Iran Early Bird

Political and Diplomatic Affairs

· Iran blasts Israeli officials' misleading remarks on Tehran-Minsk ties (1)

· Foreign Ministry: We are considering accepting US Independence Day invitation (2)

· Russian nuclear company chooses not to specify opening date for Bushehr plant (3)

· Iranian military attaché in Ankara: Relationship between Turkish and Iranian armies has reached top level of trust (5)




Domestic Affairs

· ILNA:Mousavi will win 54 percent of vote (8)

· Jewish community not favoring any particular candidate (9)

· Security forces trying to track down vehicles broadcasting live election rally footage (10) Communications Ministry blocks access to official site affiliated with Mousavi (11)

· Police arrest 4 for ridiculing Ahmadinejad’s halo (12)

· Last word goes to Ahmadinejad (14)



Economic Affairs

· More French interest in oil project (21)

· Repsol in secret talks with Iran on southern Pars gas projects (22)

· Head of Investment Organization: Agreement to support foreign investment implemented with respect to 45 countries (23)

· Iraq to comply with UN Security Council resolutions with respect to its ties with Iranian banks (24)





Security Affairs

· Internal Security forces set to begin second stage of election-security (30)



Human Rights and Minority Affairs

· Director of Yas-e Now convicted (32)

· Kave Mozafari charged with undermining national security (33)



Weekly edition will be sent on Sunday morning due to Presidential elections








Full Report



Political and Diplomatic Affairs



1. Iran blasts Israeli officials' misleading remarks on Tehran-Minsk ties – Iranian Ambassador to Belarus Abdullah Hosseini dismissed remarks made by Israeli officials against Iran, defining them as incorrect and baseless, and saying that the statements aim to sow seeds of discord between Tehran and Minsk.



2. Foreign Ministry: We are considering accepting US Independence Day invitation – The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it is still considering the invitation extended to Iranian ambassadors to participate in the U.S. Independence Day festivities at Washington’s embassies around the world. (News Agencies, June 10)

3. Russian nuclear company chooses not to specify opening date for Bushehr plant – The CEO of Russian company Atomstroiexport has reported financial difficulties with respected to the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. A number of Russian banks have refused to provide banking services for the project. In light of these difficulties, the Russian executive said, the company was being forced to alter its financial plan, adding that the company was nevertheless continuing with the project. He refused, however, to specify an opening date for the plant.

4. Energy Minister: Atomic Energy Organization has not specified delivery date for Bushehr plant – Energy Minister Parviz Fattah said that based on calculations regarding energy consumption this summer, his ministry was counting on the Bushehr plant's projected 500 megawatt electricity capacity, although no date has been given for the plant's completion yet. Meanwhile, the deputy head of the Majlis National Security Committee Sobhaninia explained that the Energy Ministry had no say in the plant's completion timetable and was only in charge of utilizing its eventual output. (Khorasan, June 10)

5. Iranian military attaché in Ankara: Relationship between Turkish and Iranian armies has reached top level of trust – Iran’s military attaché in Ankara says that the relationship between the Turkish and Iranian armies has reached the highest level of trust.



6. Iran to reopen consulate In Najaf – The Iraqi government spokesman has announced that Baghdad has allowed Iran to reopen its consulate in the shrine city of Najaf.



7. Karpov to coach Iranian chess team – Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion Anatoly Karpov has accepted an invitation to coach Iran’s national chess team.



Domestic Affairs



8. ILNA:Mousavi will win 54 percent of vote – According to the Iranian Labour News Agency, a recent poll indicates that Mir Hosseyn Mousavi will win the presidential election in the first round with 54 percent of the vote.

9. Jewish community not favoring any particular candidate – The Jewish-minority representative in the Majlis has announced that he has met with all the presidential candidates and their representatives and that his community does not favor any one particular individual. He added that the Iranian Jewish community was not demanding anything different from the other Iranian citizens, adding that he would advise all members of his community to vote in keeping with their personal political beliefs and understandings.

