Iran Press Report Monday, March 19, 2018
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is reviewing 2009 Green Movement leaders’
freedom from house arrest
Iranian MP: “the activity of Iranian messaging applications in non-competitive environment is doomed to fail.”
Saudi Arabia's crown prince says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 'much like Hitler', wants to create own project
Iran’s Fist Vice President: “Green Movement leaders’ house arrest will end in the upcoming year.”
In response to a number of parliament members who had demanded an end to the green movement leaders’ house arrest by the end of the current year, Iran’s First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri emphasized that crucial decisions have been taken and the Supreme National Security Council is reviewing the issue and with God’s help it will be resolved in the next Persian year.
Two days ago, Ali Motahari Iran’s deputy Parliament Speaker, had stated that Iran’s top intelligence and security officials have not been able to end the house arrest despite the
promises that were made. In recent months Motahari had told the law makers that he is hopeful that the issue could be resolved before the beginning of the new year.
Motahari, who has become a vocal critic of Iran's harsh treatment of opponents, did not name the “security officials” who made the promise to him, but he insisted he would hold them accountable.
This isn’t the first time Motahari’s “glimmer of hope” for the release of Green Movement leaders has vanished.
Earlier Ali Younesi advisor to Iran’s president told reporters that he was unaware of Motahari’s remark, but is aware of the fact that limitations are being curbed.
On the same day, Qolam Hossein Eje’i Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman stressed that the Supreme National Security Council had made no changes to its resolution regarding those under house arrest and if it does, the green movement leaders will be prosecuted.
This is while Hassan Rouhani and senior officials in his office have rejected the existence of any resolutions regarding the house arrest issue.
The leaders of the Green Movement - former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi, Former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard - have been under house arrest since February 2011.
Mousavi and Karroubi were the main challengers for incumbent Mahmud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential elections. They protested the official result that declared Ahmadinejad the winner, leading to more than five months of demonstrations that left several dead and hundreds imprisoned.
In an interview with the French daily Le Monde Motahari said that “Many of the conservative hard-liners who had previously supported the house arrests have reached a new conclusion and believe the continuation of the house arrests no longer serves the interests of the country.”
Referring to a discussion he had with Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei two years ago on the fate of the detainees, who are in their 70s and 80s, Motahari said, “The supreme leader was against ending the house arrests, and yet two years later the situation has changed as Mousavi and Karroubi are suffering from health problems.”
In recent months there have been some changes to the condition of opposition leaders’ house arrest. In addition to the meetings the detainees have had with a number of individuals, the limitations on the scheduling of Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife’s family visits with their daughters were lifted.
One of the main campaign promises of President Hassan Rouhani in 2013 and 2017 was to lift the house arrests. However, the promise, which was always followed by long cheers from audiences, has not yet been fulfilled.
To Iran’s Leader and other conservative hard liners the Green Movement is referred to as
“sedition” and leaders deserve harsh punishment.
The Iranian Constitution grants broad powers to the leader, but according to Article 30 no one can be banished from his place of residence, prevented from residing in the place of his choice, or compelled to reside in a specific locality except in cases provided by the law.
Sources: IRNA, ISNA, LE MONDE, ICANA
Iranian MP believes ban on Telegram not beneficial to Iranian applications and their programmers
Alireza Rahimi a member of Iranian Parliaments National Security and Foreign policy Commission says that banning Telegram messaging app is equal to limiting the media
atmosphere and giving exclusive rights to domestic applications whose quality of services may not match those of other widely used non-Iranian apps. Following Iranian Parliament’s close session on Sunday on cyberspace priorities, Rahimi stated that the holding of such session was unnecessary adding that he was against creating an exclusive arena for domestic apps to operate.
Referring to Iranian auto manufacturing industry and the exclusive market the government has granted it as an example that has failed to satisfy the public and meet their demands, the law maker stressed that following the same path with regards to messaging applications, would lead to utmost failure.
Rahimi referred to the significant advantages Iranian applications lack compared to their non- Iranian counterparts when it comes to speed and security and noted that the gap must be filled so that the Iranian users would consider using the domestic versions of the applications.
On the same issue, Iranian Parliament’s head of National Security Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi has recently said that with all the policy changes that Telegram and other social media platforms and messaging applications have, it seems that resorting to Iranians’ own capabilities and using Iranian made applications are the only solution.
All these remarks come amid statistics that indicate blocking Telegram would lead to financial deficit for many.
An Iranian official says at least 180,000 families in Iran are directly making money using the popular messaging app Telegram, but they may find it hard to make ends meet once their access to the app is restricted.
According to Saeid Mahdiyoon, the Basij commander of Iran’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, those families are currently involved in the online business, which has a total turnover of tens of millions of dollar.
Afshin Kolahi, a deputy head of new and knowledge-based businesses of Iran Chamber of Commerce, recently noted that 10,000 to 15,000 businesses are currently run in Iran completely through the cyberspace.
More information on Iran’s latest decisions regarding cyberspace and social media platforms available on “Iran Press Report 03-18-2018”.
Sources: Fars News, ISNA, Mashreghnews, Donyaye Eqtesad
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince boasts superiority over Iran, threatens if Iran pursues nukes, Saudi Arabia will too
On different occasions, Saudi leaders have supported Trump’s strong stance on Iran deal. In an interview with the CBS, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince did not hesitate to say that if Iran pursues nuclear weapons; his country will also step in the same path.
Since Iran’s influence in the region has been strengthened after defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the kingdom has raised the alarms at what it views as increasing Iranian influence in the region and has stepped up efforts to put a cap on what it calls Iran’s expansion through proxy conflicts and direct military engagement in Yemen.
"Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible," Mohammad bin Salman, popularly known as MBS, told US broadcaster CBS in an interview aired on Sunday.
In his interview bin Salman blamed Iran’s 1979 revolution as the event that led to the
deterioration of his country’s image in the world. The crown prince reiterated statements made earlier comparing Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Hitler.
“He wants to create his own project in the Middle East very much like Hitler, who wanted to expand at the time,” bin Salman told CBS.
The Saudi prince added that he intends to stop the troubles in the Middle East from getting worse. Indicating that the 2015 nuclear agreement has emboldened Iran allowing it to prop up affiliates like Hezbollah, he further praised the US president Donald Trump’s stance on the Iran nuclear deal.
Iranian Response
In response Iran Foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying the Saudi crown prince was a “delusional naïve person,” adding that "He has no idea of politics apart from bitter talk that emanates from a lack of foresight… His remarks do not deserve a response. The foreign ministry spokesman stressed that Iran respects all its neighbors and invites all regional countries, especially some ill-wishers and obstinate enemies, to dialogue and tolerance.
During an interview, political commentator, Mostafa Khoshcheshm said Iran has been open about its nuclear program which is intended for peaceful purposes only, adding that there has never been a shred of evidence all throughout history to accuse Iran of developing a military nuclear program.
Sources: Aljazeeram, CBS, Fars News, Reuters, ISNA, Vatan Emrouz daily
