The Latest from Iran (31 May): The Political Battle Over Control of Oil

2025 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Hojatoleslam Mojtaba Zolnour, the Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards, has told a university audience that they should beware of the attempt by the Hojjatieh Association to influence the Government.

Hojjatieh is a Shia organisation, founded in 1953, that was forced to disband by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1983 over views about the imminent return of the Hidden Imam. There have been numerous claims that President Ahmadinejad and his key advisors like Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai are secret members.

2000 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Iran and India have failed to agree a method for Delhi's payment for oil exprots from Tehran.

A delegation from Iran met officials from different Indian ministries to find a resolution for the five-month-old issue, sparked by international sanctions on Iran's oil products.

India is reportedly mulling using multiple currencies, including the rupee, to pay for the crude oil. Iran is Delhi's second-largest supplier after Saudi Arabia.

1950 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Make of this what you will --- the President postponed his press conference with domestic and foreign media today.

1935 GMT: Oil and Politics. Mehr reports that Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini will "most likely" be Iran's representative at next week's meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

President Ahmadinejad had declared that he, as caretaker Minister of Oil, would represent Tehran and chair the meeting --- Iran holds the rotating Presidency of OPEC --- but he came under heated criticism for the move.

Mehr did not cite a source for its claim.

1930 GMT: Oil and Politics. Mousa Souri, the managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company, has said that international sanctions against Iran have caused delays in implementation of projects in the the South Pars gas field.

Souri said the sanctions had prevented the launch of Phases 15 and 16 of the field's development, which has been supervised by the Revolutionary Guards since 2007.

1805 GMT: Excuse of the Day. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has denied that Iran withheld permission for the plane of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to overfly the country: “The permission required for the passage of the airplane carrying Mrs. Merkel through the airspace of the Islamic Republic of Iran had been issued in time."

Merkel's flight, bound for India, was forced to circle over Turkey for two hours, but Mehmanparast insisted, “The problem regarding the delay of the flight in question for crossing the Islamic Republic of Iran's airspace was caused by a technical glitch that was immediately solved and the plane was able to continue its course."

1800 GMT: Press Freedom Watch. Independent photographers have been banned from meetings of Parliament, except for the first 15 minutes. Those working for State broadcaster IRIB are exempt from the restriction.

1735 GMT: Ahmadinejad's Men. Back from an extended break to find Ayatollah Abdolnabi Namazi, a representative of the Supreme Leader and the Kashan Friday Prayer leader, taking a shot at the President's right-hand man. He claimed that Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai said the Supreme Leader and Ayatollah Jannati, the head of the Guardian Council, "will not be there in two years" to stop his candidacy for Presidency.

1255 GMT: Khamenei v. Ahmadinejad. Digarban summarises the coverage, across a range of Iranian websites, of the fourth day of conflict between supporters of the Supreme Leader and supporters of the President in Shiraz.

The showdown began this weekend when Ahmadinejad's office tried to replace the Governor of Fars Province. A crowd opposed to the move demonstrated and then took over the Governor's offices with slogans such as "Death to Mashai", President Ahmadinejad's right-hand man.

1240 GMT: Another Warning to Ahmadinejad. Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has putting a notable spin on the Supreme Leader's message on Sunday. Larijani said that, as Ayatollah Khamenei has called for co-operation between the three branches of the Iranian system, there is no longer any excuse for the Executive to carry out illegal actions.

Parliament has been in a running battle with the Ahmadinejad Government over procedures and actions on the Iranian budget, control of universities, merger of ministries, investigation of corruption, and other issues.

1220 GMT: Unity Watch. More calls from reformists for "reconcilation" between the regime and the people....

Abdollah Nouri, visiting the family of detained journalist Isa Saharkhiz, has said that Iran's rulers should urge national unity and reduce the damage to society before it is too late.

And the reformist Association of Combatant Clerics has backed former President Mohammad Khatami's recent statement on "reconciliation", while calling for the release of political prisoners and the lifting of the house arrest on Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

1210 GMT: In the Skies. Germany has summoned the Iranian Ambassador after the Iranian regime refused permission for the plane of German Chancellor Angela Merkel plane to overfly over the country.