10. Security forces trying to track down vehicles broadcasting live election rally footage – Iranian security forces have revealed that vehicles are traveling through the streets of Tehran equipped with sophisticated cameras that are filming events in Iran and broadcasting them live on the Internet. Efforts are being made to apprehend those responsible.



11. Communications Ministry blocks access to official site affiliated with Mousavi – With some 48 hours to go before elections, the Communications Ministry has blocked access to a website officially belonging to Mousavi supporters. According to a member of Mousavi’s election propaganda headquarters, this is not the first time that the site, Qalam Sima, and others belonging to the Reformist candidate have been illegally blocked without warning.



12. Police arrest 4 for ridiculing Ahmadinejad’s halo – Security forces have arrested four people in connection with the distribution of discs that mock the president; authorities also shut down a facility making illegal CDs aimed against Ahmadinejad's rivals. The four people were arrested for distributing discs ridiculing the “president’s halo” (see original halo video that Ahmadinejad's rivals have been circulating on the Internet). In 2005, Ahmadinejad claimed that a light had surrounded him as he delivered his speech before the UN General Assembly and that the attention of the audience was unblinkingly focused on him.

13. Election propaganda officially ends – Midnight last night (Wednesday) saw the end of the 20-day election propaganda period afforded to the four presidential candidates. No election propaganda or rallies are permitted the day before the vote and on election day itself. Security and police forces have been deployed to enforce the ban.

14. Last word goes to Ahmadinejad – In a letter to the director of Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting, Ahmadinejad aide Mehdi Kalhor asked the IRIB to announce the time and date of the TV program on which the president would deliver a 45-minute speech at 18:00 GMT Wednesday to make “the necessary responses to other candidates and to resolve ambiguities.” In his interview, the president stated that he had accurate information that his rivals recognized their imminent defeat and were trying now to spread anxiety and fear. Meanwhile, in a June 10 editorial under the headline, “If we do not want an apartheid," the Aftab Yazd newspaper expresses concern about what it sees as the latest examples of public media bias in favor of Ahmadinejad. First, it states that the president is reportedly being given a 45-minute slot on television to “answer accusations and criticisms,” with the daily claiming that no such slot has been given to those he has accused of fraud, theft and incompetence. Secondly, it sees the Ministry of Culture's reminder to the press of reporting restrictions in the last days of campaigning as likely to be ignored by the president's press and media supporters, and probably without any sanctions against them for breaking the law.

15. Ahmadinejad not welcome at Sharif campus – Members of the Sharif University Islamic Society issued a letter ahead of the president'sscheduled visit telling him that he was not welcome at the institution. Meanwhile, a video that is making the rounds in the Persian blogosphere appears to show Ahmadinejad being whisked out the back door of the university while students shout slogans in favor of Reformist rival Mousavi. The students are heard shouting: "Liar! Liar!" and "Ahmadi- bye-bye.”



16. Ahmadinejad election promise – Addressing a rally of his supporters, Ahmadinejad said that if he is re-elected as president, he will chop off the hands of those who are placing obstacles in the way of assistance to the public.



17. More than 100,000 Zahedan residents demonstrate in support of Mousavi during Ahmadinejad speech in city square – Reformist website Aftab is reporting that while Ahmadinejad delivered a speech in the central square of Zahedan, more than 100,000 of the city’s residents rallied in support of Mousavi. Click here for pictures from the event. Meanwhile, the Principlist-affiliated Fars News agency published these pictures – taken, according to the agency, on the president’s arrival in Zahedan.



18. Human chain – Mousavi supporters in Tehran form a human chain from Rah-Ahan to Tajrish Square.

























19. Aftab Yazd: The president-elect will also have to work to meet the wants of the tens of millions who didn’t vote for him – In an editorial under the headline, “For Saturday and thereafter,” the Aftab Yazd daily writes that within 48 fours, once the election results are known, “the politicians will have to abandon the rivalry phase and move over to the phase of carrying out the daily duties.” According to the daily: “No matter the result, it will not be the end of the world. If our country is a paradise, the results of the elections will not immediately turn it into a hell; and if it is a hell, it will not become a paradise overnight. We must prepare for Saturday and the days to follow… The most important issue concerning the fate of the country over the coming four years will be the behavior of the elected candidate with respect to the different strata of the population. The luckiest candidate will not get more than 17-20 million votes; in other words, some 30 million Iranian citizens will not be pleased. Therefore, the person elected as president will have to think well about national security and prosperity for the country and find a way to resolve the despair and dissatisfaction among the millions who opposed his election.”

