Iran News Round Up

Politics

• More rumors on a vote of no confidence for education minister Ahmadi, while president Ahmadinejad supporters claim “40 percent of those contemplating a vote of no confidence have reconsidered.”
• Rumors also about a vote of no confidence for the Agricultural Jihad minister.
• (E) Larijani: Impeachment of Education Minister ot a slap at government.
• Former speaker of the Iranian parliament Mehdi Karrubi says the decision to run or to abstain from running for presidency is a very difficult one for him.
• Reformist theoretician Atrianfar says Karrubi will support former president Khatami’s candidacy.
• Ministry of Higher Education establishes a committee to investigate academic degrees of Iranian executives.
• Expediency Council to launch an investigation into property and wealth of Iranian executives.
• During four weeks of attacks against Vice President Mashayee for his remarks suggesting friendship with Israel, Mashayee participates in three foreign visits along with Ahmadinejad, including the visit to China.
• East Azerbaijan governor-general Me’marzadeh resigns with no explanation.
• Hojjat al-Eslam Mojtaba Zolnouri, deputy representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guards who in a controversial speech last week said “It is more expedient for the country that Ahmadinejad is elected for a second term,” says his words have been subjected to abuse.

Economy

• According to Iran Statistics 16 million families have enrolled in the oil dividend scheme of the government.
• Red meat up to 32,000 rials per kilo, chicken up to 25,500 rials.
• Union of distributors and salesmen of poultry attack the Agricultural Ministry for not producing the chickens promised to reduce market price during Ramadan.
• Minister of Cooperatives says the existence of his ministry has always been threatened by lack of popular belief in the cooperative business idea.
• Central Bank director general expects active presence of three foreign banks in Iran beginning next year.
• Donya-ye Eqtesad advises the government on what to do with petro-dollars and how to control imports.
• Donya-ye Eqtesad analyses the housing sector in Iran.
• Nateq-Nouri, head of Iran Investigations Bureau, slams Labor Minister Jahromi’s “fast return” employment investment schemes.

Trade

• A Venezuelan-Iranian bank opens its first branch at the Argentina Square of Tehran.
• The Islamic Republic stops natural gas export to Armenia because of domestic need.
• Planning chief of the National Natural Gas Company of the Islamic Republic says there is no guarantee of Turkmen natural gas deliveries to Iran during the winter.
• Chief Executive of the National Iranian Oil Company says development of natural gas and oil fields with foreign presence is on his agenda and named China, Poland and India as the most eager countries for presence in Iran.
• Iranian airline Mahan to launch a service from Tehran to Baghdad.

Diplomacy

• Speaking in China, Ahmadinejad calls Iran’s ties with the Shanghai Pact “strong and strategic,” and expressed will for more cooperation between Iran and China.
• (E) Iran wants to join Shanghai cooperation organization.
• The Iranian president pointed out that $30 billion trade between the two countries is impressive, but there is capacity for even greater trade relations.
• Ahmadinejad also called for more cooperation in fields other than economics and trade in order to “increase influence of the two countries in world affairs.”
• Ahmadinejad also thanked “Chian’s constructive effort in the nuclear issue.” and stressed that the “bullying powers can’t impose their will upon Iran.”
• The Iranian president added that today, “only Iranian thought and solutions can solve the problems of the world.”
• (E) Iranian Foreign Minister meets Chinese counterpart.
• Ahmadinejad cuts short his visit to Beijing by one day and returns to Tehran.
• An “informed source” discloses to Aftab-e Yazd that there is willingness to negotiate with the United States in the Iranian government.
• Iranian strategist Hermidas Bavand says Iran should not place “all its eggs in the basket of Russia.”
• Bolivia shuts down embassy in Cairo and moves it to Tehran.
• E’temad Melli publishes analysis of a Russian expert who claims the West is “afraid of Iran-Russia alliance as much as it fears death.”

Religion, Culture, and Society

• Al-Haramein cultural center of Shiraz looks for foreign investments.
• Shi’a News publishes pictures of the sorry states of mosques along the Tehran-Qom road and asks if it is worthy of the Islamic Republic.
• Shi’a News slams widespread sale of “healing stones” attributed to the philosopher Aristotle.
• Personal appointee and representative of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Fars, province speaking at a mosque in Shiraz, says looking at a beautiful television anchor during the fasting month of Ramadan annuls the fast.
• Attorney General of the Islamic Republic announces harsher fines for insulting sources of emulation.
• According to a report made by the registrar’s office, marriage between older girls and younger boys has become the normal mode of marriage in the Islamic Republic.
• Shi’a News slams a conference in German city of Cologne with the title: “Anti-Islamization Conference” which is being arranged to oppose plans of building of Germany’s largest mosque in the German city.
• Religious authorities in Kerman ban women from wearing white cloth since the local branch of Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance considers it sexually arousing along with colors red and yellow.
• A certain Dr. Ghadiri Abyaneh discusses “spread of Islam in Latin America” and reports on his mission to Mexico. According to Dr. Abyane the people of Mexico bear grudges against the United States, especially when it comes to treatment of Mexicans in the United States. Those grudges in turn can, according to Dr. Abyaneh, provide the foundation for spread of Islam. Dr. Abyaneh also explains how he and his fellow Shi’a missionaries with reference not to the Quran, but to Biblical verses and stories explain the merits of polygamy to Mexicans. According to Dr. Abyaneh emigration has left 7 million Mexican women without husbands, which can be exploited to advance Shi’a theological arguments in Latin America.

Military and Security

• Basirat News claims the U.S. Army transferred members of the Revolutionary Guards to a U.S. base, separate from Camp Ashraf, which has been handed over to the Iraqi authorities.
• Unofficial Revolutionary Guards site Basirat praises the swift Russian operations in South Ossetia.
• Chief of the political bureau of the Revolutionary Guards Yadollah Javani says the only avenue of hope for the United States is liberal and Western oriented activism inside Iran.

Photo of the Day

• Salman Rushdie’s coffin at the International Exhibition of the Quran.