Selected Headlines

03 Feb 2010 17:19No Comments

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Iranian press, and excerpts where the source is in English. The link to the news organization or blog is provided at the top of each item. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Please refer to the Media Guide to help put the story in perspective.

Hillary Clinton Rejects US-Iran Prisoner Swap Proposal
BBC | Feb. 3, 2010

There are no discussions over prisoner exchange, Mrs Clinton says. The US has rejected Iran's suggestion of a prisoner swap for several Iranians jailed in the US for the three American hikers currently being held in Iran.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the hikers should be released immediately on humanitarian grounds.

Her remarks came a day after Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested that talks were under way regarding such a swap.

"There are no negotiations taking place between the United States and Iran. We believe they should unilaterally release our detained citizens," Mrs Clinton said at the State Department after a meeting with Bahrain's foreign minister.

Russia urges Iran agree to uranium deal

Reuters | Feb. 3, 2010

Russia would welcome Iran's acceptance of an initial U.N.-brokered offer to send uranium abroad for enrichment, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Tehran was ready to send uranium abroad in exchange for nuclear fuel. But he did not specify whether Iran would agree to the arrangement proposed last year.

"If Iran was to return to the scheme that was proposed in October, then we would welcome that," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow when asked about Ahmadinejad's comments.

Iran urges Uganda to block proposed UN sanctions over nuclear program

New Vision | Feb. 1, 2010

Iran has asked Uganda to use its position as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to lobby against the UN threats to impose sanctions on its uranium enrichment program.

A high-level Iranian delegation led by the vice-president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, met President Yoweri Museveni in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is attending the 14th African Union (AU) summit.

According to a State House statement, the Iranian delegation expressed concern over the pending sanctions, saying that they would adversely affect the economy.

Uganda is one of the three African non-permanent members to the UN Security Council. The others are Nigeria and Gabon.

Museveni and his visitors exchanged views on the current security situation in the Great Lakes region and in the Middle East. The Iranians commended Museveni for his efforts in ensuring peace in the region.

The President and his guests also discussed issues, including business and investment opportunities.

The meeting is a follow-up on the visit Museveni made to Iran mid-last year. Museveni also invited the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to visit Uganda.

Iran successfully tests locally manufactured space probe

Al-Alam | Feb. 3, 2010

At 06:35 GMT Iranian Al-Alam TV ran an "urgent" news caption that read: "Iran successfully tests the space probe Bahith III which is locally manufactured and includes an ecological component."

Another caption followed at 06:37 GMT and read: "Space probe BahithIII has been launched after Iran successfully sent its satellite Omid in the orbit last year."

Iran to launch three satellites on February 3

IRIB | Feb. 3, 2010

Iran will launch three satellites on February 3, Iran's state channel, IRTV1 reported. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will attend the launch of the Tolu satellite, Mesbah-2 -- a new scientific industrial satellite made by students -- as well as a satellite carrier engine named Simorgh in a few hours time, the TV channel reported.

Iran: Leading Human Rights Activist Arrested

Iran Human Rights | Feb. 2, 2010

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran denounced the arrest today of Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi, a leading human rights activist, member of the Central Council of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan, and journalist.

"Kermanshahi is one of the most important sources of objective human rights information and analysis in Iran, and one of the few still courageously working to document, in a scientific way, the deprivation of human rights there," stated Hadi Ghaemi, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

"Kaveh has committed no crime, and his arrest is an apparent attempt to shield the authorities from scrutiny ahead of expected protests on 11 February," he added.

Kermanshahi was arrested in his hometown of Kermanshah in Western Iran. According to information obtained by the Campaign, seven security agents searched his home, confiscated his personal belongings, including his computer and written documents, and took him to an unknown place. The agents arrested him on the basis of a warrant that did not show the name of the authorities who issued it. No information was given to his family about where he was taken.
 
Kermanshashi, 25, holds a law degree. As a human rights defender, his work is widely recognized for its quality and detail and his personal attention to political prisoners and their families. Kermanshashi was also member of the student alumni group ADVAR, and the "One Million Signatures Campaign," working for an end to gender discrimination.  

Ejlal Ghawami, spokesperson for the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan, told the Campaign that there is high pressure on members of the organization to close down. He said that in the past month, he had been summoned three times by security agents, who had demanded the closing of the group. The founder of the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan, Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand, has been in custody since June 2007, and is serving an 11-year prison term having been convicted solely on the basis of his human rights activities.

