A selection of the latest news stories and editorials published in Iranian news outlets, compiled by the AEI Critical Threats Project's Iran research team.

• Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami addressed the “Covenant Renewal of Basij Organization members with the Late Imam Khomeini  ceremony” in Tehran and said:
  
  
  
  • “Today nowhere in the world of Islam does anyone lay a red carpet for American officials to the extent that Obama secretly and without informing Afghanistan’s president shows up in Bagram Base. This demonstrates that the story of the largest global empire is at an end.”
  
  
  • “The Islamic Republic, with divine grace, is becoming a defensive and economic power where it can reach such a degree of strength in the world where any formulas designed by the enemy against the Islamic Republic will have an unexpected end. This is the result of the nation’s reliance on religious beliefs and Islam.”
  
  
  • Salami also praised the Assad regime in Syria for achieving “victory in the field” and said that such progress enabled the “political phenomenon of presidential elections” and “the significant decline of terrorists and their supporters in the field.”
  
  
  
  

• Parliament Investigation Committee member MP Gholam Ali Jafar Zadeh announced that the committee was “reluctant to publicly reveal the widespread corruption” of the Ahmadinejad government at the “national level” for fear of arousing “societal shock.”

• Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with former UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to discuss regional developments.
  
  
  
  • Foreign Minister Zarif addressed reporters following talks with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and said Iran is “pursuing negotiations with seriousness, accuracy, and without any rush.” Zarif added that reaching a final nuclear deal is “completely possible.”
  
  
  
  

• Rouhani administration spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht announced that the government does not plan on allowing the price of goods to rise and stated that rumors relating to the dismissal of National Security Council Secretary IRGC Maj. Gen. Ali Shamkhani due to health problems are false:
  
  
  
  • “No matter what action we take, we will continue the current policies of containing inflation. Fortunately at the beginning of the year and even during this last year the government took needed actions concerning basic and strategic goods. We have increased our goods in silos and there will be no problems for basic goods during the month of Ramadan.”
  
  
  • “As was said [reports of Shamkhani’s dismissal] are just rumors and we wish all of our workers to be in good health. It is possible that someone will take a leave of absence at a time of illness, but this does not mean that we have dismissed them.”
  
  
  
  

• Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) Commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam announced:
  
  
  
  • “[LEF] will not enter the people’s private arena. It has no right to publish even in cases where it is notified in special cases.”
  
  
  • “We officials must answer if a youth has deviated due to our shortcoming. We cannot be indifferent to such an act.”
  
  
  • “Preserving LEF strategic human resources and all LEF long-term strategies under the consideration of LEF Commander must be approved by the LEF Strategic Center. Its command its now in in the hands of Brig. Gen. [Ahmad Reza] Radan, who is an engaged and worthy director.”
  
  
  
  

• IRGC Naval Forces seized the Somali “Yahya Yahya” tanker carrying 500,000 liters of smuggled fuel in the Strait of Hormuz. The forces arrested thirteen Somali nationals on board.

• A representative from the Gilan Intelligence Office announced the arrest of “leader of takfiris”in Gilan province. The unnamed official said “The enemy is designing its plans against the Islamic system” but that “The Islamic Republic of Iran system is currently experiencing one of its best eras of security.”