Iran
Iran’s “Political Prisoner Cleansing”
Reyhaneh Jabbari’s Execution postponed, Pour Shajari re-arrested, Sadeghi missing in custody, Boroujerdi to be hanged
Iran News Round Up September 29, 2014
A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by AEI Critical Threats Project Iran Analyst Mehrdad Moarefian and Iran Intern Amir Toumaj, with contributors Chris Rawlins, Diana Timmerman, and Marie Donovan.
(E) = Article in English
Military and Security
- Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Haji Zadeh said:
- On Iran’s downing of an Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV): “After this action, some large countries sent us messages of congratulations… the Israeli aircraft did not post information online; but the information was stored in it, so by destroying it, [the UAV] did not send any information.”
- “This is a spy plane, and usually countries do not comment on these UAVs, but given what we know of them in Syria and in some other places such as Karabakh, we are already familiar with this type of aircraft…”
- “Fighter aircraft are created for carrying out military operations and targeting certain parts of the country, and if we can discover them, we can see the damage; but the spy planes are primarily small and secretive… detection, interception, and destruction of these aircraft is very, very difficult.” (Sepah News) Read the rest of this entry »
Iran Unveils New Missiles, Drones
Aug. 24, 2014 – 03:45AM | By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE |
A handout picture released by the official website of the Iranian President, shows president Hassan Rouhani, center, and Iran‘s Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan, second right, visiting Iran’s defense capabilities exhibition on Aug. 24 in Tehran. (AFP)
TEHRAN, IRAN — Iran on Sunday unveiled two new missiles and two new drones it said have been added to its arsenal, in a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani.
The Ghadir (Mighty), with a range of 300 kilometers (185 miles), is a ground-to-sea and sea-to-sea missile, the official IRNA news agency said.
It is in the same family as the Ghader or Qader cruise missile, which has a range of 200 kilometers.
The other missile unveiled on Sunday, the Nasr-e Basir (Clear Victory), is equipped with a seeker homing head. Its range was not given. Read the rest of this entry »
Iran News Round Up April 23, 2014
A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by the AEI Critical Threats Project’s Iran research team. To receive this daily newsletter, please subscribe online.
(E) = Article in English
Excerpts of these translations may only be used with the expressed consent of the authors
- An editorial in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) weekly publication sobh-e sadegh outlined the seven duties of the IRGC:
- 1. Aiding in the affairs of enforcement, security, control, pursuit, and arrest of anti-revolutionary elements
- 2. Armed fighting against armed anti-revolutionary currents
- 3. Defending against the attacks and occupation of foreigners and their domestic elements
- 4. Effective coordination and cooperation with the armed forces
- 5. Aid in the implementation of the orders of the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic government’s prosecution
- 6. Supporting freedom and righteous seeking movements under the Supreme Leader’s supervision
- 7. Aiding in the advancement of civil projects
- IRGC Hazrat-e Seyyed ol-Shohada Unit (Tehran Province) Commander Brig. Gen. Ali Nasiri defended the IRGC’s role in the economy and said “The IRGC has appropriately planned for all sectors of the population across the country and has taken valuable measures in the construction arena.” Read the rest of this entry »
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers message to ‘Revolutionary foster-children,’ aka university students, Mehr reports.
By Haaretz | Feb. 13, 2014 | 1:20 PM
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photo by AP
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged the country’s students to prepare for cyber war, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on Wednesday. Khamenei delivered a message to a university students’ association, or his “Revolutionary foster-children,” as he called them, reminding them that they are “cyber-war agents” who must prepare for battle, Mehr reported.
Turkey, Iran seek workaround on Syria
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sign documents in Tehran, Jan. 29, 2014. (photo by Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
“The international political intervention should target not [Syria‘s ruling] Baath [Party] but the actors whose proxy war Baath is fighting,” Taha Ozhan of Turkey’s SETA think-tank wrote on Jan. 25, pointing to Russia and Iran. As the chairman of SETA (Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research) — the main civic mouthpiece of Turkey’s deadlocked Syria policy — penned those lines, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was preparing to go to Tehran.
Summary⎙ Print Ankara and Tehran are attempting to normalize a relationship put off track by Syria.
Author Fehim Taştekin Posted February 2, 2014 Translator(s)Sibel Utku Bila
It was a slapdash article reflecting a grudge toward Russia and Iran for fending off regime change in Syria. Four days later, Erdogan was on a completely different track when he told his hosts that he felt like he was at his “second home” in Tehran.
The Turkey-Iran relationship has always been two-sided, but the Syrian crisis upset the balance, threatening the positive side. Erdogan was in Tehran to bolster that side. Back to a “win-win” mode, he set a target of $30 billion in bilateral trade for 2015. In 2013, the trade volume dropped to $13.5 billion from $21.8 billion the previous year.
