(Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his assistance in compiling)
Nuclear Issue
- Russia delivers second shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran.
- Report, in English.
- Necessary equipment for commissioning reactor has been delivered.
Diplomacy
- Talabani’s comments—denied and then modified—on abrogation of the 1975 Algiers Agreement settling the border between Iran and Iraq sparks wave of condemnation in Iran.
- Alef says Talabani seeks to oust the Shi’a as the dominant political force by provoking a conflict between Iran and Iraq.
- Talabani’s retraction, in English.
- An Iraqi delegation to visit Iran to discuss the Algier Accord of 1975.
- Background, see Iran News Round Up, December 27.
- Supreme Leader’s paper blasts U.S. plots in Iraq.
- Morteza Alviri, former ambassador of the Islamic Republic to Spain: “We should not rely on Russia and China in our strategic development planning…They will abandon us because of their dealings with the United States.”
- Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while meeting Oman’s minister of foreign affairs: “Conditions are ripe for developing relations with neighboring countries.”
- Ayatollah Jannati blames U.S. for Lebanon discord.
Politics
- Iranian political analyst and member of the Sixth Convention of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Ahmad Pour-Nejati: “Current attacks against president Khatami’s concept of dialogue among civilizations are thoughtless…as a foreign policy doctrine, denial of the Holocaust is a self-defeating (an own goal).”
- Seyyed Habiballah Taheri, member of the Assembly of Experts, passes away.
Economy and Trade
- British exports to Iran increase 53 percent.
- Iran and Russian delegations discuss Iranian production of Tupolev 204s and 334s
- Iran-Turkey trade ties exceed $8 billion.
Religion, Culture, and Society
- Ayatollah Khorasani: “Maddahi [praise singing in honor of Shi’ite Imams] should not be sexually inciting.”
- Tabnak criticizes the Ahmadinejad government for accepting praise from Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, whom the agency accuses of “moral corruption and addiction.”
Military
- Commander in chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army: “The threats have made our army even stronger.”
Human Rights and Labor
- Imprisoned civil society activist Emad al-Din Baghi believed to have recovered from a heart attack.
- Baghi reports suicide attempt by an imprisoned student activist in Evin.
- Condemnation of Britain’s Trades Union Congress of Iranian imprisonment of labor activist Mahmoud Salehi makes Iranian press.
- White House, State Department silent.
- Background of Salehi case.
Photo of the Day
- War veterans attending a Supreme Leader speech.
