"Kayhan" To Iraqis: Rebel Against U.S.

In an editorial referring to the expected signing, in another three months, of an Iraq-U.S. agreement, the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami called on the Iraqi people to expel the American forces from Iraq via a "popular rebellion."

The paper said that the agreement now being reached made Iraq a colony of the U.S., and revealed the U.S.'s intentions to remain in Iraq in order "to accomplish its imperialistic goals in the region."

Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, May 12, 2008

Cartoon In "Kayhan": "On The Occasion Of The 60th Anniversary Of The Occupation Of Palestine

Cartoonist: Maziar Bizhani

Source: Kayhan, Iran, May 11, 2008

Iran: Israel "A Dying Fish... A Stinking Corpse"

In a speech at an MPs' conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Israel was "like a dying fish reaching the end of its life... a stinking corpse about to sink... Anyone who thinks that its 60th anniversary festivities will revive it is badly mistaken, and those participating in the festivities will go down in history as criminal Zionists."

Ahmadinejad also warned that the governments of the region that are helping Israel "will be burned in the fire of the rage of the nations."

He added that if anyone imagined that by means of sowing division between Iran and its allies he could change the global balances, then they were badly mistaken, because the nations would bury him.

In an editorial, the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami stated that despite its 60th anniversary celebrations, Israel was collapsing, and would not live long. The paper said that the Islamic resistance organizations in Palestine and the rest of the Islamic fighters "would soon destroy the spider regime of Israel."

Sources: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, May 11, 2008; Emrooz, Iran, May 10, 2008

Ahmadinejad: The Hidden Imam Runs The World

In a speech to clerics in Mashad last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the appearance of the Hidden Imam, the Shi'ite messiah, was imminent, and declared, "The time has come for us to carry out our global duty... With God's help, Iran will become the center of [global] leadership... The Hidden Imam runs the affairs of Iran and of the rest of the countries of the world... and he is preventing the U.S. from taking over Iraq's oil and looting it."

The speech was broadcast on Iranian TV on May 5.

Alam-al-Hoda, Friday prayer leader in the city of Mashhad, reinforced Ahmadinejad's statements, saying that nuclear scientists had told him that they had successfully overcome the technical difficulties of developing Iran's nuclear program by turning to the Hidden Imam.

In response, Assembly of Experts member and senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Madavi-Kani said that according to Shi'ite belief, the Hidden Imam, during the time he is hidden, is invisible and conveys no messages to anyone. He added that Ahmadinejad's statements were harming the image of the Hidden Imam, because Iran's economic problems were being attributed to him.

Sources: Tabnak, Iran, May 6 and 10, 2008; Raja News, Iran, May 9, 2008; Zaman, London, May 7, 2008

Report: Russia To Join Economic Sanctions Against Iran

Russia will join the countries imposing economic sanctions against Iran, said Interfax News Agency, quoting a decree issued by new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

It was unclear from the Interfax report which sanctions Russia is to join.

A Kremlin spokesman refused to comment.

Source: Elaph, May 8, 2008

IRGC Commander: We'll Decapitate Anyone Who Dares Attack Iran

IRGC Joint Chiefs commander Mohammad Hejazi has said that the IRGC soldiers "will decapitate anyone who dares to attack Iran."

He added that Iran's enemies were planning a limited confrontation but that Iran would be the one to determine the scope and duration of the conflict.

Source: Besirat, Iran, May 8, 2008

Friday Sermon: Iran Won't Yield To Oppression, Double Standard On Nuclear Rights; We Muslims Have Never Relied On Aggressive Moves Or Brutality

In his Friday sermon, interim Tehran Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said that Iran would not yield to any type of oppression or double standard regarding its absolute nuclear rights.

Addressing thousands of worshipers at Tehran University's central campus, Rafsanjani, who is also Expediency Council chairman, said, "They [the West] are not going to abandon taking advantage of the remote probability of Iran's access to nuclear weapons in order to deprive us of our natural and absolute right to master the nuclear sciences."

He said that Iran would never yield to such a double standard and oppression, and added, "This is typically the oppression they observe in dealing with scientific works conducted in Third World countries. But who gave them the right to monopolize most advanced technologies, such as nuclear technology?... Is it merely because they enjoy the veto right at the UN Security Council?
He added, "We are Muslims, and therefore, we do not rely on aggressive moves, or brutality, as we have not done so in the past, and will not do so in the future."