In the past several weeks, prominent human rights defenders have been detained without authorities providing any information about them. They include Emad Baghi, founder of the Association to Defend Prisoners' Rights, as well as seven members of the Committee of Human Rights Defenders: Shiva Nazarahari, Parisa Kakaie, Mehrdad Rahimi, Kouhyar Goudarzi, Saeed Hayeri, Saeed Kalanaki, and Saeed Jalalifar.

"The Islamic Republic is egregiously violating its international obligations to protect human rights defenders, and the international governmental and civil society community should demand the immediate release of Kermanshashi and all human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily arrested," Ghaemi said.

US says no negotiations with Iran on prisoner swap yet

Reuters | Feb. 3, 2010

No talks exist between the United States and Iran on a prisoner exchange, the U.S. State Department stated Wednesday, one day after Iran raised the possibility of a swap.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley made the comment after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday claimed three U.S. citizens detained in Iran and charged with spying could be swapped with Iranians held in the United States.

"There are no negotiations taking place between the United and Iran regarding a prisoner swap," Crowley told reporters.

"If this is a suggestion that Iran is willing to move forward and resolve the issues surrounding U.S. citizens in Iranian custody, we would obviously welcome ... that opportunity," he added.

'Enemies of Islam' hinder economic growth in northwest Iran: MP

IRIB | Feb. 2, 2010

An Iranian MP has said that the presence of the "enemies of Islam" in the region is one of the reasons why West Azerbaijan Province is lagging behind other provinces in terms of culture and the economy.

"The assassination of the Khoy prosecutor shows the presence of the enemies of Islam in our region. The presence of such group lets in the province has made our province backward from an economic and cultural point of view and in other spheres," Mehdi Isazadeh, who represents the provincial townships of Miyandoab, Shahindezh and Takab in Majlis, said in an interview with provincial TV.

"This factor has also discouraged investments in the province," he said, adding that the Iran-Iraq war also inflicted substantial damage on the province's economy.

He said that provincial officials are making efforts to improve the economy and ensure that the province receives enough funding for economic projects. "I see these efforts by both provincial and government officials, and thank God, members of parliament are cooperating to compensate for this backwardness," Isazadeh noted.

Possible smear campaign continues

Iran Newspaper | Feb. 2, 2010

More details have been published about the discovering of arsenal at the Al-Hadi Establishment [as published; reference to Al-Hadi Mosque] affiliated to Hadi Ghaffari [a pro reform senior cleric].

An informed source has said that the existence of this arsenal was reported by people several times. He said, "After the weapons were discovered, during the investigation inside the mosque, locked trapdoors were found underneath the carpet and after opening the doors a large amount of "Uzi" guns and thousands of bullets was discovered.

While denying Ghaffari's assertions, who deemed the seized armament belonging to the Basij, the source said that due to Ghaffari's behavior and his abuses towards systems officials and resistance to the Basiji members' activities, this force has had no activities in this mosque since 1373 [1994-1995] and his assertions are a "rotten lie."

He pointed out that the Basij has never used Uzi's and said, "Besides this, another reason for Ghaffari's lies is that no Basij "base" ever has had such an amount of weapons in its arsenal and this quantity of armament (about 150 guns and a huge amount of bullets) in the Al-Hadi Establishment is similar to a "garrison" created by Ghaffari.

Drug control on Iran border to be costly

Press TV | Feb. 3, 2010

An Iranian official has announced that a budget of USD $3 billion is needed for controlling drug trafficking on the country's borders.

"The Majlis has approved 115 million dollars for budget allocation to strengthen border security this year. The Interior Ministry, however, had presented a USD $200 million bill for the matter," Deputy Interior Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mahdi Mohammadifar, said Tuesday.

"The administration needs a budget of three billion dollars for blocking all borders and it must be provided within a few years," the official added. He went on to say that though the country is concerned over its northern borders, its eastern and western borders are an even higher priority. "

Iran cracks down on pyramid scheme companies in Tehran

Mehr | Feb. 2, 2010

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry has busted two fraudulent pyramid investment companies in Tehran.

Fifty key members of the two firms, Palinur and Asu Gostar, have been arrested.

The suspects made about 200m dollars by tricking approximately 200,000 citizens into investing in the firms on the promise of unrealistically high returns. They were preparing to leave Iran when they were arrested.

The Intelligence Ministry has announced that it is trying to put an end to the activities of illegal pyramid investment firms by informing citizens about the networks, and has stated that the members of such companies will soon be brought to justice.