20. International art exhibition in Tehran – The Iranian capital is currently hosting an art exhibition displaying works by some of the world’s greatest artists. The exhibition, under the title, “Classical Works of Art from Around the World,” is taking place at the Museum of Classical Art. Works by artists such as Paul Gauguin, Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Picasso and others are on display.





Economic Affairs



21. More French interest in oil project – According to reports, an unnamed French company is ready to participate in an oil project in Varamin.



22. Repsol in secret talks with Iran on southern Pars gas projects – Officials from Spain’s Repsol company have confirmed that they are currently involved in confidential talks with Iran on various southern Pars gas projects.



23. Head of Investment Organization: Agreement to support foreign investment implemented with respect to 45 countries – Addressing a meeting of investors and industrialists, Deputy Finance Minister Behruz Alishiri said that in view of some new policies implemented to provide better protection and incentives for foreign investment, the level of investment in the Iranian economy by foreign countries and businesses was bound to rise in the near future. He added that following the president's emphasis on attracting foreign investment, a special HQ for foreign investment had been set up. Seven foreign investment offices had been set up in seven countries to facilitate these investments, he added. (Khorasan, June 10)

24. Iraq to comply with UN Security Council resolutions with respect to its ties with Iranian banks – The Iraqi government spokesman has announced that following international warnings concerning ties with Iranian banks, the Iraqi government has undertaken to comply with all UN Security Council resolutions on the matter. The spokesman said the Iraqi cabinet had passed on a directive in this regard to all government institutions.



25. Deputy oil minister in Malaysia – Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Nureddin Shahnazizadeh arrived in Kuala Lumpur (June 10) to attend a seminar on investment opportunities in Iran's oil industry.



26. Privatization of oil companies expected soon – Supreme Expediency Council member Ali Aqa Mohammadi has announced that the necessary decisions have been made for the purpose of privatizing gas and petrochemical companies, as well as companies involved in refining and distributing petroleum products. Mohammadi added that state-run power stations were ready to be privatized too. Meanwhile, according to the chairman of the Privatization Organization, Kord Zangane, the Economics and Finance Ministry has asked the president to re-examine a decision under which the power stations’ debts will be paid by the purchasers in installments over a five-year period.

27. Central Bank site crashes following Ahmadinejad vs. Karoubi debate – An announcement from the Central Bank’s Public Relations Department notes that due to the explosive number of visitors to the Central Bank’s website following the Ahmadinejad vs. Karoubi televised debate, the website is currently down.



28. Broadband Internet penetration just 4 percent in Iran – The head of the Communications Ministry’s Research Division has announced that broadband Internet penetration in Iran has reached just 4 percent, placing the country 15th in the region in the field. Iran ranks 92nd in the world in the field of information and communication technology development.



29. Iranian car maker reports 12 percent rise in production – Since the start of the new Persian year (March), Iranian car maker Iran Khodro has produced more than 105,000 cars in various models – a 12 percent increase in relation to the corresponding period of the previous year.





Security Affairs



30. Internal Security forces set to begin second stage of election-security plan – The head of the Internal Security forces’ Operations Division has announced that Friday will see the start of the second stage of the election-security plan, with some 200,000 police personnel to be deployed to maintain order and secure the election process. Tehran's deputy chief of police, Hossein Sajedi-Nia, said that the 200,000 security officials would be on duty to tighten security and keep a sharp lookout for civil unrest until the end of the election process.



31. Jondallah claims responsibility for sound bombs in Zahedan – Iranian resistance movement Jondallah has issued a statement in which it claims responsibility for two sound bombs that exploded in Zahedan on Tuesday night. Jondallah also called on the Iranian regime to release all detainees from the recent unrest Zahedan, threatening to carry out more acts of terror in the city if it fails to do so.