Russia plays the Iran card
Russian President Vladimir Putin passes Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during their meeting at the Kremlin, Jan. 16, 2014. (photo by REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin)
The Geneva II conference to be held next week may be the most intriguing event in diplomacy since the Cold War. On the one hand, this is an example of the cooperation of major countries that want to resolve a regional conflict, each for its own reason. On the other hand, this is a classic “great game,” when all participants are afraid to miscalculate and miss out on the opportunities that will arise. All this is happening, yet the result is completely unpredictable. Even the process itself is unpredictable — a few days before the conference is set to begin, it is still unclear who will participate.
Was The Alleged Attack on Sudan Prelude to Iran?
November 1, 2012 at 17:00 Posted by David Eshel
EROS Satellite images of the Yarmouk ammunition plant in Khartum, Sudan, before and after the pre-dawn attack October 24, 2012. Photos: Imagesat
A powerful explosion at the Yarmuk military factory rocked Sudan’s capital before dawn, sending detonating ammunition flying through the air and causing panic, the Sudan official news agency and local media reports said. Thick black smoke covered the sky over the Military Industrial Complex in southern Khartoum. Sudan’s media reported that nearby buildings were damaged by the blast, their roofs blown off and their windows shattered. The effects of the blast suggested a “highly volatile cargo” was at the epicenter of the explosion.
The Sudanese minister who immediately accused Israel of carrying out an aerial strike on a weapons factory near Khartoum apparently knew what he was talking about. Although located inside a strong security perimeter around it, the so-called Yarmuk compound run by the Military Industry Corporation, is well known to Sudanese as Iranian territory, serving as a stopover in weapons smuggling to Hamas Gaza. The minister showed journalists a video of a huge crater next to two destroyed buildings and what appeared to be an unidentified rocket motor lying on the ground. Analysing the explosions and the massive fire which blazed for hours, setting off more fires even days after the attack, it seems that the “factory” must have contained a large amount of explosives and inflammatory substances, indicating military nature. It also seems viable that the target could have been a series of containers stored inside the compound, which were loaded and ready for dispatch.
Iran News Round Up July 26, 2012
A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by Ali Alfoneh, Ahmad Majidyar and Michael Rubin.
(E) = Article in English
Diplomacy
- Mohammad-Reza Tabesh: “We must support the government of Syria, which is at the frontline of the struggle against Israel… But we should support it as long as the government of Syria does not treat the people of Syria badly and the rights of the people are not violated.”
- Ali-Reza Mahjoub: “Survival of the Syrian government is in the interest of our region.”
- Jafar Qaderi: “The government of Syria… must continue the path of reform, enforce the popular will, and respect the popular vote.”
- Fatemeh Alia: “We must support the trend of reform in Syria.”
- Mousa-al-Reza Servati: “We oppose the West because of belief that any reform must take place based on the choice of the people and implemented by the people of Syria. People can achieve whatever their wishes through elections”
- Amir-Hossein Qazizadeh: “What we see in Syria… is a domestic Syrian issue and intervention in internal affairs of states is incorrect and illegal…”
- [E] The Indian media reported that the country’s government has decided to attend the 16th heads-of-state summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran at the highest level, and that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will represent New Delhi in the high profile meeting.
- [E] Iran and Russia lambasted the western and Arab states for their interferences in the internal affairs of Syria, and called on them to stop unconstructive acts in the Muslim country.
Military and Security
- Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations comments on the Bulgaria bombing: “Iran condemns any act of terrorism in any shape and form… In the short political history of the regime occupying al-Quds [Jerusalem] there are many cases of terrorism, including acts of terror against Jewish citizens…” Read the rest of this entry »
Olympics’ most wanted: Terror police fear suspect hunted after Bulgarian bus bomb could be on his way to London 2012
Wanted: A terrorist believed to have been involved in a horrific suicide bomb attack in Bulgaria last week has emerged as one of the biggest security threats to the Olympics. A sketch of the man is pictured
A terrorist believed to have been involved in a horrific suicide bomb attack in Bulgaria last week has emerged as one of the biggest security threats to the Olympics.
The man is thought to be carrying a U.S. passport under the name of David Jefferson and fled following the attack which killed six people last Wednesday in the resort of Burgas.
He has emerged as a top target for Israeli security agents who fear their athletes will be attacked by an Iranian terror squad operating in Europe.
The terrorist, who is suspected of helping the suicide bomber, is thought to have another powerful bomb similar to the one which destroyed the Israeli tourist bus.
Following the Israeli concerns, security has been stepped up around its athletes taking part in the Games.
MI5 and Scotland Yard are thought to have raised their threat assessment against the Israeli delegation as Britain prepares for the largest peacetime security operation ahead of the opening of the Olympics this Friday.
According to The Sunday Times, the Israeli government – fearing a repeat of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich when 11 of its athletes and coaches were murdered – has sent agents from its internal security service Shin Bet to increase the protection around its Olympic team. Read the rest of this entry »