Rafsanjani said, "It is easy to prove that the majority of the problems in the world today are due to the West's resorting to the logic of military power."

Noting the 60th anniversary of the end of the World War II, he said that the war "should have been a good lesson for the mankind... but with the passage of 60 years the reigning spirit over the superpowers in today's world leads us to draw conclusion that they have not taken appropriate lessons from that war, since they trespass the barriers of humanity and civilized social life at times."

He also said that "proper care should therefore be taken not to let the mankind face more international catastrophes due to such inappropriate conduct of certain world powers."

(See also the MEMRI TV page for clips of Friday sermons.)

Sources: IRNA, IRIBnews, Iran, May 9, 2008

Iran: U.S., Israel To Blame For Lebanon Crisis – Iran Maintains Non-Interferences

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini has said that U.S. and Israeli “adventurism” is the main cause of the crisis and instability in Lebanon.

He said, "Unfortunately, a part of the political scenario planned for Lebanon abroad, whose aftermaths were easy to predict well in advance, and warnings about which had been issued in time, has now been put to effect."

He reiterated that Iran's stand on Lebanon has always been based on non-interference in what he called a strictly Lebanese matter.

Source: IRNA, Iran, May 9, 2008

Poverty Spreads Under Ahmadinejad

Poverty in Iran

An editorial in the economic reformist daily Sarmayeh said that half of the Iranian population of 70 million is living below the poverty line and not 14-15 million people, as the Ahmadinejad government had declared.

The internet website Roz argues that, even with the 14-15 million figure suggested by the government, there is a deterioration in the economic situation of the Iranian society if we compare this data with the 12 million poor people that were in Iran with the beginning of the tenure of Ahmadinejad’s government.

Source: Sarmayeh, Iran, May 6, 2008; Roz, Iran, May 6, 2008

Op-Ed In Iranian Paper: Israel's Establishment Blackest Day In Modern Era

An op-ed in the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami stated that the day Israel was established is "one of the blackest days in the modern era" on which one of the most catastrophic and anti-humanity imperialist plans was actualized.

According to the article, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's and U.S. President George W. Bush's participation in the 60th anniversary celebrations of the "artificial regime" is no wonder, since the two are "the enemies of Islam who are collaborating in the crimes of Zionism."

Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami , Iran, May 7, 2008

Khatami: Ahmadinejad Policy Exports Violence

Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami has said that Iran's foreign policy under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which exports terror and violence, is against the orders of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei, the founder of the Islamic Revolution Regime.

Khatami added that Ahmadinejad’s policy constitutes "betrayal of the Islamic Revolution and of Islam."

The Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called Khatami's statements "anti-nationalist, and supportive of the baseless American accusations."

Seventy-seven Iranian MPs have demanded that Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hosseini Mohseni-Ejei deal immediately with Khatami's statements.

Sources: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London; Shahab News, Iran, May 6, 2008; Kayhan, Iran, May 5, 2008

'Kayhan' Warns Against Iraq-U.S. Agreement

In an editorial, the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stated that the aim of the strategic agreement now being worked out between the U.S. and Iraq is "a resumption of the cold war between Iraq and Iran, and the isolation of Iran."

The paper said that the agreement would make Iraq a U.S. satellite, would negate the Iraqi people's right of self-determination, would allow the U.S. to use Iraqi land, air, and maritime space to attack countries in the region, and would lead to a continued U.S. presence in Iraq with no time limit.

Source: Kayhan, Iran, May 7, 2008

Dispute In Iran Over Numbers Below Poverty Line

In an editorial, the Iranian reformist economic daily Saramiya stated that half of Iran's population of 70 million was living below the poverty line, not 14-15 million as the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared.

The reformist online daily Rooz stated that even if the government's estimate was correct, then the situation had deteriorated, since last time the government had stated that 12 million were below the poverty line.

Source: Saramiya, Rooz, Iran, May 6, 2008

Pakistani Senator: Pakistan Seeks Closer Ties With Iran Despite U.S. Threats

Pakistani senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said on May 6 that the new Pakistani administration was determined to bolster relations with Iran regardless of U.S. pressure.

Hussain Syed told the Iranian news agency Mehr that "The new government is very interested in expansion of ties with Iran. All parties, including the People's Party, want relations with the Islamic Republic."

He added that "Nuclear program and relations with China and Iran are all to our national benefit," and that Pakistan does not care about the U.S. interests in this regard.
He also called for the resolution of Iran's nuclear standoff with the West through negotiations.

