The Latest from Iran (24 July): Reviewing the Situation

2210 GMT: The Re-Appearing Fatwa? But for eyebrow-raising, this wins the prize....

Rah-e-Sabz claims that the Supreme Leader's "I am the Rule of the Prophet" fatwa, which appeared on Tuesday but then receded from Iranian state media, is now back --- unfortunately, the website doesn't link to the supposed location.

NEW Iran Analysis: Rafsanjani Bowing Out? (Abedin)
UPDATED Iran Media Follow-Up: War, War, War. Blah, Blah, Blah. No Facts. More War. Blah.
Iran Interview: Detained US Hiker’s Mother “I Wish I Could Hear Her Voice”
Iran Analysis: The Supreme Leader & the Disappearing Fatwa (Verde)
The Latest from Iran (23 July): Receding Authority

2200 GMT: Bazaar Developments. We close this evening with some eyebrow-raising news.

It looks like there has been an attempted reconcilation between the President and officials of the conservative Motalefeh Party, who have been a traditional power behind the Bazaar. On Thursday Ahmadinejad met Habibollah Asgharowladi, Asadollah Badamchian, and Mohammad Nabi Habibi.

Friction between the President and Motalefeh had been stoked by the dispute over control of Islamic Azad University, with members of the party criticised by Ahmadinejad supporters for their defence of Parliament's position.

Meanwhile, Rah-e-Sabz posts photos of a large fire in Kerman Bazaar. The cause is unclear.

2145 GMT: Today's All-is-Well Alert. Ali Vakili, the managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company, says that investment in Iran's South Pars gas field has increased by 120 percent in the current Iranian year. Vakili said the rise was the result of the issuance of 3 billion Euros in foreign currency bonds and $3.014 billion in national participation bonds.

There was no reported comment from Vakili on how bonds could assure completion of projects when foreign companies were withdrawing from South Pars.

1830 GMT: The Interrupted Memorial. Footage of the memorial for poet Ahmad Shamlou, disrupted by security forces (see 1640 GMT), has been posted.

1810 GMT: Labour Front. Operators at the Kermanshah Telecommunication Company staged a protest in front of the Kermanshah Governor’s mansion on Thursday.

1750 GMT: Picture of Day. One of a set of photographs of former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Armin after his release from detention on $200,000 bail:



1745 GMT: Video of Day. Footage has been posted of poet Shams Langroudi reciting his work at the memorial for Amir Javadifar, killed in post-election conflict last year.

1730 GMT: A Demotion for the Supreme Leader? Reporting on a meeting of the Supreme Leader with his office staff, Rah-e-Sabz refers to "Mr Khamenei".

1653 GMT: Refugees in Germany. The first of 50 post-election Iranian refugees have arrived in Germany after they were granted asylum. The refugees, most of whom are reported to be dissident journalists, had been in Turkey.

1645 GMT: Karroubi Goes After the Guardians. Mehdi Karroubi, in a letter to Guardian Council member Ayatollah Mohammad Momen, has criticised the  Council for "institutionalizing fraud" and offering a "double-standard interpretation" of the constitution.

Karrubi alleged that the Council has become an "instrument for securing and maintaining power for a particular political faction".

1640 GMT: Blocking the Poet's Memorial. Parleman News reports that security forces have forced the cancellation of a memorial at the grave of Ahmad Shamlou, one of Iran's great contemporary poets, on the 10th anniversary of his death.

1405 GMT: Talking Tough. For Revolutionary Guard Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, all this Government in-fighting is irrelevant: leaders of the "uproar" will be dealt with in a timely fashion.

1400 GMT: More Larijani v. Ahmadinejad. The Speaker of Parliament is in fighting mood: he has accused the Government of violating the Constitution over subsidy cuts.

1330 GMT: Parliament v. President (and It's in State Media). Press TV and the Islamic Republic News Agency breaks their usual silence on the Parliament's growing conflict with Mahoud Ahmadinejad, highlighting the issue of $2 billion for the Tehran Metro.

Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani is quoted, "Executive bodies are obliged to enforce this law after its communication. They cannot refrain from enforcing it. According to the Constitution, the president must communicate any law within a specific period of time. If a legislation is not communicated in due time the Majlis speaker will communicate it."

The Government has refused to sanction the $2 billion, possibly because of a political battle with Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf. (Former Vice President Massoumeh Ebtekar has just made this point in Rah-e-Sabz.)

1245 GMT: Academic Corner. Peyke Iran claims 13 professors at Al-Zahra University have been dismissed and students have advised to study China and Russia.

1240 GMT: Offside. The sports daily Goal has been banned for three months.

1200 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mohsen Armin has been freed on bail of about $200,000.

An appellate court has upheld the 9 1/2-year sentence imposed on human rights activist Bahareh. Hedayat. The 7-year term of Milad Asadi has also been upheld.

1105 GMT: Parliament v. President. Another MP, Mus al-Reza Servati, has declared that the Ahmadinejad budget lacks ministerial signatures and is therefore illegal.

