Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani is discussing the option of opening a dialogue among U.S. and Iranian lawmakers. Larijani's discussions on the matter come in the wake of a letter sent to the Majlis by U.S. congresswomen who have requested meetings with their Iranian counterparts. During the recent International Monetary Fund conference, Iran noted that a similar request had been received from a number of other U.S. officials. Larijani said the Majlis was reviewing the U.S. requests and that in any event, it was time to establish contacts between the two countries. 2. Iranian websites have raised conspiracy theories concerning the terror attack in Mumbai, charging, among other things, that the Chabad representatives in India were killed in fact by Mossad agents who took advantage of the events to assassinate "the anti-Zionist Jews." The websites are also carrying reports on the flak the "anti-Zionist Jews" came under following their participation in a seminar in Iran on the Holocaust.
3. The Conservative-affiliated Kayhan daily has branded Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni "the daughter of the devil." In a report under the headline, "The crocodile tears of the daughter of the devil," Kayhan quotes Livni's statements on the Mumbai attacks, which she termed "Islamic terror," and comments on her background in the Mossad and the background of her father, "the devil," who was known to his colleagues as "Yeruham."
4. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has denounced the Argentine court system following the conviction of two senior Iranian officials of involvement in the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires some 14 years ago. According to the spokesman, the Argentine court system is renowned as one of the most corrupt in the world.
5. Iran's Foreign Ministry has stressed that it has no intention at present of closing the British Embassy in Tehran in the wake of recent statements and positions voiced by senior British officials.
6. Iranian students are demonstrating outside the Foreign Ministry in a protest against what they term as "the crimes of the Zionists in Gaza." The students are calling on the Foreign Ministry to work towards breaking the Arab silence with regard to "these crimes."
7. The Majlis held a festive session today to mark its 30th anniversary. Joining in the celebrations were senior regime officials including Expediency Discernment Council Chairman Hashemi Rafsanjani, former president Mohammad Khatami, Judicial Authority chief Shahroodi and others.
8. Iran President Ahmadi-Nejad will appear live on television on Wednesday evening for a talkback with viewers on domestic and foreign affairs.
9. The director of the Iranian Education Ministry's public relations department was abducted Friday by three unknown individuals, and then released some 24 hours later. The PR director said he had been severely tortured by his captors and suggested that his abduction may be related to investigations he was carrying out into financial corruption.
1. This morning saw the start of extensive naval exercises, codenamed "Unity 87," in the Chabahar Naval Area 3 in the Gulf of Oman. More than 60,000 naval vessels, including battleships, destroyers, missile boats and submarines will be participating in the six-day drill, which will also involve Iran's naval commando units and others. According to senior Iranian military official Ataollah Salehi, "the heavy weight" of the naval vessels of the country's enemies provide Iran with an ideal opportunity to carry out counterattacks against them.
2. The Shaheed Tamjidi shipbuilding company has completed construction of a Peykan missile boat that will soon go into service in the navy, according to an announcement by the deputy commander of the Iranian Army's naval forces.
3. The commander of the Iranian Army's Air Force, Hassan Shah-Safi, has announced the test firing of a sophisticated, heat-seeking air-to-air missile, noting that efforts to increase the range of the missile to 100 kilometers are continuing. Shah-Safi also announced that the planning stage of the Iranian stealth fighters project had been completed and that production of the first prototype was underway.
1. The Majlis Industry Committee has asked the Iranian Economics and Finance Ministry to afford top priority to the fields of production and employment when it comes to granting favorable banking terms.
2. Iran's oil and foreign ministers have inked three agreements with Malaysia regarding the development of the Golshan and Ferdos gas fields. The senior Malaysian official currently in Tehran said that his country was also in talks with Tehran on the establishment of refineries in Syria and Indonesia.
3. Iran's oil revenues over the past 11 months have totaled $79 billion. Figures released also indicate that exports of non-oil products in the past eight months totaled close to $17 billion – 23 percent up on the same period last year.
4. According to an announcement from a member of the Majlis Planning and Budgetary Committee, the panel and the government have reached a consensus on an oil price of $45 a barrel as the basis for the planning of next year's budget (the Iranian financial year begins March 20).
5. According to a report compiled by international market research firm companiesandmarkets.com, the rapid privatization of the Iranian Communications Company attracted much attention and a number of foreign communications companies expressed interest in acquiring its shares. The report also notes that the Iranian cellular telephone market has increased 60 percent in 2008.
6. Tehran residents are reporting that bread prices in various locations in the city have risen by as much as 400 percent.
1. A 13-part series, "From Fashion to Luxuries," which will be aired soon on Iranian Television, will present the negative social and cultural implications of following Western fashion trends as opposed to the positive influence of shunning the culture of wealth and luxuries.
2. According to a statement from the Office of the General Prosecutor in Tehran, the increased use of the Internet and electronic devices has led to a rise in crime in the field. The statement noted that a special court to handle computer and Internet crime would soon be set up; it also reported on a national "website blocking" project designed to impose stricter control over sites and blogs in Iran.
3. Residents of areas along Iran's southern borders are again reporting the appearance of "glowing objects" in the skies. Iranian officials have yet to comment on the phenomenon, which is causing much concern and fear among residents in the area.
4. The four Alame University students who were arrested several days ago after holing up in a campus building to protest their suspensions have gone on hunger strike in Evin Prison. One of the students, Mahdie Golro, has been admitted to the prison infirmary.
5. Human rights activists are reporting that two more Kurdish minority political prisoners have been banished to an unknown location. Omar Chapraz and Ehsan Topoz, who are serving 13 years for political crimes, were banished this morning and their whereabouts remain unknown. The banishment of the prisoners began in the wake of their lengthy hunger strike.
6. The wife of Anwar Moslemi, a Baha'i community member in detention in Iran, has written a letter outlining her husband's arrest and the searches conducted by Iranian intelligence forces in their home. Moslemi has yet to make any contact with his family since his arrest, the letter notes.
No comments:
Post a Comment