The Latest from Iran (23 June): All-Is-Well Oil News

See also The Latest from Iran (22 June): Supreme Leader "More Talks, Please"

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2015 GMT: Assurance of the Day. The head of Iran's prison system, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, says, "We have no political prisoners."

1915 GMT: Economy Watch (Zionist Edition). Looks like Iran's problems with domestic production and rising prices have opened up unexpected imports --- the head of the Tehran Association of Fruit and Vegetable Sellers says cherries from Israel sre available in Iran for $3 per kilogramme.

1555 GMT: I Love Ahmadinejad Watch. Ezzatollah Zarghami, the head of State broadcaster IRIB, says he is not sure if there will be televised debates during the 2013 Presidential campaign and explains why they took place for the first time in 2009: the "spirit" and "leadership" of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Khabar Online is not in the mood, however. Today it considers the new housing projects that Ahmadiejad has proclaimed and sees the "many ups and downs".

1545 GMT: Presentation of the Day. Back to President Ahmadinejad's trip to Venezuela, "Iranian firms finished construction of 384 residential units and transferred their ownership deeds to the Venezuelan people."

Ahmadinejad offered a few words at the ceremony about "Iran's preparedness to provide Venezuela with more experiences in development and house construction", but don't mistake this for a gift: in September, Venezuelan housing officials announced a $2.5 billion contract with Tehran for the construction of 17,000 housing units.

1539 GMT: Computer Games Watch. I post this simply because I have no clue what Fars and the Minister of Culture are chattering about:

Iran's culture minister on Saturday called for a precise analysis and critique of western computer games to reveal the underlying goals pursued by developing such software.

"Development of these games is goal-oriented and they should, thus, go under critique by the media," Seyed Mohammad Hosseini told reporters at a press conference held on the sidelines of the 2nd Tehran International Computer Games Expo.

Anyway, here's this piece of information: "After the US programmers in an open war of media developed 'Battlefield 3' depicting a US assault on Iran, the Iranian computer game programmers announced that they would soon release 'Attack on Tel Aviv' in a retaliatory move."

1530 GMT: Tough Talk of the Day. A slow day in Iranian politics is disrupted by Major General Mostafa Izadi, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, "The Islamic Revolution enjoys high capability, and if the Zionist regime wants to take an action against us, it will cause its imminent end."

Izadi added a jab at the United Arab Emirates, with whom Tehran is in dispute about sovereignty over islands off its southern coast:

In addition to military capabilities, we also have many other capabilities and possibilities which are way beyond the Zionist regime's abilities and capabilities. For instance, the many islands that Iran has in the Persian Gulf have provided us with capabilities to make Iran the superior military force in the region.

0558 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. President Ahmadinejad continues his Latin American tour, reaching the welcoming arms of Venezuela's President Chavez and declaring, "Today marks the demise of imperialism around the world":

0555 GMT: Oil Watch. Here's an item that is missing in the Iranian press this morning:

Turkey's sole refiner Tupras has cut imports of Iranian crude by 20 percent, Turkish Energy Minister Tamer Yildiz said.

Yildiz said Turkey would continue to source "a certain amount" of crude from its neighbour Iran but would compensate for the reduction by taking more from Saudi Arabia and Libya.

0535 GMT: Initially muted in its response to the lack of movement in this week's nuclear talks in Moscow, the regime has settled on the line that --- while the West has been led by Israel into blocking progress --- the discussions must proceed.

That, however, leaves the major problem that the European Union's sanctions will escalate eight days from now, with the cut-off of imports of the Islamic Republic's oil. So Iranian media has to broadcast the message that all will be OK.

Both Fars and Press TV trumpet the news that Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation has renewed its oil contract with Iran. What both decline to add is that Mitsubishi, and other Japanese customers, have cut back the total shipment, ensuring that Tokyo avoids US sanctions.

Fars also headlines, "India Working on Insurance for Iran Oil Imports". The website neglects to mention, however, that some Indian refineries have suspended shipments of Iranian crude, while others have limited their purchases.

Fars then posts, "Iran Resolved to Reach Self-Sufficiency Manufacturing Drilling Rigs", which has absolutely no bearing on the current difficulties for the Islamic Republic, but sounds good: "Through the efforts made by the country's scientific centers and domestic manufacturers, from 2015 onward, the Islamic Republic of Iran not only will achieve the expertise of making onshore drilling rigs but will also be able to export those equipments."