Iran Today: Presidential Election — Censoring An Iranian Campaign Story

 Joanna Paraszczuk in EA Iran, EA Live, Middle East and Iran

Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani criticises State broadcaster IRIB

 

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Mehr News reports this morning that the Electoral Campaign Regulatory Body has censored parts of Presidential candidate Saeed Jalili’s latest campaign video:

The news is the latest apparent incident of state censorship of candidates — either directly by blocking websites or editing footage of speeches — since campaigning began. The censorship has affected principlist candidates loyal to the Supreme Leader — notably Jalili but also former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei — as well as moderate candidate Rouhani.

Moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani has spoken out against Iran’s State broadcaster IRIB, which he said prevented candidates from presenting their policies and opinions properly.

Presidential candidate Rezaei complained that his website was temporary blocked and that parts of a televised campaign speech — specifically, a story he told about a man whose family was affected by unemployment — was edited out.

The televised speech of Reformist candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref was similarly censored.

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Rouhani On Iran- Qatar Relations

Moderate Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani congratulated Iran on Tuesday evening on an important victory over its rival Qatar — dashing the Gulf state’s hopes after dominating it.

Iran beat Qatar 1-0 on the football field.

Meanwhile, Iran summoned Qatar’s charge d’affaires on Tuesday over what it said was an „Arab-linked terrorist plot“.

US Ratchets Up Sanctions Campaign to Pressure — or Break? — Regime

In yet another step in an escalating sanctions campaign against the regime, the US has blacklisted a global network of private companies for providing revenue to the Iranian Government.

The blacklist — the fourth measure to be imposed in a week — names 37 companies from Iran to Croatia, Germany, and South Africa. The sanctions prohibit US citizens and entities from dealing with the firms. Any foreign financial institutions dealing with them risk cut-off from the U.S. financial system.

The Treasury said the companies are governed by the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, earn tens of billions of dollars in profits by taking advantage of preferential loan rates from Iranian banks o sell and manage real estate holdings.

.US authorities added the firms have business links to Iran’s government but usually have non-Iranian or Iranian expatriate owners to get around restrictions on the gGovernment’s ability to do business in Europe and other parts of the world.

Yesterday President Obama signed an executive order authorising sanctions on any foreign financial institutions that conduct “significant transactions” in Iranian currency or maintains Rial accounts outside Iran. The step is aimed at further weakening the Rial, which fell 70% in value last year.

Ahmadinejad Camp to Maintain Influence in Tehran?

President Ahmadinejad’s camp has been blocked at national level from continuing influence, with the disqualification of Ahmadinejad’s right-hand man Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai as a candidate, but this may not be the end of the story….

The Ahmadinejad faction has put forth Minister of Transportation and Housing Ali Nikzad as candidat for Tehran mayor, and has named other hopefuls for city council seats, including Ahmadinejad’s sister Parvin and Presidential advisor Ali Zabihi.

An Economic Admission from the Supreme Leader?

This may be the most interesting line in the Supreme Leader’s speech today, looking beyond the Rresidential election to even more important issues: “Yes, we have economic problems, yes we have inflation, but, God willing, the person who comes can provide a solution to these problems. This is the wish of the Iranian people.“

Photo: Rouhani in Esfahan

Moderate Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani posted a series of photographs to his campaign Facebook account, showing himself amongst crowds in Esfahan during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Presidential Election Watch: Haddad-Adel Visits Qom

In a visit to Qom late Monday evening, principlist Presidential candidate Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said that the events of the Arab Spring were inspired by Iran’s 1979 Revolution.

Haddad-Adel’s claims are not new. The Supreme Leader and others have tried to push the line that the Arab Spring — or the Islamic Awakening as it has dubbed regional events — are connected to past events that led to the creation of the Islamic Republic.

Haddad-Adel also said that Western sanctions are designed to weaken Iran ahead of the election — another claim made by the Supreme Leader.

On the issue of economics, Haddad-Adel said one of his most important programs was to eliminate usury from the banking system.

ISNA published a series of pictures of the visit.

Picture Of The Day: Woody Allen Makes Appearance At Khomeini Ceremony

The Supreme Leader remains dignified as former President Hashemi Rafsanjani swaps gossip with Ali Larijani and friends at a ceremony in Tehran today marking the death of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini. Meanwhile Woody Allen makes a surprise appearance (far right).

Video: Jalili Visits Kahnuj, Kerman Province

Presidential candidate Saeed Jalili posted a campaign video of his visit to Kahnuj in Kerman Province.

Presidential Election Watch: Rezaei Edition

Rezaei To Tackle Rural Unemployment

Rezaei warned against youth unemployment, and said that he plans to tackle rural unemployment and migration from the countryside to the cities, as well as substandard production.

The independent candidate has focused on unemployment and poverty in Iran’s provinces as a central theme of his election campaign.

Rezaei To „Take IRGC Out Of Economy

In an interview with the Sharq newspaper, former IRGC commander Rezaei said that if elected he will work with the Supreme Leader to remove the Revolutionary Guards from Iran’s economy, saying that the IRGC should only be present in the economy „under extraordinary conditions“.

Rezaei said that the IRGC had entered into the economy after the Iran-Iraq War, at a time when there was no other organization able to undertake construction projects.

Asked how he would remove the IRGC — an organization not part of or subject to the government — from the economy, Rezaei said he would get the buy-in of the Supreme Leader.:

We have no problem there, because the Supreme Leader himself agrees with us. He himself has arranged the Article 44 policies, so there will be no problem there. Also, the President is the Head of the Supreme Council for National Security, where all commanders, the Ministry of Defense, and the General Staff of Armed Forces are members, so he can do this from that position. Also, due to good relations I have with the Supreme Leader I have no problems there.

