Ahmadinejad Chairs Cabinet – Moslehi Present

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today chaired a meeting of his cabinet that was attended by Hojatoleslam Haydar Moslehi, the minister of intelligence. Moslehi’s attendance brings to an end Ahmadinejad’s refusal to seat him at the cabinet meetings and signals a major victory for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, who last week had ordered Ahmadinejad to reinstate Moslehi after he was fired by the president. Also present at the meeting and sitting next to the president was Esfandiar Rahim Moshaie, Ahmadinejad’s controversial chief of staff.

Photo: Saman Aghvami / ISNA

Ahmadinejad To Visit Turkey

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will pay a one-day visit to Turkey on Monday. Ahmadinejad will participate in the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries taking place in Istanbul.

Ahmadinejad’s departure from Tehran comes amid conflict between the supreme leader and the president on a host of domestic political issues including Ahmadinejad’s refusal to reinstate his intelligence minister as ordered by Khamenei. There are also increasing pressures on Ahmadinejad to cut ties with his political confident and advisor Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie who still serves as Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff despite direct interventions by Khamenei to have him removed from the post. Mashaie is seen by Khamenei and the clerical establishment as the main force behind the firing of the intelligence minister and Ahmadinejad’s increasingly antagonistic relations with them.

The Immortals

The Immortals

In the aftermath of the killing of Bin Laden by Navy Seal Team 6, TIME has taken a look at the world’s most elite military teams in history. Persian Empire’s Immortals are ranked number 2 among them all. The Immortals were a Special Forces unit, always at its full compliment of 10,000 soldiers, within a vast Persian army, adept with both bow and blade. Another Persian unit, the Assassins or the Hashishins, the Ismaili elite force, was also selected among the top ten units.

Below is TIME’s selection of the top ten most highly trained units in world’s history.

1. The Navy Seals
2. The Immortals
3. The Brigade of Gurkhas
4. The Knights Hospitaller
5. The Special Air Service
6. The Green Berets
7. The Varangian Guard
8. The Hashishin
9. The Israeli Special Forces
10. The Jaguar Warriors

Photo: Getty Images / TIME

Oil Declining

Crude oil prices have been declining sharply this week. On Thursday the prices plunged by nearly nine percent in the largest one-day drop in more than two years. According to many oil analysts, the killing of Osama Bin Laden may have been the catalyst for the rout in oil prices. Although the prices recovered slightly on Friday, after a positive report on US employment numbers, but for the week they registered a decline of more than 13 percent.

Bin Laden’s killing may have consequences beyond its obvious symbolism. There is a growing feeling in the region that the decade-long era of war on terror is coming to an end, to be replaced by more conventional law enforcement tactics against terrorist groups. Such development would certainly help ease the tensions in the region and the decline in oil prices after the Bin Laden news could indeed been caused by such expectation.

Political Crisis in Iran: Khamenei’s Ultimatum to Ahmadinejad

In a clear sign of growing political tensions among the senior leaders of the Islamic Republic, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has given President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an ultimatum to reinstate Haydar Moslehi as the minister of intelligence or resign the presidency.

On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad had asked Moslehi to leave the meeting of his cabinet before the meeting started. Ahmadinejad’s refusal to allow the intelligence minister to remain in the cabinet is the most serious challenge to Khamenei’s authority. The supreme leader had ordered Ahmadinejad to reinstate Moslehi who had been fired by him. Instead of accepting Moslehi as ordered, Ahmadinejad himself boycotted the cabinet meetings and did not show up for work at the presidential palace for 11 days. When he finally returned, he refused to let Moslehi attend the cabinet meetings.

Iran, Egypt Seek to Reopen Embassies

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday that the expansion of ties with Egypt and reopening of embassies in Tehran and Cairo are of special importance to both sides.

“In a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi, we agreed to meet in the Indonesian resort island of Bali (on the sidelines of NAM conference) within the next month,” Salehi told reporters [IRNA, 5 May].

US Congressional Panel Releases Report Alleging Iran-Qaeda Links

US Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus released a report on Wednesday alleging that IRGC’s elite Quds Force offers support to and has strong links with Al Qaeda. The report was released by the caucus after US troops killed Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan.

"Iran has quietly forged a strong working relationship with core al-Qaeda’s leaders," said the report's author Michael S. Smith II of the strategic advisory firm Kronos. "This relationship has been established to counter American influence in the Middle East and South Asia" [AFP, 5 May].

"Since 9/11, these partnerships have become all the more pronounced. Hundreds of al-Qaeda members, along with family members of core al-Qaeda leaders, have found refuge inside Iran," the report added.

