The following is a sampling of recent reports from MEMRI's Iranian Media Blog.
Visit MEMRI's Iranian Media Blog (http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/ ) frequently for breaking news from Farsi sources that you will find nowhere else. To read MEMRI Special Dispatches and Inquiry & Analyses series of Iran, visit http://www.memri.org/iran.html.
Ayatollah Jannati In Iran Friday Sermon: Qods Day Rallies Message To U.S., Israel: The World Hates You
In his Friday sermon today, Tehran Friday Prayers leader Iranian Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati pointed out that the Last Messenger and 12 Shiite Imams had opposed oppression, and that the International Qods (Jerusalem) Day rallies indicated a global conscience against oppression. "A Qods Day rally is different from other rallies, such as the 22nd of Bahaman rally (marking the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran), because it is international, while other rallies have their roots in religion and nationalism," Ayatollah Jannati said. Tehran Friday prayers leader praised this year's Qods Day rally and said people from other faiths other than Islam participated the rallies as well. Ayatollah Jannati added, "This year, the Qods Day rallies were more glorious than ever. It has a message for Israel and the U.S. - and that message is 'The world hates them'" Ayatollah Jannati added.Ayatollah Jannati pointed out that the Last Messenger and 12 Shi'iteImams had been against oppression, and that the international Qods Day rallies pointed to a global conscience against oppression. "The U.S. and Israel are the manifestations of oppression in the world. If there were no Qods Day rallies, Israel would feel better and the Palestinians worse than they do today," Ayatollah Jannati said.
(To view the MEMRI TV page for Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, visit http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/487.htm )
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20341.htm
Ahmadinejad Calls For Obama To Implement Change
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday called for his US counterpart Barack Obama to put into practice his "change motto" as soon as possible. Meeting with the Brazilian president on the sidelines of the 64th U.N. General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said, "We believe Mr. Obama's change motto must be implemented as soon as possible, because change is a serious need and the entire world is looking forward for serious and practical changes in this regard." He also referred to mutual ties between Iran and Brazil, saying that the current global situation required the two countries to expand cooperation and aid establishment of a just order across the world.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20331.htm
Senior Iranian Cleric In Russia: Iran - Center of Anti-Israel Move
A senior Iranian cleric yesterday said that Iran is the axis of the anti-Israel move in the Islamic world. Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Tashkiri, secretary-general of the World Assembly for Proximity of the Islamic Schools of Thoughts, made the remarks in an interview with the Islamic republic news agency in Moscow. Ayatollah Taskhiri is in Russia to attend a conference on "Russia and the World of Islam: Cooperation for Further Stability."
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20330.htm
Khamenei: Iran’s Enemies Unlikely To Engage In Military Confrontation With It
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said yesterday that enemies were trying to undermine the country's significant progress in various fields. The remark came in a meeting with the Assembly of Experts chairman and members. Highlighting the points of strength of the Islamic Republic in various fields, Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemies are now masterminding a very complicated plot to target the country's unity, which requires vigilance by all intellectuals. He added that it was very unlikely that the enemies would engage in a military confrontation with Iran at this stage.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20328.htm
Ahmadinejad: 'Death to U.S.' Slogan Due To U.S. 'Ugly Behavior'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the slogan "Death to the U.S." chanted by Iranians is the result of the U.S. governments' "ugly behavior." Ahmadinejad noted, in an interview with the U.S.'s National Public Radio (NPR) yesterday, that in his comments U.S. President Barack Obama has accepted this fact, and has called for change in how Washington treats other nations. Asked about the reason behind the "Death to the U.S." slogan chanted in Iran, Ahmadinejad said, "This is their [the Iranian nation's] reaction to the ugly behavior of the U.S. governments."
