[Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his compilation; (E) signifies English link]
Economy
- According to Sarmayeh, thirty percent of private firms have gone bankrupt during the past year.
- Central Bank director general Tahmasb Mazaheri explains the state of the Islamic Republic’s monetary policies and says he would invest his money in private bank, but not in state-owned enterprises. He also acknowledges that Gharz al-Hassaneh [interest free loans] in some cases becomes Gharz-e Pasndeh [Loans not in need of repayment]. Video.
- Minister of Cooperatives comments on statistics about applicants for housing in Iran.
- Housing minister announces the government’s resolve in fighting speculation in the housing sector.
- Jariani, spokesman of the industry section of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mining, says Iran’s industry suffers from power blackouts.
- The Islamic Republic’s Central Bank mints 1000 rial coins.
- Law Enforcement Forces Chief warns against ethnic unrest propagated by the enemies of the Islamic Republic. The Martyrs Foundation and the Awqaf of Bojnourd involved in property rights dispute.
- Commander Ghasemi, who heads Khatam al-Anbia Construction Group of the IRGC, declares readiness to enter the housing market.
Politics
- According to a poll, former President Khatami is the preferred presidential candidate among supporters of reform candidates. Interior
- Presidential elections dominate annual congress of the Islamic Revolution’s Mojahedin organization.
- Khatami vice president Ebtahi condemns Ahmadinejad for misleading the Iranian parliament with regard to the vote of confidence to his ministerial nominees.
- Asr-e Iran condemns parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani’s secret endorsement of Interior Minister Ali Kordan and his lack of intervention against the Iranian president’s abuse of the words of the Supreme Leader to get the parliament’s vote of confidence for his ministerial nominees.
- Ministry condemns Alef News Agency’s correspondence with Oxford University and claims the Interior Minister’s degree from Oxford is genuine.
- Raja News, which usually supports the Iranian president, says Kordan should produce an Oxford degree to the Iranian public or resign.
- Five executives from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting publish an open letter to Ahmadienajd and declare their support for Ali Kordan. In the letter the executives write that the fact that Oxford University’s office for student affairs answered Alef News Agency’s inquiry regarding Kordan’s educational history at the British university shows the “happiness of the imperialist powers.”
- Kargozaran criticizes the Ahmadinejad government’s negligence of the energy sector which could help Iran use energy export as a political instrument.
- Following the scandal about newly-appointed Interior Minister Ali Kordan’s false doctoral degree from Oxford University, Alef News Agency publishes a list of universities selling degrees. Readers of Alef’s report ask what is to be done with all those students who have been educated by Kordan at the universities in which he has taught.
Religion, Culture, and Society
- Hojjat al-Eslam Seyyed Mehdi Khamoushi says the Supreme Council on Cultural Revolution has transferred the responsibility for Islamization of universities to a council which is to revise the academic literature and cleanse social sciences of Western influence.
- Wife of Iranian war veteran explains disinterest of the Islamic Republic’s in the plight of the veterans.
- Azadi [formerly known as Shahyad] tower in Tehran to be refurnished with a new type of ceramic.
- Minister of Higher Education announces the government’s policy of establishing all-female universities in the Islamic Republic.
- Ahmadinehad invites representatives of the press to visit the holy city of Mashhad along with their family members.
- Asr-e Iran says the fact that interior minister Ali Kordan whose doctoral degree from Oxford has been proved false has been teaching at the university shows the tragedy of the educational system in Iran.
- Mashhad Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda attacks the Ahmadinejad government for allowing a female athlete to be the standard bearer of Iran at Olympics in Beijing, and says it is not worthy of a regime “led by the vice regent of the Imam of the Era [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.]
- Ali Kaffashian, General Secretary of the Islamic Republic’s National Olympic team, says Iranian swimmer Mohammad Ali-Rezai’s participation in a contest along with a swimmer from “the regime occupying Qods” is not a problem since the two sportsmen do not face each other and swim in separate lines.
- According to a later report by Asr-e Iran the Iranian swimmer did not swim due to “illness.”
Diplomacy
- Head of the Islamic Republic’s Nuclear Energy Organization Aghazadeh says he expects the Russian contractors will soon make the power plant operational.
- Algerian president visits Iran.
- Prior to the Iranian president’s visit to Turkey, Shi’a News publishes a picture of Ataturk along with his wife dressed in headscarf.
- Presidential advisor Ramin says policies of former president Hashemi Rafsanjani towards the Central Asia and Caucasus in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse were “defensive,” and urges the Iranian government to “change the political geography of the region” to serve the Islamic Republic’s interests.
Military and Security
- Security affairs deputy at the Ministry of Interior Abbas Mohtaj says the Islamic Republic will not negotiate with Jundallah terrorists and that Iran’s has a “plan” to deal with the organization.
Photos of the Day:
- Lake Oroumiyeh transformed into a salt field.