Selected Headlines

Razaei to head IRIB?

Rokhdad | Sept. 1, 2009

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ezzatollah Zarghami may soon leave his position as the head of the Islamic Republic Broadcasting (IRIB) and possibly be replaced by Mohsen Razaei.

Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf and Ali-Akbar Velayati were three other names being floated as Zarghami's potential replacement.

Previous positions held by Zarghami include membership in the IRGC, top aide to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, deputy of the Majlis and provincial affairs committee, member of the Seda Sima supervisory council and member of the Islamic Azad University faculty.

Zarghami is reportedly mulling positions in other government organizations.

Ayatollah Sanei called megalomaniac

Entekhab News | Sept. 1, 2009

A pro-Ahmadinejad website has launched an unprecedented attack against a Shia Source of Emulation.

According to an article in Etemad, the Raja News website has called Ayatollah Yousef-Ali Sanei a megalomaniac with narcissistic tendencies who embodies the Quranic verse about falling into the satanic trap of egotism.

This is the first time that a pro-government media outlet has dared to use such expressions in reference to a Source of Emulation.

Text message bans MPs from dinner parties ahead of cabinet vote

Farda News | Sept. 1, 2009

Mohsen Kouhkan, a spokesman for the Majlis governing body, said lawmakers were asked to turn down any dinner invitation other than those coming from parliament or the presidential office until after the vote-of-confidence session for the 10th cabinet has taken place.

"As minister designates and lawmakers may be invited to Iftar [Ramadan fast-breaking dinner] parties held outside Parliament, the Majlis governing body has sent a text message to all lawmakers asking them to refrain from participating in any dinner parties outside of parliament and the presidential office," he said.

Kouhkan rejected rumors that any lawmaker was offered a $100,000 bribe by a minister nominee.

Not so fast...

Kalame | Sept. 1, 2009

Principlist lawmaker Ahmad Tavakoli said energy minister-designate Mohammad Aliabadi's biggest weakness was having too much faith in the success of his lobbying.

"Aliabadi's weakness is claiming inheritance before proving his kinship," Tavakoli's website Alef quoted him as saying. "Before receiving a Majlis vote of confidence, upon the advice of his cousin who previously served as the deputy energy minister, he [Aliabadi] has gone to the ministry and held a meeting much like an orientation session with the electricity industry managers.

"This immoral and unconventional behavior shows he feels very assured of the success of the lobbying that took place at the Iftar [Ramadan fast-breaking dinner] parties."

"Instead of coming to the related Majlis commission to offer his credentials and propose his programs he has gone to the ministry [of energy] and with the help of related managers has been drawing up a proposal for parliament and memorizing the technical terms of the trade. This is clearly ignoring Majlis and the votes of the representatives of the nation."

"In any case, due to various reason Mr. [Parviz] Fattah is better suited for the position of energy minister than Mr. Aliabadi .... I urge my fellow lawmakers to choose Mr. Fattah instead of the new minister-designate or else they will have to answer to the nation for the many problems that will arise in the future."

Abtahi gets a day off; Ramezanzadeh asks for bail

Fanegar.com | Sept. 1, 2009

After 74 days of detention, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi got to pay a supervised visit to his family.

According to a Mowjcamp report, Abtahi's daughter confirmed that he had broken his fast with his family and had dinner with them before being returned to prison by security guards.

Reports indicate that Abdullah Ramezanzadeh's family members have also been allowed to visit him. Ramezanzadeh's wife, Sakineh Karimzadeh, said her husband had informed her of his request to be released on bail and asked her to have his lawyer follow up on the matter.

Karimzadeh described her husband's morale as good. "When I spoke with him yesterday his voice sounded better," she said. "He knew that Judge Mortazavi had left the Prosecutor's office and he was very happy about it."

"In our meeting Mr. Ramezanzadeh stressed that he had not backed down from his previous positions and was still adamant in his beliefs. He [said that] they had made a mistake in detaining us," she said.

According to Karimzadeh, her husband had no knowledge about the political climate in the country and had only found out in court that Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani had been appointed as the new Judiciary Chief.

Conservative MP wishes deputy speaker wouldn't lobby against cabinet

Kalame | Sept. 1, 2009

Principlist lawmaker Hamid Resai said despite concerted efforts to win a general vote of confidence for the 10th cabinet, he was worried seven nominees would not be approved because Mohammad-Reza Bahonar was lobbying against them.

Bahonar is the conservative First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament.

Resai told the state news agency ILNA that he believed only two ministers would fail to receive votes of confidence: "[Mohammad] Aliabadi is a close call, but he has good things to say in his defense [when the day comes to mount a defense], which I think will be helpful."

He went on to say that the atmosphere had been negative in Majlis on the first day of vetting, but had changed since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered his speech.

"We have made concented efforts to ensure a general vote of confidence to the 10th cabinet and these efforts have been fruitful," Resai said. Still, he added, he was afraid Bahonar's lobbying to get seven ministers disqualified might get in the way.

Lawyer, client refuse to discuss details of detention

Parleman News | Sept. 1, 2009

Saleh Nikbakht, a lawyer to former deputy economy minister Mohsen Safayi-Farahani, said the first 18 days of his client's detention were so horrific that he cannot bring himself to discuss the matter.

"After those 18 days conditions slightly improved," he said.

Safayi-Farahani himself had told reporters after his court session that he divided his time in detention into two periods.

"I will not speak about the incidents of the first half of my detention but [ I will say that] the second half of this period was better."

First Iranian film shot in US since 1979 gets under way

The Guardian | Sept. 1, 2009

Production is to begin on the first Iranian film shot in the US since the Islamic Revolution. In the Wind's Eye, directed by veteran filmmaker Masoud Jafari Jozani, is also reported to have the highest-ever budget for an Iranian film at $12m (#7.3m).

Jozani has credited the move to the new US administration's approach to relations with his country. "Thanks to President Obama's more open stance towards Iran, we were able to secure 12 work visas for our cast and crew. This would have been unheard of a year ago," he is reported as saying.

Cleanup crews roll up Azadi Monument. Sept. 1, 2009