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20326.htm
Iranian Official: Obama Adopting Ahmadinejad's Statements
Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, director of the office of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said that the U.N. address by U.S. President Barack Obama attests to change in the U.S.'s hostile policy towards Iran, and added that statements in it correspond to Ahmadinejad's positions. Mashai said that the audience applauded Obama so that he would speak like Ahmadinejad. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad told the leaders of Islamic associations in the U.S. that the idea of sending Islamic troops to rescue Palestine is a good one, but expressed hope that U.S. policy would change so that there would be no need to do so.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20325.htm
'Kayhan': U.S. Must Recognize Iran's Global Power
The Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has called on the U.S. to recognize Iran's power and special status in the world. It added that the U.S. must stop its "crazy diplomacy" aimed at advancing the barren peace plan of U.S. President Barack Obama, which disregards the rights of the Palestinians and the necessity of eliminating Israel's existence.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20298.htm
'Kayhan' Editor In Scathing Attack On Saudi Arabia
Editor of the Iranian daily Kayhan Hossein Shariatmadari, who is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, told the Iranian Arabic-language television channel Al-Alaam that Saudi Arabia was an absolutist dictator ruled by a family that acts against the will of the people, and that it had no lofty position in Islam. He said that Saudi Arabia was behind every plot in the region, including the terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and the establishment of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and added that the Saudi propaganda attack against Iran was proof that it stood alongside Israel.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20295.htm
Senior Iranian Army Cmdr Stresses Importance of Bolstering Defensive Power
A top Iranian Army commander today highlighted the importance of strengthening the country's defensive power. Iranian Army deputy liaison chief Gen. Mohammad Hossein Dadras said, "If we increase our defense power, we will be able to portray Iran as a more independent, more important and more honorable country in the international arena."
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20277.htm
IRGC Cmdr: Enemies Incapable Of Attacking Iran
A senior IRGC commander has said that the courage shown by the Iranian nation in different arenas, including in the Iran-Iraq war, has discouraged enemies from staging a new attack on the country. The commander of the IRGC's Aba-Abdellah brigade, Ali Ostan-Hossein, said: "The Iranian youths stood against all Eastern and Western superpowers, by relying on the power of their faith, and did not allow the breakaway of even one span of Iran's soil, and discouraged enemies from staging a new attack on the country."
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20276.htm
Basij Commander: U.S. Hiring Agents For Soft Overthrow of Islamic Republic
Iran's Basij forces commander Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb today cautioned that the U.S. is hiring agents and mercenaries in an effort to continue its plots for a soft overthrow of the Iranian regime. He said, "The U.S. has put on its agenda three issues for the soft overthrow of the Islamic Republic, including attraction, employment, and coercion." Taeb was speaking at a ceremony in Kerman province marking Sacred Defense week.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20275.htm
Tabnak Warns Against Moscow's New Iran Policy
The Iranian website Tabnak states that Moscow's condemnation of Holocaust denial, in addition to a Russian expert's warning regarding the Iranian missile threat to Russia and Europe, attest to a change in Russia's policy towards Iran. According to the website, the U.S.'s withdrawal of its missile program in Europe will have a negative effect on Moscow-Tehran relations. The website added that Moscow was aware of Iranian public opinion’s hostility towards it, and of the pressure that it exerts on the Iranian regime against Moscow; thus, it concludes, Moscow’s recent moves constituted a hint to the Iranian regime that there was a security and international price to be paid for this hostility against it.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20270.htm
Iranian Sacred Defense Week Kicks Off With Major Military Parade
Iranian armed forces today kicked off the first day of week-long ceremonies commemorating the eight years of Sacred Defense (the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war). The parade included marches and aerial maneuvers by parachutists, fighters, and helicopters.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20244.htm
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Head Certain Bushehr Nuclear Plant Will Be Operational
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization director Ali Akbar Salehi said today, in his first press conference since his appointment, that he is positive about the Bushehr nuclear power plant's operation, but that he will not announce the exact date.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20243.htm