Source: Tehran Times, May 7, 2008

IRGC Leader Warns U.S., Israel Against Attacking Iran's Nuclear Facilities

In an article in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) weekly Sobh-e Sadeq, IRGC political bureau head Yadollah Javani threatened that if the U.S. and Israel attack Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran would attack their interests worldwide, as Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has warned.

Source: Sobh-e Sadeq, Iran, May 5, 2008

'Jomhouri-e Eslami': Global Media Hiding Austrian Sex Offender's "Zionist Identity"

In an editorial, the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami wrote that due to pressure from the Zionists, the global media were censoring "the Zionist identity" of Austrian sex offender Josef Fritzl.

The paper said that the Jews were the greatest "sexual deviants" in the world and "the main spreaders of porno culture in the world," and that this was why they were hated by the nations of the world.

Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, May 7, 2008

Tehran Municipality Approves $3.25 M For Lebanon

On May 5, the Tehran local paper Hamshari revealed that the Tehran municipality had approved the transfer of $3.25 million for reconstruction in Lebanon.

Following the publication of the news, enraged Tehranis phoned the municipality, expressing their anger and cursing at city officials.

Source: Rooz, Iran, May 7, 2008

Rafsanjani: U.S. Economy Will Be Shaken

In his May 4 opening remarks for the 21st International Islamic Unity Conference, held in Tehran, Hashemi Rafsanjani, the No. 2 man in the Iranian regime hierarchy, said that the fall of the dollar and the U.S.'s dependence on external energy sources would shake its economy.

He added that the security weakness of the Zionist regime was obvious because the entire state of Israel was in range of the rockets fired by the Palestinians.

The conference was attended by 250 representatives from 50 countries.

Source: Kayhan, Iran, May 5, 2008

IRGC Publications Attack GCC

An article posted on the website of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Besirat analyzing the outcome of the April 22-23 Kuwait Conference accused Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia of working together with the U.S. to thwart the Shi'ite government in Iraq because of its support for Iran, and of preferring extremist streams to it.

The IRGC weekly Sobh-e Sadeq wrote that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was making Iraq's joining the council and normalizing relations with it conditional upon its repression of the Shi'ite groups and its taking an anti-Iran stand.

Sources: Besirat, Iran, April 30, 2008; Sobh-e Sadeq, Iran, April 28, 2008

'Kayhan': Iran's Technical Progress "Has Passed All Forbidden Limits"

In an editorial, the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, wrote that "Iran's exceptional technical progress, which has not yet been revealed, has some time ago passed all the forbidden limits, and when its dimensions are revealed, it will be known that Iran was never so certain of its abilities. Therefore, Iran must not accept any proposals package that rejects its right [to develop in the nuclear field]."

The paper also said that the 5+1 countries had not yet internalized Iran's superiority in the Middle East.

The editorial also threatened that "if Iran recruits only a little of its infinite ability, it will be able to destroy the political efforts in any corner in the Middle East." Thus, for example, it said, if the U.S.'s accusations regarding Iran's involvement in the turmoil in Basra, they confirm that Iran can, in only two weeks, destroy the U.S.'s efforts that were built in the past year.

Source: Kayhan, Iran, May 5, 2008

Iranian Ayatollah Calls For Changes, Mitigations In Islamic Penal Code

Iranian dissident Ayatollah Yousef Sanei has warned that there is a need for changes and mitigations in the Islamic penal code, especially regarding the executions customary today in Iran.

Source: Norooz News, Iran, April 27, 2008

Reformist Daily: Ahmadinejad Didn't Tell Iranians What's In Proposals Package

In an editorial, the reformist online daily Aftab-e Yazd criticized the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for not divulging to the Iranian people the contents of the proposals package that it submitted to the 5+1 countries.

The paper said that it could be assumed that Iran's proposal would be rejected.

Source: Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, May 5, 2008

Iran Diverts River From Flowing Into Iraq

The London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that Iran is diverting the waters of the Alwan River, the main source of water for the Iraqi Kurdish city of Khanqin and its environs, and stopping it from flowing into Iraq.

The paper added that the move is part of an Iranian plan under which the Sirwan River will also be diverted, and that so far neither the Iraqi government nor Kurdish authorities have responded.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, May 3, 2008

Picture Of Khamenei Handing Shi'ite Flag To 'Hidden Imam' Circulated Throughout Iran

The liberal website Middle East Transparent posted a picture that is currently being circulated by the Iranian regime in the streets of Iran depicting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei handing a Shi'ite flag to the Hidden Imam (the Shi'ite messiah).

