in Iran.
  

Public Health

• Minister of Health: “Iranian-produced AIDS medicine is registered internationally.”
• Background: See February 4, 2007 “Iran News Round Up.”

Diplomacy

• Returning from Baku, speaker of the Iranian parliament Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel informed of expansion of Iranian-Azeri cultural exchanges.
• Aftab-e Yazd claims Iranian pilgrims to Iraq who have obtained a visa at the Iraqi embassy in Tehran are turned back at the Iran-Iraq border.
• “The theater of Annapolis a fiasco even before convening.” writes mouthpiece of Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamnei, Kayhan.
• Ahmadinejad warns states not to attend.
• Senegal supports Iran’s nuclear program.
• Ivory Coast foreign minister comes to Tehran.

Press

• Jamal Rahimiyan, from the University Jihad Organization, is appointed as chief editor of Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA).

Economy and Trade

• Iranian minister of petroleum claims the Islamic Republic has attracted $20 billion in foreign investment to Iran’s oil industry “some of which is expected to come from the national Brazilian oil company PETROBRAZ.
• Adds: “[Norwegian] STATOIL and [French] Total had a very good business in Iran, but the United States conspired against us… All the stories about corruption in the oil business are the conspiracy of the United States.”
• Adds: “Since some European companies, intimidated by the United States, have chosen not to participate in Iranian economy, we gravitate towards Asian oil and gas companies… such as the Malaysian oil company which is active in Ferdows and Golshan oil fields, and the Chinese national oil company.”
• Chinese oil company CNPC participates in a $150 million project at the Masjid-e Soleyman oil field.
• Stiffer sanctions will “cost Germany dear.”
• Iranian civil servant’s salary to rise 6 percent according to new budget.
• Ahmadinejad promises more money to rural areas during his trips to the provinces.

Photo of the Day

• Basij first-responder exercise.