Iran Displays First Squadron of Domestically Produced Fighter Jets
Iran displayed the first squadron of Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) fighter jets produced by its defense industries today, in an air show staged during military parades.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20242.htm
Iran Welcomes U.S. Missile Shield Decision
Iran has welcomed the U.S.'s decision to withdraw its missile shield deployment in Eastern Europe, saying that the move would decrease the arms race.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20240.htm
Majlis Deputy Speaker: ‘We Will Become Superior Missile Power In World’
Majlis deputy speaker Seyed Mohammad Hassan Abutorabi-fard today highlighted Iran's missile capability, and warned enemies against invading Iran. "Definitely, we will become a superior missile power in the world. The Islamic Republic's ballistic missiles will not allow any world power to stage an aggression against territory of the Islamic Iran," he said in his address at a military parade in the northern city of Qazvin today.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20238.htm
Khamenei: Detainees' Public Confessions Are Legal
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that confessions extracted from protest detainees, and the broadcasting of the confessions on television, are legal and reliable.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20220.htm
Iran Presents Seijil Missile
During a military parade marking the beginning of Sacred Defense week, Iran presented its Seijil missile for the first time.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20214.htm
Iranian Regime Continues Pressure on Ayatollah Montazeri
The Iranian authorities have arrested three more grandsons of Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the most senior of the Iranian clerics critical of the regime.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20192.htm
Khamenei: Obama Administration Fostering 'Iranophobia'
In a speech to regime officials on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, Iranian leader Khamenei stated that, despite its friendly mien, the Obama administration was fostering Islamophobia and Iranophobia in order to prevent unity in the Muslim world.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20186.htm
Kayhan: U.S., Israel Dictating Slogans of Mousavi Supporters
The Iranian daily Kayhan, affiliated with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stated that the slogans chanted on Jerusalem Day (September 18, 2009) by the supporters of Mousavi, Khatami, and Karroubi - such as "Not Gaza, Not Lebanon - I Will Sacrifice My Soul [Only] for Iran," and "Death to Russia" - had been dictated by the U.S. and Israel.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20185.htm
Ahmadinejad in Qods Day Address: Qods Day Path for Honor, Freedom, and Dignity for All Nations; Ayatollah Khatami in Qods Day Sermon: Obama's Plan Worse Than All Other Palestinian Peace Plans, Key to Palestinian Problem is Islamic Republic System
In his Qods (Jerusalem) Day address to worshipers at the main Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talked about the establishment of Qods Day by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, said that the "black box" of the Holocaust must be opened, and declared that Palestine was the Islamic world's most important issue.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20183.htm
Former President Khatami Attacked And Beaten
The Iranian website Parlemanews reports that former president Mohammad Khatami was attacked and beaten as he was marching with supporters. The attackers were led by Abu Al-Fazl Shariatmadari, the son of Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20182.htm
Larijani To Arab Countries: No To Normalization With Israel
Majlist speaker Ali Larijani has warned the heads of Arab countries against normalizing with Israel in exchange for a freeze on Israeli settlements. He said that this could cause "divorce between them and their peoples."
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20127.htm
Nasrallah: Khamenei Utters God's Words
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah told the Iranian weekly Panjereh that during the 2006 Lebanon war Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned that the Israeli attack was extensive and was planned in advance, and encouraged standing against it. Nasrallah said that these guidelines attest that the words of God were placed in Khamenei's mouth - just like following 9/11, when Khamenei called this the beginning of the sinking of the U.S.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20125.htm
Iranian Air Force Deputy Cmdr: Aerial Tactics Will 'Surprise' Invaders
A senior Iranian commander has declared that the country's air force has developed tactics that will "surprise" any invaders.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20105.htm
Iranian Official: Qods Day A Display of Islam's Might Against Zionists
International Qods Day is an important opportunity for demonstrating Muslims' will and power against the Zionist regime of Israel, according to Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission member Parviz Sarvari.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20082.htm
Iranian Military Official: We Can Intercept Cruise Missiles
Iranian Army air defense commander Ahmad Miqani has said that Iran has the ability to intercept cruise missiles.
