(Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his compilation)

Politics: March 2008 Parliamentary Elections

Politics: General

  • Mirdamadi, head of the reformist alliance, says the sit-in’s of parliamentarians during the Khatami era was one of their greatest achievements. Such comments pose a challenge to the Supreme Leader, who has condemned their actions.
  • Commander Rouyanian refutes rumors of his candidacy for governorship of Mazandaran.
  • Criticizing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’ claim that “Iran has become a first class world power,” Khatami vice president, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi asks in what regard Iran has achieved such supremacy, and begs the Iranian media not to publish such statements in order not to embarrass Iranians.
  • In an important interview, the chief of the Revolutionary Guards explains how the Guards can remain party politically nonpartisan, but at the same time be politically involved.
  • Ahmadinejad lashes out at “those who claim they are religious, but use religion as a tool to further their political goals.”
  • Rafsanjani ally Rowhani criticizes Ahmadinejad’s economic and foreign policies indirectly and stresses that even Muhammad engaged in treaties with the infidels, so why not the Islamic Republic of Iran?
  • Chief of the Revolutionary Guards says the IRGC is fundamentally “Principalist” but not affiliated with the Principalist Alliance.
  • Ansar, close to the Ansar-e Hezbollah vigilante group, republishes a report attributed to the pre-revolutionary Iranian secret agency, the SAVAK, which suggests the French intelligence service had proposed to the Shah that they eliminate Khomeini, and that Khomeini, while in exile, had asked for a visa to the United States.

Military

  • Akbar-Shahi appointed new military commander of Greater Tehran.
  • Ja’far Sadeq-Manesh, a doctoral candidate at the Imam Sadeq University, presents a comprehensive survey of the legal status of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces and how they and the Revolutionary Guards interfere in the internal politics of the Islamic Republic. For part one, here.

Economy and Trade

Nuclear Issue

Diplomacy

  • Ahmadinejad’s landmark visit to Iraq
  • Ahmadinejad leaves for Baghdad and becomes the highest ranking Iranian official to visit Iraq since the Islamic Revolution.
  • No talks on renegotiation of 1975 Algiers Accords.
  • Long stride in deepening of ties.
  • Diplomasi-ye Irani publishes a report on U.S., Iraq, Iran triangular relations.
  • Ahmadinejad will likely participate in the March 29-30 Arab League Summit in Damascus. Jalili, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council: “The Security Council should issue sanctions against the United States, which has a long history of using nuclear bombs against civilians.”
  • In an interview on Al-Jazeera, Larijani says Iran has never invested too much in support from Russia, and that the Americans behave like spoiled and destructive children.
  • Alef criticized opacity of German ambassador Herbert Honsowitz alleged secret meeting with “a party leader in Tehran, to discuss domestic and international issues.”
  • Commander Ja’fari, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards: “The existence of Israel is thanks to force, is artificial and false and is more fundamentally, [it is] not able to survive, very much like an alien which has been forced into a natural geographical body. Was it not because of support of the foreigners and fear and cooperation of their regional allies, the regime would not survive a single day. There is not need of threats from our side. As the Imam said, if every one would bring a bucket of water Israel would drown.”
  • Khedmat News Agency close to the Ahmadiejad government faction, Rayehe-ye Khosh-e Khedmat [The pleasant scent of servitude] condemns the German Interior Minister’s request to the European media to publish the Danish Muhammad cartoons.

Human Rights and Labor

  • The Revolutionary Court convicts women right’s activist Marziyeh Mortazi-ye Langaroudi to six months imprisonment and 10 lashes (lashes suspended).
  • Amnesty International condemns suppression of women right’s activists in Iran.
  • The web site “Madreseh-ye Feministi” [The Feminist School] is censored less than a month after its inauguration and a week prior to International Women’s Day.
  • Iranian Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi says feminism is on the march in Iran.
  • Background in English on crackdown on women’s activists.
  • After the public lashings of labor union activists Latifullah Kelkani and Fares Gouliyan, Sediq Amjadi was lashed by the order of the court in Sanandaj. A total of 13 labor activists were arrested on the International Worker’s Day, May 1, 2007 and accused of disturbing the public order.
  • Mohammad-Hossein Mehrzad, arrested during student day unrest, summoned to court.
  • Advar reports student unrest at the University of Sistan va Baluchestan to protest incompetence of the administrative leadership.
  • Intelligence Ministry produces the film Khatt-e Siyah [The Black Line] in order to prove the guilt of imprisoned student activists in publishing “insulting student magazines.”
  • The court process against the Iranian civil-society activist, Emad al-Din Baghi’s book Tragedi-ye Democrasi dar Iran [The Tragedy of Democracy in Iran] begins with the presence of the civil servants from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance who allowed the publication of the book, and the then-director of the publishing company Nashr-e Ney’s then director.

Society, Culture, and Religion

  • Asr-e Iran says the number of blind Iranians increased 30 percent over the past decade and now is one million.
  • In Qom, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance stresses the importance of the Iranian media and Muslim unity in a common struggle against the “onslaught of the cultural NATO” and begs for pan-Islamic support in countering Denmark’s insults against Muhammad.
  • Under the title: “The new insult of the Danes, this time against the ‘House of God’”, Asr-e Iran reports: The Danish group of artists, Surrend has become the object of hate of the Muslims because of numerous insults against the Prophet, and the religion of Islam, and has in this way achieved notoriety… But the gallery in Berlin has chosen to stop the exhibition. Also here.
  • Davood Zare’iyan of the PR office of the Iran Communication says no official organ has asked him to block blue tooth technology in Iranian mobile phones, and says Iran is not technologically able of blocking the blue tooth device.

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