Merkel was en route to India, but her flight was forced to circle over Turkey during the delay. She has now arrived in Delhi.

1200 GMT: Human Rights Watch. More than 150 cultural and politcal figures have signed an open letter urging United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to send the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights as soon as possible to Iran.

The UN Human Rights Council authorised the Special Rapporteur in March but he/she still has not been named.

1155 GMT: Passing Away. Long-time opposition activist Ezzatollah Sahabi, the head of the National-Religious Coalition, has died at the age of 81.

0950 GMT: In the Skies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's flight to India was delayed for about two hours today when Tehran withheld permission for the plane to fly over Iran.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Iran's decision forced Merkel's plane to circle over Turkey. He claimed it was first time Merkel had experienced He the "violation of normal diplomatic privilege".

0945 GMT: Post-Election Watch. Leading MP Ali Motahari, a critic of the Government, has now moved against its handling of post-election protests, saying there were mistakes in the handling of dissent that imposed on the freedoms of Iranian people.

Motahari declared, "We should correct ourselves."

0930 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. MP Asadollah Badamchian, a leading member of the conservative Motalefeh Party, has alleged that the President's advisors have declared they will control 2/3rds of the seats in Parliament after next March's elections and "there is nothing the Supreme Leader can do about it".

0655 GMT: Scary News of the Day. William Broad of The New York Times, a long-time purveyor of scary news about Iran's nuclear programme, is at it again.

Assisted by the dramtic headline, "Inspectors Pierce Iran's Cloak of Nuclear Secrecy", Broad reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency last week presented a report to its board setting out new information on “possible military dimensions” in the programme.

The nine-page report considers whether Iran has sought to investigate seven different kinds of technology ,ranging from atomic triggers and detonators to uranium fuel. This, says Broad, could indicate "a type of atom bomb known as an implosion device", "clarifying the central issue in the long clash between Tehran and the West over nuclear technology".

Broad does not actually consider the detail in the report, which in fact says little new from its predecessors of recent years. Indeed, he cites but does not note the significance of the IAEA's repeated expression of concern but no conclusion on Iran's intentions and activities: "The report said [IAEA Director-General Yukiya] Amano 'urges Iran to respond positively' in order to establish 'the exclusively peaceful nature' of its program." Instead, he substitutes his own speculation:

The report cites concerns about undisclosed nuclear activities “past or current,” implying that the agency believes the Iranian arms program may still be moving ahead despite reports of its onetime suspension.

0650 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mohsen Borazvan, a member of Mir Hossein Mousavi's 2009 Presidential campaign, has been arrested.

Kalemeh said there is no news of Borazvan, who headed an important campaign centre in the province of Kerman, more than 10 days after he was seized.

0635 GMT: Economy Watch. The proposed takeover of South Korea’s Daewoo Electronics Co. by Iran's Entekhab Industrial Group has collapsed.

Entekhab had made a request to cut the sale price of $513 million by about 60 billion won ($55.4 million U.S.), but this was rejected. Daewoo's creditors-turned-shareholders have now turned to Sweden's Electrolux AB.

The Iranian appliance maker Entekhab was named preferred bidder for Daewoo last year, beating Electrolux, but it failed to satisfy creditors' demands over several months for a detailed funding plan

0630 GMT: Two days after the Supreme Leader's call for reconciliation, Parliament is putting a test to President Ahmadinejad --- give up your caretaker role as Minister of Oil.

A series of warnings by leading MPs on Monday was followed by a declaration from the spokesman for the Energy Committee, Emad Hosseini, “A caretaker or oil minister must be in charge of heading the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; and if we continue with the current trend, Iran will certainly lose OPEC's presidency.” 

Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad --- having been rebuffed in other contests for power within the establishment --- declared that he would supervision the Oil Ministry. In that position, he would chair next week's meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.