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/20077.htm
Karroubi: My Complaints Weren't Investigated
In a message to the nation, former presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi wrote that the judiciary authority committee investigating his allegations regarding the rape of protest detainees in prison had determined that his claims were false without examining the evidence he presented, and had even put words into his mouth. Karroubi clarified that this would be his last letter, and expressed hope that the new judiciary authority would not lend its hand to this lie.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/20042.htm
Iranian Military Expert: Israel Won't Withstand Our Attack
Iranian military expert Amir Mousavi has told the Iran Diplomacy website that the U.S.'s missile defense system, with its ability to intercept 20 to 30 missiles simultaneously, could not protect Israel from the quantity of missiles that Iran will launch against it, and that Israel could not withstand an attack by an Iran armed with a sophisticated weapons defense system and missiles like the Sejil 2.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/20040.htm
Saudi Sources: Seven Al-Qaeda Operatives In Iran
The Saudi daily 'Ukaz has published the names and photos of six Al-Qaeda operatives, whom Saudi security sources say are in Iran. The six are on the Saudi Interior Ministry's list of 85 wanted men.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/20037.htm
Ahmadinejad's Office Files Complaint Against Senior Ayatollah
The Iranian news agency Fars reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has filed a complaint against senior cleric Ayatollah Yousef Sana'i in the clerics' court. The complaint was filed after Sana'i criticized Ahmadinejad in a speech.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/20029.htm
Iranian Defense Minister: Iran's Arms Exports Double
Iran's new defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi, has announced that the country's arms exports had nearly doubled in recent years. "Despite sanctions imposed on the country, the defense sector has seen its exports increased by 1.5 times," he said, adding, that Iran is preparing for a "major leap" in its defense sector.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19954.htm
Ahmadinejad: Our Mission In The World Is Mahdism
At a farewell ceremony for outgoing Iranian Intelligence Minister Ejei, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the mission of Iran’s Islamic regime was to raise the banner of Mahdism (the message of the coming of the Mahdi) worldwide.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19870.htm
Chavez to Ahmadinejad: Jesus and the Mahdi Will Come Soon
During a visit to the sacred city of Mashhad in northern Iran, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said to his host, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that Jesus and the Mahdi (the Shi'ite messiah) will arrive soon and establish justice in the world.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19786.htm
Iranian Army Commander: Iran Has Built System that Intercepts, Destroys Cruise Missiles
Ahmad Miqani, a high-ranking commander in the Iranian army, said that Iran has built a radar system that identifies and destroys incoming cruise missiles.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19782.htm
Ayatollah Montazeri: Khamenei Is Trampling Islam
In a meeting with leaders of the student movement Tahkim-e Vahdat, Ayatollah Ali Montazeri said that Khamenei was trampling Islam in order to preserve his one-man rule, and that the arrests and coerced confessions contravened the precepts of the Islamic faith.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19770.htm
Hamas Leader Congratulates Ahmadinejad On Reelection
Hamas leader Isma'il Haniya has congratulated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his reelection as president, Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV reported yesterday. Haniya also extended to Ahmadinejad his good wishes for Ramadan, and said that he hoped Iranians will stand united against foreign challenges.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19768.htm
Iranian DM Vahidi: Any Move Against Iran Will Be Met With Decisive Response
Iran's new defense minister, Brig.-Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, said yesterday that Iran would respond decisively to any move against Iran. Vahidi told the official Iranian news agency IRNA after winning his vote of confidence from the Majlis that his top priority is to upgrade the country's defense capabilities.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19766.htm
Filmmaker Oliver Stone Reiterates Request To Make Ahmadinejad Bio-Pic
U.S. Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone has recently reiterated his request to make a documentary on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Stone’s formal request was presented in an email from Michelle Nickelson, who would be the producer of the documentary if the Culture Ministry were to give it a green light, said Mohammadreza Eslamlu, a close friend of Ahmadinejad’s art advisor.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19764.htm
Ahmadinejad Recalls Dozens Of Iranian Ambassadors Who Supported Protests
The Iranian news agency Fars reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recalled some 40 Iranian ambassadors, some due to their support for the protest movement that followed the June presidential election. An Iranian diplomat stated that some of the ambassadors had not complied with the Iranian government's request to film demonstrators in front of Iranian embassies so that it could identify the protest leaders, and had not defended the Iranian government's positions.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/19665.htm
Iranian Defense Minister-Designate Vahidi: Space Is Next Battleground
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nominee for the post of Iranian defense minister, Brig.-Gen Ahmad Vahidi, today stated that the nature of wars will change in the future, and that space will be man's next battleground.