Human Rights and Minority Affairs



32. Director of Yas-e Now convicted –Mohammad Na'imipur, director and license-holder of the Yas-e Now newspaper, has been found guilty by a Tehran court of charges of insult, libel and publishing lies. (IRNA, June 10)

33. Kave Mozafari charged with undermining national security – Kave Mozafari, the spouse of prominent women’s rights campaigner Jelve Javaheri, has been charged by the general prosecutor with participating in activities against national security. Mozafari, who has been in detention since May 1, is accused of participating in an anti-police propaganda rally and possessing satellite equipment. He was offered bail of 50 million tomans, but refused. Javaheri was released from detention just a few days ago.



34. Political prisoner transferred to general wing after eight months’ solitary confinement – Ali Moazi, a prisoner in the Gohar Dasht jail, has been transferred to the facility’s general wing after spending more than eight months in solitary confinement, during which time he underwent severe torture and was hospitalized on a number of occasions. Moazi was arrested about a year ago when security forces raided his house one night and abducted him. His family had no knowledge of his fate for several weeks, and was only informed of his whereabouts following repeated approaches to the authorities. He is accused of having ties with the Mujahideen Khalq opposition organization. Moazi spent a number of years in jail in the 1980s too, undergoing severe torture during his time in detention.



35. Nine Kurdish-minority activists tried – The Revolutionary Court in Saqez has rejected the bail requests of nine Kurdish-minority activists charged with undermining national security. The nine have been in custody for 35 days. Human rights activists are saying that the trial of the nine lasted no longer than 30 minutes.

36. Reports: Ayatollah Broujerdi injected with suspicious materials – Authorities at the central prison in Yazd, where opposition senior cleric Ayatollah Broujerdi is serving his time in exile, are still preventing him from meeting with his lawyers. Furthermore, reports continue to come in about the ayatollah’s poor physical condition, and efforts by his family and human rights activists to see him have come to naught. Reports from the prison also say that doctors at the facility have been injecting the ayatollah with suspicious and unidentified materials over the past few days.



37. Student slapped with heavy sentence in exile – Masoume Mansouri, a computer science student from Amir Kabir University has been sentenced to 10 years in jail in exile. She was arrested while trying to deal with legal proceedings relating to her father, political prisoner Mohammad Ali Mansouri, who was arrested during a ceremony in memory of the political assassinations of the 1980s and was sentenced to 17 years in jail in exile.

38. Concerns voiced about condition of two detained students – Two students from Amir Kabir University, Abas Hakim Zade and Mahdi Mashayekhi, have been in detention in solitary confinement in Wing 209 of Evin Prison for the past 110 days. Information about their condition remains unknown and their lawyers have yet to be allowed to meet with them. Hakim Zade was visited recently by family members, who said he appears to be in very poor physical and mental condition. The two were arrested during a demonstration against a decision to bury shaheeds (martyrs) on the campus grounds. All the other students arrested at the time have been released. Those released reported that they had been tortured, mentally and physically, in order to get them to sign false confessions.



39. Family of detained student sends letter to Amnesty International – The family of detained student Mohammad Pour Abdollah, who has been in jail for more than 120 days, has sent an open letter to Amnesty International about his case. According to the family, Abdollah is still being held in a prison for drug offenders and remains uncertain about his fate, despite the fact that his legal proceeding has been completed.



40. Political activist and Orouyime University student jailed for three years – Kurdish-minority political activist and Orouyime University student Rahman Rahim Pour has been jailed for three years by the Revolutionary Court. He was convicted of having ties with Kurdish opposition groups and disseminating anti-regime propaganda.



Upcoming Events



41. June 11-14, 12th international medical and dentistry equipment fair – Iran Med 2009 will kick off at the Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds on June 11 and will run through to June 14. Some 523 companies will be attending the fair, including 59 from Germany and others from China, Taiwan, South Korea, Slovakia, Jordan, Malaysia, and the United States.