Rezaei Publishes His Plans

Former IRGC commander and Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei has made available his main program for the economy and politics if he is elected.

The 206-page PDF, available from Rezaei’s campaign website, is entitled „Life, Economics And Politics“. Rezaei also tweeted about the program.

Rezaei Courts Youth Vote

Presidential candidate and secretary of the Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, courted Iran’s youth by describing them as the “most important asset of the country” in a documentary aired yesterday on national TV.

Rezaei said that utilising the “potentials of the new generations and preparing them to administer the country is high on his agenda.” He added that Iran’s most pressing concern was its economy, which he plans to ease by curbing inflation and increasing domestic production to boost local currency.

Rezaei Tweets A Poem

Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei used his Twitter account to express this sentiment:

„Salam/I Am Mohsen Rezaei/ I Have Come To Stay/ The Living Bird of the People of Iran Has Two Wings/One Wing Is Politics And Military Power/ And The Other:

Presidential Election Watch: Reformists Edition

Spokesman for the coalition working group of reformists, Mohammad Ali Najafi, has said that a seven-man working group is working on the formation of a coalition to support the single reformist candidate with the best chance of winning.

He added that the results of the deliberations will be announced on Saturday 8 June. Meanwhile, reformist candidate Mohammad Reza Aref has said he will is in it “to the end” and would not withdraw from the election or form a coalition with the other moderate candidate, Hassan Rouhani.

Presidential Election Watch: Aref Edition

Reformist presidential candidate Mohammad Reza Aref has offered four special plans for reducing the country’s unemployment rate.

Although Aref did not go into the specific details of the plans, he said that “We have planned the creation of at least one million job opportunities in the plan that I have presented to Iranians, namely the Iran of Tomorrow. And the job opportunities target the youth.”

The plans include exploiting Iran’s tourism sector, the information technology industry, energy sector and the country’s geographic position.

He also criticised government mismanagement of the economy, stating “The average annual revenue from planes using Iran’s airspace was USD 500 million, but because of reasons mostly concerning administrative issues, we practically lost this opportunity or could not use it properly.”

Jalili Releases Documentary

Presidential candidate Saeed Jalili is the second candidate — after Hassan Rouhani — to release a video of his campaign documentary on Tuesday.

Jalili’s documentary is entitled „The People Plus One“ and can be viewed on his campaign website.

Screenshots from the documentary:

Presidential Election Watch: Rouhani Edition

In a televised interview yesterday, moderate presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani said that he has “no problem working with the faction that is called Principlist or the one that is called Reformist. I have no problems [with them]. I have problems with the extremists… Basically, I have come to replace extremism with moderation. Extremism has always caused troubles for us.”

Commenting on the situation in Syria, Rouhani noted that it “is an important regional issue. Syria is one of the states in the [resistance] front against Israel.” He added that Tehran will support the Assad regime until 2014 – “because it is the legal government” – but “will completely support an indisputable, free and all-inclusive election. And we will be committed to supporting whatever the results of that election will be, in order to support the future legal government.”

Rouhani Releases Documentary

Moderate Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani has used social media to release a 30-minute campaign documentary before it has been vetted for screening on State TV.

Presidential Election Watch: Velayati Edition

Ali Akbar Velayati, Presidential candidate and senior adviser to the Supreme Leader, has said that he is committed to acting in line with Khamenei’s directives.

Velayati said “that priority should be given to the economics in order to solve Iran’s economic problems… And in putting in place structures to improve the economic situation.” He added that “if elected his administration would implement this plan of the Supreme Leader.”

US Expands Sanctions List

The Obama Administration has added to its sanctions list for the third time in a week.

In the latest executive order, President Obama authorized sanctions on any foreign financial institutions that conduct “significant transactions” in Iranian currency or maintains Rial accounts outside Iran.

The steps are the first targeting of the Rial, which fell 70% in value last year.

The objective of the new sanction, an Administration official said, is to “make the rial essentially unusable outside of Iran“.

The executive order also authorized sanctions against any companies or individuals who do business with Iran’s automotive industry. Previous measures have tried to cripple Tehran’s shipping, shipbuilding, and energy sectors.

Supreme Leader Declares Election Will Defeat Sedition

At ceremonies for the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader has declared, „Enemies want to make sedition after the election like they did in 2009 [after the disputed Presidential election] but they are mistaken.“

Ayatollah Khamenei asserted, „Voting for any candidate in the upcoming elections is a vote for the Islamic Republic.“

Amid the failure of his leading officials to find a „unity“ choice, the Supreme Leader said, „I don’t endorse any special candidate to be elected as President.“

Oil Watch: Iran Exports Plummet to New Low

A dramatic piece of news, as the Islamic Republic’s oil exports hit an all-time low in April: Iran only sold 741,000 barrels per day.

The figure was a 30% drop on March and about a third of Iran’s exports of 2.2 million bpd in 2011.

Japan bought only 8000 bpd, down 97% from April 2012. India — Tehran’s second-biggest customer, after China — reduced its imports of Iranian crude to its lowest on record, buying just 117,000 bpd, a 56% cut from April 2012 cut from the same month a year ago.

Tehran’s other three main customers — China, South Korea and Turkey — kept their imports roughly in line with previous months.

Production is alo hitting new low, with 2.5 million to 2.6 million bpd expected in May, a level last seen in 1989 at the end of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War.

The previous low was 2.63 million bpd, set last September.

Political Prisoner Watch: Khazali Released On Bail

Blogger and physician Mehdi Khazali, repeatedly in detention and on hunger strike since the disputed 2009 Presidential election, has been released on bail.

Khazali, the son of a prominent „hard-line“ Ayatollah, was last detained on 30 October and held in Evin Prison.

 

Source: EA World