The Latest from Iran (6 September): What Strategic Reserve?

The Supreme Leader and the head of the Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, today (see 1227 GMT)

See also Iran Analysis: Participate or Boycott? Reformists Debate the 2013 Presidential Election
The Latest from Iran (5 September): Admission --- The Sanctions Hurt Both the People and the Regime

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2015 GMT: Currency Watch. The confusion over the state of the Iranian Rial continues. Khabar Online, which had early put the Rial as weak as 22510:1 vs. the US dollar --- another historic low --- claims the currrency is now back at 22180:1. Mesghal.ir has said all day that the Rial strengthened on Thursday to 21930:1, but Mesghal.com --- which posted a different rate of 22280:1 --- is now off-line.

1955 GMT: Supreme Leader Watch. The Foreign Ministry's Mojtaba Ferdowsipour has asserted that defence of Syria is a "red line" for Iranian foreign policy.

1429 GMT: Supreme Leader Watch. Press TV complements the account from Ayatollah Khamenei's office of the Supreme Leader's meeting with the Assembly of Experts (see 1227 GMT) with this assurance: "Ayatollah Khamenei also spoke of the situation in Iran, saying that on the whole, the country is making 'favorable progress'."

1425 GMT: Oil Watch. The Chairman of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has said that plans to develop the Farzad B gas field in Iran are in the balance because the deal might hinder ONGC's aspirations for US energy assets.

Indian media reported earlier this week that, after Iranian pressure, India had signed a $1 billion deal with Tehran to develop the Farzad B field.

1421 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The French news service RFI notes the effective admission of Sadegh Larijani that several thousand people were arrested after the disputed 2009 Iran Presidential election.

Larijani also said that there would no release from strict house arrest of opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

1412 GMT: Economy Watch. Abbas Memarnejad, the head of Iran's customs office, has said that more than 80% of Iran's $480 billion oil income since 2005 has been spent on imports.

1405 GMT: Loyalty Watch. Ali Saeedi, the Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guard, confidently declares, "The Non-Aligned Movement's summit changed the balance of power."

However, Saeedi was not confident enough to say all was settled at home: "We need an antitoxin against popular riots."

1259 GMT: Economy Watch. Iran Green Voice claims that the price for 24 eggs rose by up to 22% in July/August, reaching 9000 Toman (about $0.73 at official rate).

The cost of the eggs was 6000 Toman in the spring

1252 GMT: Foreign Affairs Watch (Syrian Front). Is this a sign of a debate within the establishment? A pro-Ahmadinejad blog says Iran's absolute support for the Assad regime is wrong and Syrian people should not be killed for the sake of the "axis of resistance".

1242 GMT: Currency Watch. Confusion today over the weakening Iranian Rial, which hit a historic low of 22180:1 vs. the US dollar on Wednesday on the open market.

The currency website Mesghal has two different rates --- Mesghal.ir shows the Rial strengthening 1.5% at 21930:1, but Mesghal.com has the currency slipping to 22280:1.

Peyke Iran claims, from other exchange sites, that the Rial is down to 22430:1, while Mehr posts 22500:1 and Khabar Online links to a site putting the figure at 22510:1 --- almost a 4% difference from the number on Mesghal.ir.

1227 GMT: After the Summit. The Supreme Leader's office --- drawing from the Supreme Leader's address to the Assembly of Experts --- continues to push last week's Non-Aligned summit in Tehran, via Twitter messages:

Ayatollah Khamenei, Today: Holding NAM conference in Tehran was a display of the power, glory and might of the Islamic Republic. #iran

— khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) September 6, 2012

Supreme Leader: The enemies suffered a humiliating defeat in their diplomatic war against the Islamic Republic. #NAM #iran

— khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) September 6, 2012

Ayatollah Khamenei's also proclaimed, "Delegations attending the #NAM summit witnessed normal life of people & their attitude. Remarks during the summit,especially on structure of #UN & UNSC & global dictatorship,was unparalleled in comparison to other summits."

The office offered no remarks about Syria or any economic tensions affecting the normal lives of Iranians and their attitudes.

1219 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Back from an academic break to find President Ahmadinejad putting out a familiar message to a new audience --- the First International Independent Filmmakers Conference:

The root cause of the existing problems in the world today is the extremist powers and those who seek to expand their domination over the nations … in one word, the main reason behind the current woes in the world is the ruling management.

Ahmadinejad said the system aims to gain “power, superiority and domination” for a minority of monopoly-seeking groups and claimed that an “organized, highly complicated and dangerous” organization comprised of the Zionists are behind it.

The President's alternative? “A management system must be established in the world that is not after power or domination but positive and constructive interaction between the nations and the one which does not seek monopoly but the establishment of justice and provides an opportunity so that all nations can participate in the social management."

0940 GMT: Foreign Affairs (Azerbaijan Front). In a further sign of a thaw in Iran's relations with Azerbaijan, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has welcomed Iranian Vice President Hassan Mousavi in Baku.

"The Azerbaijan Republic is our friend and brother country and great cultural, historical and religious commonalties and good neighborliness have necessitated the expansion of all-out ties between the two countries more than ever before," Mousavi said.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught over the past year, with mutual charges of espionage and subversion. However, on Tuesday, Iran released two Azeri poets whom it has accused of spying and contact with dissident networks.

0610 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. The President caused a flutter in his Tuesday interview when he fired back at a question about the last year of his Government, “How do you know this is the final year of government? Government is for the people, and the people are forever lasting.”

The response was taken as an indication that Ahmadinejad would try to maintain power and influence through promotion of a candidate in the 2013 Presidential election.

The President's office has now tried to dampen this, denying that Ahmadinejad's controversial Chief of Staff, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, is running next year.

0600 GMT: Last month President Ahmadinejad declared that, amid the US-led sanctions trying to choke off Iran's economy, the Islamic Republic would build up strategic reserves of key commodities.

Alef, linked to leading conservative MP Ahmad Tavakoli, has launched an attack claiming that the President has not backed up his words. It claims that the Government has reduced purchases of domestic wheat by 80%, with a fall to 2.1 million tonnes from 14 million.

Ahmadinejad had declared in his Tuesday night interview on State TV that his Government was taking all necessary measures to confront the "psychological warfare" of sanctions.