Terrorism
- Hezbollah leader Nasrallah promises to avenge “martyrdom of Mughniyah: with a “surprise.”
Economy
- 24 hours after president Ahmadinejad’s claim that “level of prices is decreasing,” the Central Bank announces that inflation has surpassed 30 percent.
- Speaking on the occasion of the former Central Bank director’s farewell ceremony, Ahmadinejad discusses the “failure of U.S. economy”: “The U.S. economy has reached a dead end and we don’t want to have the same destiny as them…There is a lot of talk on what ought to be done in the economic field. We want to act…The claim that the free market manages all things is a huge lie and only benefits thieves and criminals…”
- The merchant Assadollah Asgar-Owladi launches attacks the Ahmadinejad government, saying that it has worsened relations with the world and its economic policies are “even worse than the effect of economic sanctions.”
- Ahmadinejad’s Economic advisor Morteza Tammaddon, who has just been appointed governor general of Tehran, says the Islamic Republic’s foreign currency reserve reaches $20 billion.
- The council of ministers transfers power plants from the aegis of the Energy Ministry to Economy and Finance Ministry prior to their privatization.
- Ahmadinejad inaugurating Binaloud Wind Turbines in Khorasan Razavi expresses interest in privatization of the energy sector.
- (E) Majlis seeks to curb inflation potential of Ahmadinejad’s subsidy plan.
Human Rights and Labor
- (E) Labor summary
Politics
- Seyyed Mostafa Tajzadeh, central committee member of the Mojahedin-e Enghelab Eslami, continues attacks against Interior Minister Ali Kordan: “I have heard that Mr. Kordan bought his Ph.D. by paying £3000 and by submitting an article. But the very day he did so, he knew that Oxford was not one of those universities that one can pass a Ph.D. in Law by submitting a journalistic article. Therefore, in my opinion, Mr. Kordan has not been deceived [as he claims] and he knew from the very beginning that the Ph.D. degree was a forgery but, despite this, he called himself a university professor and taught Master’s courses at a university… But I do not intend to attend to Mr. Kordan’s past because I have warned against them in the past. I [much rather prefer] to address the case of the 5,250,000,000,000 rials which vanished from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) at a time parliamentary speaker Larijani and Mr. Kordan held central positions at the IRIB… Labor Minister Jahromi should also explain two matters. First, when and how did Mr. Jahromi achieve his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees? Second, he should answer whey he was called Ali-Naghi Jahromi when he was appointed governor general of Fars, but today he is called ‘Dr. Seyyed Mohammad Jahromi’. He must explain since when and how he has become a ‘Seyyed’ [descendant of the prophet Muhammed]…”
- Speaking to an assembly of school teachers, former president Khatami demands “election monitoring to secure the free popular vote” and comments on the state of affairs after four years of Ahmadinejad: “The people and those who want to participate in elections must know that the present state of affairs taken into consideration one can’t [recreate] – even by miracle – the state of affairs as they were four years ago. The people must show endurance, but whoever wins [the presidential elections] must plan so the country moves towards improvement of affairs…If poverty has been reduced during the recent years this trend must continue. But today buying meat has become a luxury for a considerable part of the society. Based upon statistics one must ask if poverty, corruption and discrimination has been reduced during the recent years…”
- Alef News Agency releases the video of Ahmadinejad’s latest TV interview.
- Presidential candidate Mehdi Karrubi holds meetings with Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili and Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani.
- Guardian Council Secretary Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati: “The enemies desire to make economic problems seem grander than they really are, and thereby propagate despair among the population. The enemy desires to alienate the people from the regime and make it look as if the regime no longer is capable of managing the country…The new generation must be confident that they can’t be penetrated by conspiracies and propaganda of the enemy…The enemy is trying to target and influence presidential elections in Iran…”
- Larijani answers questions at Shiraz University: “We believe that we gradually can correct subsidies and avoid inflation pressure. But we do not have any opinion on the 50 to 600,000 rial [cash handout] since the president has not made any decision in this regard. This is an issue in need of research and we need to see what effects it has on inflation… The loan to parliamentarians is provided to people from the provinces in need of housing in Tehran…The Palizdar affair has nothing to do with the parliament…There was a difference of opinion between me and [Ahmadinejad] and this is why I resigned from my post as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. This difference of opinion risked dilution of the work of the council…When it comes to forge Ph.D.’s, we have a lot of them in this country…” More here.
Religion, Culture, and Society
- Expediency Council chairman Rafsanjani praises Mahdism but says superstition is deviation from religion.
- Judges in the Islamic Republic to wear special robes.
- Mashhad Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Alam al-Hoda claims “opposition to the government is polytheism.”
Trade
- (E) Turkey continues gas deal.
- Somali pirates release Iranian vessel Diyanat.
- (E) Chinese car plant launched in Iran.
Military and Security
- Basij begins maneuvers in five cities of Iran.
Diplomacy
- Ahmadinejad, speaking in Mashhad, celebrates a new power plant: “The era of imperialism has badly damaged culture, thought and social relations in the community of man kind in an unprecedented way, since the greatest number of killings, migrations and class division has happened in this era and was perpetrated by the imperialist powers…The enemy thinks as soon as a [U.N. Security Council] Resolution passes against us and they pressure the Iranian nation we will surrender. They were so sure in this matter that they even did not calculate with one percent of deviation. They sanctioned our banking sector, which indeed was a heavy-handed move, but our nation – despite the fact that some people inside the country provided the enemy with false information – has resisted all those sanctions. This is a great honor for our nation…”
Photo of the Day