1045 GMT: Culture Corner. The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has reiterated that censorship of books and films is necessary.

1005 GMT: We have posted a separate analysis, "Rafsanjani Bowing Out?"

1000 GMT: Economy Watch. Peyke Iran claims that up to 85% of workers now have temporary employment contracts.

0925 GMT: The Universities Conflict. Raha Tahimi, writing for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, posts a useful overview of the dispute over control of Islamic Azad University and the "temporary ceasefire" between former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and President Ahmadinejad.

0915 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. On Wednesday Mehdi Karroubi visited Narges Mohammadi, the women's rights activist who was recently released from detention.

Mohammadi continues to suffer from poor health and the lack of treatment provided when she was in prison.

0735 GMT: Cyber-Watch. Ali Aghazadeh of Parliament's National Security Commission has reportedly declared that "countless new sites need more control" by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

0730 GMT: Conspiracy Theory. It wasn't all cheer and sending a man into space in the President's speech on Friday (see 0649 GMT).

Ahmadinejad "revealed plans by the United States and Israel", announcing, "They [Washington] have decided to attack two of the regional Arab states, which are our allies, with the help of the Zionist regime to create fear of decision-making in Iran."

The President teased the audience by not revealing which two Arab states are under the gun. Instead, he turned to another concern, chastising Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over remarks on Tehran's nuclear programme. Ahmadinejad regretted that Medvedev had "become the mouthpiece for the plot by the enemies of Iran."

The President did say that he maintained hope for relations with Moscow.

0700 GMT: Road to Nowhere. Iranian Students News Agency claims that the Ministry of Transport owes billions of dollars to construction companies, with 500 road and rail projects unfinished. Parliament has asked the Minister of Transport not to accept plans for construction proposed after the President's recent tour of the provinces.

0655 GMT: The Supreme Leader's Back-Room Politics. Amidst the intrigues this week over Ayatollah Khamenei's "I am the Rule of the Prophet Fatwa", Rah-e-Sabz offers an analysis of the Supreme Leader's advisors, including chief of staff Asghar Hejazi, the mysterious "Mr Vahid", and Khamenei's son Mojtaba.

0649 GMT: Mahmoud Looks to the Stars. Speaking at the National Festival of Iranian Youth on Friday, President  Ahmadinejad said Iran plans to launch its first manned shuttle into space by 2019.

Ahmadinejad added that the project was scheduled for 2035 but that the launch date was reviewed in a Cabinet meeting this week. He did not offer the reason for the sudden 16-year advance in his Ministers' calculations.

0645 GMT: Energy Posture. Iranian 1st Vice President  Mohammad Reza Rahimi has said that Iran is considering the removal of the dollar and the euro from its oil trade transactions: "In our oil transactions, we will use any currency that is to our benefit.”

Reports indicate that Iran and China may start using the yuan, the Chinese currency, to settle their oil transactions. An Iranian official has also suggested the dirham, the currency of the United Arab Emirates, for business.

Following the latest UN and US  sanctions, Iran has been experiencing difficulties in carrying out its international trade deals in dollars and euros.

Comments

[Iran]

Some interesting remarks made here by Mohsen Rafighdoost:
http://www.fararu.com/vdcepe8n.jh8wvi9bbj.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.fararu.com/vdcepe8n.jh8wvi9bbj.html

[Baz]

How to make friends and influence people

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_557364.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/...

[WitteKr]

Re 0735 GMT: Cyber-Watch... Iran was prime target of SCADA worm.
"Computers in Iran have been hardest hit by a dangerous computer worm that tries to steal information from industrial control systems.
According to data compiled by Symantec, nearly 60 percent of all systems infected by the worm are located in Iran. Indonesia and India have also been hard-hit by the malicious software, known as Stuxnet."
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/354385/iran_prime_target_scada_worm/?rid=-100" rel="nofollow">http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/354385/iran_pr...

[Catherine]

Scott,
RE The news site Fararu picks up on the recent dramatic story of hatred between Hossein Shariatmadari and the President’s Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai

On the 22 July Iran thread (2115 GMT: Religious Difficulties. Mohammad Nasser Saghaie Biriya, the President’s religious advisor has resigned, allegedly because of divisions over the enforcement of hijab)
you linked to a blog that uses the same article you did (Aftab News, 22 July) but reports that the hatred is actually between Shariatmadari and president Ahmadinejad, not Rahim-Mashai:

"Meanwhile, Jahan News reported this week that Esfandiar Rahim Moshaie, the president’s chief of staff, has said that Ahmadinejad feels that the influential editor of ultra-conservative daily Kayhan, Hossein Shariatmadari, is his enemy and within a year would be calling him un-Islamic and Kafar.

“From Shaiatmadari’s point of view, I am not even a Muslim. He believes I am a spy, a monafegh and a part of the Green coup,” said Ahmadinejad, as quoted by Moshaie [Aftab News, 22 July]."
http://uskowioniran.blogspot.com/2010/07/ahmadinejads-advisor-on-religious.html" rel="nofollow">http://uskowioniran.blogspot.com/2010/07/ahmadi...

