(Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his assistance in compiling)

Politics

  • Davoud Ahamadinejad, brother of the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: “Governments of ‘Reconstruction’ and ‘Reform’ [referring to the presidencies of Rafsanjani and Khatami] attempted to cleanse the Islamic Republic of the element of Velayat [e- Faqih],” the ideology justifying clerical rule].”
  • First Vice President of the Islamic Republic, Parviz Davoudi: “Political planners in the Islamic Republic during the pat five years were secular.”
  • “They tried to infest the programs of this country with humanism and secularism inspired by the policies of the United States and the West. They attempted to infiltrate, and their rotten smell nauseated every member of the Basij, but the spirit of the Basij barred their influence… They dress in the garbs of the expert, the scientist, the technocrat and university professor who still use Western theories at social science departments of our universities.”
  • Iran’s interior minister in response to a question over prospects of a ‘velvet revolution,’: “The era of sissy and sentimental demonstrations is over.”
  • Parliament in de facto closure due to lack of presence of parliamentarians.

Diplomacy

  • Supreme Leader Khamenei: “The Annapolis initiative doomed to fiasco.” In English.
  • Ahmadinejad in a telephone conference with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia: “I wish Saudi Arabia was not a part of the Annapolis summit.”
  • Members of the Student Basij gathered in a demonstration in front of the Jordanian embassy in Tehran chanting slogans against participation of the moderate Arab regimes in the Annapolis Summit. Among other slogans, the Basij members also chanted slogans against the Islamic Republic’s old ally, Syria: “Syria, Syria, Shame on you, shame on you.”
  • Windows of the embassy were smashed and the Basij members fought with police.
  • Yadollah Javani in Sobh-e Sadeq weekly of the Revolutionary Guards: “The Fourth round of negotiations between the United States and Iran takes place in a situation where…the United States is more isolated than ever in the nuclear issue…the terrorists in Iraq all originate from a certain country in the region which the United States is aware of… But despite this fact the United States invites these among other countries to the Annapolis Summit… Iranian negotiators and the Iranian press should be aware of these circumstances.”
  • “Annapolis will remain empty handed in the absence of the ’quadrant of resistance’“
  • Key to settlement not in Arabs’ hands.
  • Ahmadinejad on representatives of the Palestinian Authority who participate at the Annapolis Summit: “These people do not represent the people of Palestine and do not have the right to give any concessions.”
  • Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, spiritual guide of Ahmadinejad: “Dialogue among civilizations has no logical foundation.”
  • German Ambassador to Tehran, Honsowitz: “It is true that current problems – especially the nuclear issue – impacts these relations [German/Iranian relations], but I am still convinced that our firm relations in all realms will go through this difficult period unharmed.”
  • For more on Honsowitz’s past comments, see Nov. 22 Iran News Round Up.
  • Rafsanjani: “The key to the security of the region is in the hands of Iran.”
  • Ahmadinejad offers election observers to monitor U.S. presidential elections in the United States.

Military

  • Khamenei: “The existence of the Basij is one of the proofs of the existence of God.”
  • Central Command of the Revolutionary Guards informed of a Basij maneuver Monday in which “eight million Basijis participate” More.
  • Answering why the “Martyrdom Seekers” (Suicide Terrorists) no longer are to be found in the Iranian presence, a certain Mohammadi, spokesman of the organization claimed they have 55,000 members who are ready to defend Iran… as the last line of defense, after the Revolutionary Guards and the Army have tried to save the country against aggression.”
  • New, longer-range missile.
  • Iranian F-4 crashes off Iranian coast. Two pilots killed.

Economy and Trade

  • French oil company TOTAL to sign a contract with the Islamic Republic in order to participate in South Pars Gas Field.
  • Iran and Kuwait negotiate division of Arash natural gas field.
  • Iranian chemical plant IRALCO allocated for privatization failed to sell at Tehran Stock Exchange.
  • The largest steel manufacturer Foulad-e Mobarake also found no bidder on the Tehran Stock Exchange.
  • Vice Minister of Trade: “Root cause of rise of prices is out of control.”

Nuclear Issue

  • Ahmadinejad: “ElBaradei’s report is a victory hundreds times grander than nationalization of oil in Iran.”
  • Larijani: “[In the nuclear issue] we face both threats and opportunities.”
  • Interview, in English.
  • IRGC chief: “Members of the Basij energetically defend [the issue] of nuclear energy.”
  • While visiting the village of Golestan last week, the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed that “Resistance in the face of bullies is more important than nuclear energy.”
  • Critics of the Iranian president interpret this as a proof of the Iranian president is using the nuclear issue to provoke and maintain a crisis with great powers, writes TABNAK, close to former IRGC chief, Mohsen Rezai.
  • Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic: “[EU’s] Solana is one of the foundations of our new approach to the nuclear issue.”
  • Mousavian acquitted of espionage charges.

Society, Culture, and Religion

  • Supreme Council on the Cultural Revolution in Iran prepares a report to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, informs him of “further Islamization of the universities.”
  • The Special Court of the Clergy to investigate the case of reform minded cleric Hadi Ghabel.
  • Islamic Republic of Iran post issues a stamp depicting the mosque of Jamkaran, which according to Ahmadinejad’s close political allies, houses a well from which the Twelfth Imam will appear at Judgment Day.
  • Interior Minister: pre-Islamic New Year (Nowruz) is being reduced.
  • PressTV on Walt and Mearsheimer.

Human Rights and Labor

  • Imprisoned Human Rights and Civil-Society activist Emad al-Din Baghi whose letters of protest to Iranian authorities have remained unanswered: “I have no other choice than hunger strike.”
  • Son pleads, don’t forget [imprisoned labor activist] Mahmoud Salehi

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