It is said that the picture heralds the anticipated coming of the Hidden Imam during Khamenei's time as Supreme Leader, and the anticipated imminent elimination of Israel.

The picture was sent to the website by a Tehran reader.

Source: Middleeasttransparent.com, April 30, 2008

Protest In Iran Against Execution Of Three Kurds

Two hundred and fifty human rights activists in Iran have demanded the rescinding of the court-ordered execution of three Kurdish human rights activists who have been in detention for nearly a year and a half for harming state security.

The activists also protested against the severe torture to which prisoners are subjected in Iranian prisons.

Source: Rooz, Iran, May 4, 2008

Ahmadinejad Sends Letter, Gift To Family Of Mughniya

Javad Shamaghdari, advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has visited the family of assassinated Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniya in Lebanon, bringing a letter and a gift from Ahmadinejad.

In the letter, Ahmadinejad praised Mughniya's role in the struggle against Zionism and the U.S.

Source: Press TV, Iran, May 3, 2008

Inflation Up In Iran

Iran's Central Bank has announced that the country's annual inflation rate has reached 19.5% – the highest in recent years.

The CB added that last month's goods price index was 3.1% higher than the previous month's, and 24.2% higher than the same period last year.

The online reformist daily Rooz said that the increase in inflation comes despite record oil income revenues of $220 billion in the past three years.

The daily also said that during Friday worship in Qom, senior clerics Ayatollah Ibrahim Emini and Ayatollah Javad Amali criticized the economic policy of the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Also, the opposition paper Etemad-e Mali, which is headed by Mehdi Karroubi, stated in an editorial that the Ahmadinejad government "is toppling society, which is bowed under poverty, inflation, and high cost of living."

Source: Rooz, Iran, May 4, 2008

IRGC Weekly: Tales Of Holocaust Crematoria "Exaggeration And Lies"

In an article, the weekly of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Sobh-e Sadeq, maintained that the Zionists' claims regarding the killing of Jews in crematoria in germany were "exaggeration and lies, and some of the testimony regarding this, that is backed up by documents, is false from the roots."

Source: Sobh-e Sadeq, Iran, April 28, 2008

Senior IRGC Official: We Can Down Enemy Planes At High Altitude

In a speech, the commander of the air force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, warned that the Iranian air force was powerful enough to down enemy planes at high altitude.

He added that the American enemy's proximity to the Iranian border was obvious.

Source: IRNA, Iran, April 30, 2008

Lebanon Police Arrest Four Iranians At March 14 Forces Leader's HQ

The London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reports that Lebanese police have arrested four Iranian nationals on the premises of the headquarters of March 14 Forces leader Samir Geagea.

The four claimed they were tourists and denied being sent to collect intelligence.

The Iranian website PressTV website said, following an examination at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, that the four had photographed the environs of Geagea's home.

According to a Lebanese security source, one of the Iranians is a student studying in Lebanon and another is married to a Lebanese woman.

Sources: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, May 4, 2008; PressTV, Iran, May 3, 2008

In Friday Sermons Ayatollah Khatami Threatens That If Attacked By The U.S. or Israel, Iran Will “Slap Them So Hard They Will Not Get Off the Floor”

In his Friday sermon at Tehran University, Tehran provisional Friday Prayers leader Ahmad Khatami threatened the U.S. and Israel if they attack Iran. According to the Iranian Fars News Agency, Khatami said, “If maniacs in Washington or Tel Aviv seek to take action, the Iranian nation will slap them so hard they will not get off the floor.”

Fars also reports that Khatami condemned Israel for “celebrating the massacre of innocent people” in the Gaza Strip. Khatami went on to state, “Israel should know that these pressures will pave the way for another Intifada which will turn the Israelis’ day into night.”

Khatami dismissed claims that Iran is a sponsor of terrorism. According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, Khatami stated, “Over [the] last week we have been witnessing the vain and worn-out allegations of the West, led by the American officials, that Iran supports terrorism; we announce here, ‘How can Iran, which has itself been a victim of terrorism, accept such an allegation.”

