Iran News Round Up

(Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his assistance compiling)

Politics: March 2008 Parliamentary Elections

Supreme Leader considers the March 2008 parliamentary elections the most important event of the year.
In English.
Former Tehran mayor Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi: “Our most important task is to defeat the supporters of Ahmadinejad in the parliamentary elections.”
Ansar warns of “[Former presidents] Rafsanjani and Khatami’s plans to present the Council of Guardians with a list of parliamentary candidates who were barred from running in the last parliamentary elections.”
Raja slams Iran Freedom Movement’s invitation to foreign observers to supervise the March 2008 parliamentary elections.

Politics: General

Ahmadinejad calls upon the Iranian youth to prepare for leadership of the entire world.
Intelligence Minister: “The method of treating [former nuclear negotiator accused of espionage] Mousavian’s case depends on the ruling of the court.”
Ahmadinejad: “Why do the media want to damage the relationship between the people and the government? Why does the media attack the government relentlessly?”

Economy and Trade

Despite wide spread criticism, the Iranian government presents to the parliament a budget only 50 pages long.
Short commentary, in English.
Minister of Economy: “Iran’s foreign currency reserve reaches $60 billion.”
Asr-e Iran suggests that higher income groups benefit most from the current subsidy structure.
Iran the world’s 4th largest producer of cement.
Turkmenistan demands doubling of price for gas shipped to Iran.

Diplomacy

Semi-official Diplomasi-ye Irani says Larijani is preparing the ground for resumption of normal diplomatic relations between Iran and Egypt.
Top Iranian representative in Egypt said Larijani did not hold any meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Tehran Times: Larijani meets Mubarak.
Syrian Foreign Minister: “Disruption of Iran-Syria relations is a delusion.”
Iran and Iraq to hold negotiations over the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
Sadeq Kharrazi criticizes the Iranian foreign minister’s comments on Iran’s share of the Caspian Sea.
In an indirect reference to Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s remarks on Iran’s right to the Caspian Sea, Etemaad publishes an article on the “lost waters of Iran.”
For background, see December 31, 2007 Iran News Round Up.

Terrorism

A female terrorist of the Kurdish PEJAK infiltrates the Revolutionary Guards garrison of Maku, throws a hand grenade and commits suicide.

Military

Revolutionary Guards restructures: Every four provinces gets an IRGC command center.

Nuclear Issue

Heshmat-Allah Falahat-Pisheh, member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament: “Russia expects us to suspend enrichment of uranium.”

Religion, Culture, and Society

Member of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Iranian parliament, Fatemeh Alia: “Anchors at Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting propagate indecent dress for women.”
Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution to decide whether Iran should allow Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS).

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