???

[Catherine]

RE 0640 GMT: Broke. Reformist MP Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, regretting that “lying is no sin anymore” in the Iranian regime, has declared that Iran’s foreign exchange reserves are empty.

He also said that the government has severed all relations with the parliament. Khabbaz indcated that the government has stopped informing the parliament of its new by-laws, which according to the constitution has to be reviewed by the parliament to avoid any violation of the law.
http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/07/iranian-mp-says-governmen.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/07/iranian-m...

[Catherine]

Cyber Army or Cyber Swiss Cheese?
Analysts interviewed for a report by Turkish Weekly said exaggerated reporting in the state-run media had succeeded in persuading Iranians that the IRGC was a power to be reckoned with in cyberspace. Yet the extraordinary feats claimed by these cyber-warriors were technically simple and could have been done by a teenager with no specialist training.

Cyber Wars in Iran
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/105083/cyber-wars-in-iran-.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/105083/cyber-...

[Arshama]

Prisoners Watch

Senior reformist Mohsen Armin freed on bail http://feed.parlemannews.com/index.aspx?n=12603" rel="nofollow">http://feed.parlemannews.com/index.aspx?n=12603

[Catherine]

Mehdi Karrubi Slams Guardians Council

Mehdi Karrubi has criticized the influential Guardians Council for "institutionalizing fraud" and offering a "double-standard interpretation" of the constitution, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

The remarks came in a letter published on July 21 addressed to Guardians Council member Ayatollah Mohammad Momen. The letter was posted on the Sahamnews website, which is run by Karrubi's Etemad-e Melli party.
More: http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Opposition_Leader_Slams_Guardians_Council/2108698.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Opposition...

[Catherine]

9 and a half years in prison for Iranian student activist
http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/07/9-and-a-half-years-in-pri.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/07/9-and-a-h...

[Arshama]

@ 1200 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch

First picture of Mohsen Armin after release http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5186988&id=125056921226" rel="nofollow">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5186988&i...

[Catherine]

The the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat is not buying the Amiri as double agent story:
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=21729" rel="nofollow">http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id...

[Catherine]

Germany offers asylum to 50 Iranian dissidents
The German government says it is offering asylum to 50 Iranian dissidents who took part in the massive street protests that erupted after elections there last year.

A spokesman for Germany's Interior Ministry said 12 of the 50 Iranians have already arrived in Germany and one more is expected in the coming week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100724/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_iranian_dissidents" rel="nofollow">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100724/ap_on_re_eu...

[Arshama]

Shiva Nazar Ahari from childhood to 7 months in prison (thanks to Mr Zand)
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/2nh5bm" rel="nofollow">http://www.twitlonger.com/show/2nh5bm

[Arshama]

Mohammad Reza Rahimi, AN's vice and member of Fatemi corruption ring, at the inauguration of 10th international environmental fair: Hidden Imam obliged us to preserve environment and we do so, westerners are worse than goats!
http://www.irangreenvoice.com/article/2010/jul/24/5586" rel="nofollow">http://www.irangreenvoice.com/article/2010/jul/...

IR environmental record: 20% of national forests destroyed, national lakes (Parishan, Orumieh) dried up or turining into a salt marsh, and Tehran's water harmful to pregnants and children...

[Arshama]

@ Zahedan bombings: useful insights by Naj http://iranfacts.blogspot.com/2010/07/bombing-of-zahedan.html" rel="nofollow">http://iranfacts.blogspot.com/2010/07/bombing-o...

[Arshama]

@ 1640 GMT: Blocking the Poet’s Memorial

Shamlou's memorial at Emam Zadeh Taher (ca. 50 km west of Tehran) was canceled: http://www.astreetjournalist.com/2010/07/24/shamlus-10th-memorial-has-been-canceled/" rel="nofollow">http://www.astreetjournalist.com/2010/07/24/sha...

[Arshama]

@ 2210 GMT: The Re-Appearing Fatwa?

Yup, it's back! Just look here: http://farsi.khamenei.ir/treatise-content?uid=1&tid=8" rel="nofollow">http://farsi.khamenei.ir/treatise-content?uid=1...

[Catherine]

Thanks for posting this, Arshama.

There are also some very pertinent observations in an article by Hossein Aryan of RFE/RL: "Sistan-Baluchistan's problems -- which echo those in Kurdistan and Khuzestan provinces -- have exposed three stark fault lines within the Iranian political system, analyst Behruz Khaliq told RFE/RL'S Radio Farda: national-ethnic, Shi'ite-Sunni, and center-periphery."

Read especially from the heading 'Three Stark Fault Lines' onward: http://www.rferl.org/content/Blaming_Outsiders_Wont_Solve_Irans_Baluchistan_Problem/2104613.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rferl.org/content/Blaming_Outsiders_...