Sources: english.farsnews.com, May 2, 2008; iribnews.ir, May 2, 2008

Iranian daily Rooz: The Fears of the Iranian Regime

The reformist Iranian daily Rooz assessed that the proposal package submitted by Iran to Switzerland, and in effect to the U.S., is meant to "rescue the regime" and to obtain guarantees that Iran will not be attacked. The daily added that Iran fears the exposure of its involvement in the affair of the Korean nuclear plant in Syria, and is also concerned about the military agreement between NATO and Bahrain; about the statement by the U.S. military chief in Iraq regarding Iran's arming of militias there, as well as statements by the German Chancellor and French President against Iran; and about the possible implications of Turkey's efforts to mediate between Israel and Syria.

Source: Rooz, Iran, May 1, 2008

Dissident Iranian Journalist: Iraqi Nationalism Is Growing

Dissident Iranian Journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi said that the allegations made by Iraqi officials regarding Iranian involvement in the recent riots in Iraq indicate that Iraqi nationalism is growing at the expense of religious fervor. He said that this trend is also responsible for Iraq's demands to redraw its border with Iran, and for its opposition to the continued Iranian rule over the three islands in the Persian Gulf.

Source: Rooz, Iran, May 1, 2008

Ahmadinejad: Gas Deal with India, Pakistan Imminent

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that a gas deal with India and Pakistan will be signed within 45 days.

Source: Kayhan, Iran, May 1, 2008

Iranian Daily Warns Syria: Negotiations with Israel – A Trap

An editorial in the Iraian daily Jomhouri-ye Eslami warns Syria not to fall into Israel's political trap. The daily states that Israel is initiating contacts with Syria in order to sabotage the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, and has no intention of ever withdrawing from the Golan.

Source: Jomhouri-ye Eslami (Iran), May 1, 2008

Ahmadinejad: Holocaust In Doubt; Americans Never Produced Names Of 9/11 Victims Or Perpetrators

During his visit to India, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a press conference of his doubts regarding whether the Holocaust happened, and said, "The Zionist are still banning research into the matter, but use it as a pretext to occupy Palestine and expel Palestinians from their lands."

He also said that since 9/11, the Americans had not yet produced the names of the 3,000 victims they claim were killed in it or the names of its perpetrators.

Source: IRNA, Iran, April 29, 2008

Exonerated Iranian Human Rights Activist Baqi To Be Re-Charged

An Iranian court has cleared Iranian Prisoners' Rights Organization chairman 'Amad Al-Din Baqi of charges of harming state security and propagandizing against the regime, and from a three-year prison sentence (see also "Iranian Prisoners' Rights Organization Chairman Back In Jail After Second Heart Attack").

However, Iranian Judicial Authority spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi said that Baqi, who is serving a year in prison for participating in a seminar in Dubai, would stand trial in October for his book The Tragedy of Democracy in Iran.

Source: Rooz, Iran, April 30, 2008

Iranian Daily Criticizes Ahmadinejad For Pushing Natural Gas Exports

In an editorial, the Iranian daily Etemad-e Mali, which is identified with oppositionist Mehdi Karroubi, criticized attempts by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to advance the natural gas deal with India and Pakistan even though experts are claiming that Iran's ability to increase its gas exports is "very weak" (see "Iran, India, Pakistan Argue Over Gas Prices In Pipeline Deal").

Source: Etemad-e Mali, Iran, April 29, 2008

Iran, India, Pakistan Argue Over Gas Prices In Pipeline Deal

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited India and Pakistan this month to promote a $7 million deal for a natural gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan.

The visit was part of Iran's "Face to the East" strategy.

It was reported that there is a dispute over the price of the gas, which has increased greatly recently, and Iran has not yet guaranteed its supply.

Under the gas deal, signed in 2005, Iran would supply five million tons of natural gas annually to India via Pakistan, for 25 years.

Source: IRNA, Iran, April 29, 30, 2008

Iranian Regime Instructs Press on How to Report on Nuclear Issue and Iraq , Special Dispatch Series - No. 1899, April 16, 2008

Power Struggle in Iran – Part IV: Staged Majlis Elections, Elimination of Reformist Political Representation, Abolition of 'Rule of the Jurisprudent' , Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 430, April 2, 2008

The Child and the Invader - An Iranian Cartoon Series, Special Dispatch Series - No. 1873, March 17, 2008

Iran's Attempts to Renew Relations with Egypt,
 Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 426, March 12, 2008

Iranian TV Series: "40 Soldiers", Depicts Mythological Persian Heroes Vanquishing U.S. , Special Dispatch Series - No. 1857,February 29, 2008

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