The Latest from Iran (22 November): The Security Forces v. Ahmadinejad's Senior Advisor

See also Iran Special Analysis: The Security Forces Cross Ahmadinejad's "Red Line"
Iran Feature: So What Happened When Security Forces Tried to Arrest the President's Senior Advisor?
The Latest from Iran (21 November): Let's Talk Nukes...And Nothing But Nukes

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Iran Newspaper after Monday's Raid1835 GMT: A Change in the Revolutionary Guards. Looks like we have our answer to the question (see 1045 GMT) of why Yadollah Javani, the head of the Political Bureau of the Revolutionary Guards, has been replaced --- he has been appointed as advisor to the Supreme Leader's representative to the Guards.

1828 GMT: Arresting the President's Men. Ten of the staff of Iran newspaper, detained during the raid to seize Ahmadinejad advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr, have been released.

1825 GMT: Elections Watch. The head of the judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, has appointed Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr and Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei to prevent "elections crimes".

1805 GMT: All-is-Well Alert. Why bother with any of EA's updates about the tensions in the Iranian economy when you can settle for the reassurance of the International Monetary Fund?

That's what Arshin Adib-Moghaddam does in The Guardian. Arguing against sanctions and claiming "another side to the Iran story that is subdued for ideological reasons", he resurrects this summer's flawed IMF report --- and no other evidence --- to claim the "relative stability of the Iranian economy".

1705 GMT: Currency Watch. The Iranian rial has fallen to another low against the US dollar, now standing at 13450:1. The currency has slid by 20% since last year.

1655 GMT: Economy Watch. Fathollah Bayat, the head of the Contract Workers Union, claimed that, under Iran's new labour law, unemployment will rise from its current level of 20% to 25%.

1555 GMT: Reformist Watch. Prominent reformist Ali Shakourirad has issued a cautious statement, "We are not opposing nezam [the Iranian system] but the Government", adding, "We can't prevent reformists from running in Parliamentary elections."

1550 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch (Press Edition). Reporters Without Borders raises the case of two Kuwaiti TV journalists, reporter Adel Al-Yahya and cameraman Raed Al-Majed, arrested on 11 November on charges of spying and entering the country illegally.

The organisation also highlights the detention of documentary film-maker Hassan Fathi on 12 November, after he gave an interview to BBC Persian on the explosion at a Revolutionary Guards base.

1155 GMT: Corruption Watch. Mostafa Maturzadeh of Parliament's Economy Commission has declared that smuggling amounting to $19 billion is alarming as it is destroying Iran's economic foundations. Claiming 1/3 of all officially-imported goods are smuggled, he said the Government's "relevant offices" had failed in dealing with the problem.

1150 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. A jab at the President? Khabar Online highlights a US poll of residents of Arab countries which indicates Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is more popular than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

1145 GMT: Arresting the President's Men. Fatemeh Bodaghi, the President's legal advisor, has said that the Government will not interfere in the case of Ahmadinejad's advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr, as all people are equal in front of the law.

1045 GMT: A Change in the Revolutionary Guards. Yadollah Javani, the head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is being replaced by Ali Ashraf Nouri. No explanation has been given for the change.

So is this a move of a Guards commander to another post or is Javani another casualty of tensions within the Iranian system?

1025 GMT: Sanctions Watch. The US rolled out its Plan B on sanctions, following the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran's nuclear programme, on Monday. With more UN sanctions out of the question because of Russian and Chinese objections, Washington co-ordinated with Britain, Canada, and France to announce new pressure on Tehran's financial and energy sectors.

The US measures --- previewed in EA yesterday --- put out the symbolic declaration of Iran as an area of "primary money laundering concern", while adding 11 entities and individuals to the sanctions blacklist, and expanding restrictions on companies that help Iran's oil and petrochemical industries.

Washington stopped short of targeting Iran's central bank, leaving Britain to ban any connection with Iranian financial institutions and France to called for measures on an "unprecedented scale". Canada said it would ban the export of all goods used in Tehran's petrochemical, oil and gas industry and "block virtually all transactions with Iran".

Russia immediately denounced the steps as "unacceptable", while the Iranian regime maintained its line that sanctions would hurt those countries imposing them. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast claimed the US and its allies acted because "their foreign policies in the Middle East and North Africa, which are sensitive areas, have totally failed". Minister of Trade Mehdi Ghazanfari said, "Sanctions are a lose-lose game in which both sides make a loss. If they don't invest in our oil projects, they will lose an appealing market."

0715 GMT: Arresting the President's Men. The newspaper Iran, raided yesterday in the attempt to seize Ahmadinejad advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr, has appeared today, presenting a picture of its building and noting the arrest of its editor Javanfekr and 39 staff members.

0705 GMT: Corruption Watch. Gholamreza Assadollahi of Parliament's Article 90 Commission assures that the investigation of the $2.6 billion bank fraud is being pursued: he says 64 companies related to Amir Mansur Aria Group, at the centre of the fraud, have been identified, and the Commission is investigating involvement of different ministries, such as Trade and Steel.

Meanwhile, another case to consider --- investigations have reportedly begun into the embezzlement of 800 million Toman ($600 million) from the National Craft Council.

0635 GMT: Arresting the President's Men. More reactions to yesterday's raid by the security forces, trying to seize Presidential advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr:

Avaz Heydarpour of Parliament's National Security Commission has rejected Javanfekr's claims, saying the Supreme Leader does not support but endures the Ahmadinejad Government.

Nezameddin Mousavi, the head of the Islamic Journalists Organisation, complains that Javanfekr escaped detention --- he says Javanfekr has "iron" immunity 4 illegal behavior, and the honour of the media has not been respected.

0635 GMT: Changing the System. Prominent academic Sadegh Zibakalam has added his voice to those calling for a Prime Ministerial system: "The 2013 Presidential elections will have the same outcome as 1997 or 2009, the only solution is a Prime Minister."

0615 GMT: Only one story could begin this Tuesday. We offer a special analysis of the attempt by security forces yesterday to take President Ahmadinejad's senior advisor, Ali Akbar Javanfekr --- who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the State news agency IRNA and the manager of the Iran newspaper --- to prison to serve a one-year sentence. Javanfekr was freed, after the intervention of the President, but his newspaper was shut down --- its website of Iran has not been updated --- and its offices damaged, 33 of the staff were arrested, and he was roughed up and put in a chair wearing handcuffs. 

The most significant comment this morning comes from Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi, who defends the raid and condemns Javanfekr, while avoiding any further political comments. 

Doulatabadi confirms our analysis that Javanfekr's press conference on Monday morning, condemning a number of officials, senior clerics, and Ahmadinejad's opponents, was the final straw --- and he confirms that the regime was prepared for the confrontation. Two of his officials were at the conference, Doulatabadi said, and the President's advisor had been warned not to repeat "scandalous remarks" that he offered over the weekend. As Javanfekr didn't listen to the warnings, he was summoned to court.

Doulatabadi blamed Javanfekr for "inciting his staff to riot" during the raid by security forces. He said that tear gas and electric batons, allegedly used by the raiders, were not the "usual equipment" of the forces, adding that any protest against arrest must be made in a legal way.

The Prosecutor General concluded with a warning against the "repetition of provocative remarks and protests", assuring that "constructive criticism is free".