Ahmadinejad Summoned to Answer Questions by MPs

90 MPs today formally requested that President Ahmadinejad be summoned to the Majlis to answer questions about current issues, including the status of the intelligence minister. Summoning the president to the parliament requires 71 signatures [Mehr News Agency, 5 May].

NAJA dispersal of anti-Saudi footballers

NAJA antiriot policemen disperse and arrest football fans demonstrating against Saudi Arabia during the AFC Champions League group C match between Iran's Persepolis and Saudi's Al Ittihad, during their AFC Champions League group C match at Azadi stadium in Tehran on May 3, 2011. Some 300 protested at the stadium against Saudi Arabia's military intervention into Bahrain by chanting anti Saudi slogans.

Did Moslehi Attend Cabinet Meeting?

Today's Cabinet Meeting Presided by Ahmadinejad (circled); But No Trace of Moslehi

Photo: Mashreq via president.ir

Mashreq, an Iranian news portal, reported today that the intelligence minister Haydar Moslehi was not in attendance in today’s Cabinet meeting, contradicting reports by Iran’s official news agency IRNA and the official website of the president. Mashreq reprinted a photo of the meeting, which was originally posted at president.ir, the president’s official site, with Ahmadinejad presiding over the meeting but no trace of Haydar Moslehi among the ministers in attendance.

If true, the absence of Moslehi in the two meetings of the cabinet since Ahmadinejad ended his boycott shows the issues that originally created the political crisis are still unresolved.

Ahmadinejad, Moslehi Attend Cabinet Meeting

For the first time in nearly three weeks, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the intelligence minister Heydar Moslehi were in attendance together at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Moslehi was not in attendance when Ahmadinejad chaired the first meeting after he had ended his boycott on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Mojtaba Zolnoor, the representative of the supreme leader at IRGC, said in Tehran today that Ahmadinejad receives the legitimacy of his office from Ayatollah Khamenei. Zolnoor added that if the supreme leader stops his support of the president, Ahmadinejad will become a “taghoot” (an unjust leader who changes the laws of Allah) and following him will become “haraam” (forbidden) [IRNA, 4 May].

UPDATE: Later reports from Tehran indicate that Moslehi was asked by Ahmadinejad to leave the cabinet meeting before the session got underway. This is a hugely important development showing the issue dividing the senior leaders of the Islamic Republic is still unresolved.

Iran FM in Oman

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi today arrived in the Omani capital of Muscat on a daylong visit to hold talks with Omani officials. Referring to the Arab Spring, Salehi said significant developments are underway “which will influence all the countries in the region." Earlier, Salehi had visited Qatar, and from Muscat he will fly to Ankara for a visit to Turkey [IRNA, 4 May].

GCC: Gulf is Arab

Interior ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) today said the Persian Gulf did not exclusively belong to Iran and is in fact Arab.

"The Gulf is Arab and it will remain as it is," the ministers said in a statement after a meeting in Abu Dhabi [AFP, 3 May].

The GCC statement came in response to remarks made on Saturday by the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, saying “Persian Gulf had belonged to Iran forever.”

India to Pay for Iran Crude in Rupee

India after trying since December to find a way to pay for imported Iranian crude oil in hard currency, and having run out of options, have decided to pay Iran for the crude in rupee. The Hindu, breaking the news in its today’s edition, said Iran still needs to approve accepting the payments in Indian currency. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) would then open rupee account with Indian banks, with several limitations on how it can use the funds:

• NIOC could use the money to purchase non-strategic/non-military items such as railway imports or commodities.
• NIOC will not be able to use the monies to invest in India or to buy shares or companies.
• India’s Finance Ministry will prepare and submit a list of do's and don'ts for Iranian authorities from the money it gets as part of the crude oil payments.

In February, India started making euro payments through an Iranian bank based in Germany, Europisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG (EIH Bank). But that had to be stopped soon after the German government put an end to the practice. The Indian government also explored the option of opening accounts in Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank for direct transfer of money to Iran. But the UAE also refused to route payments to Iran [The Hindu, 3 May].

India imports 12 million barrels of crude oil every month from Iran.

Stocks Declining

TSE Registered Biggest Drop on Monday

Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) index fell by 2.5% on Monday, a record one-day drop for TSE. The exchange has lost more than 6% of its value in the first six weeks of the new Iranian calendar year of 1390 (which began on 21 March).

Photo: Ako Salemi/ Donya-e Eqtesad

Pentagon Dismisses Report on Israeli Buildup to Attack Iran

The Pentagon today dismissed as "ridiculous" a report by Iran’s state-owned television network Press TV saying Israeli military aircraft were massing at Al Asad, a US airbase in Iraqi province of Al Anbar, for a strike on Iran. Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said there was no truth to the report [Reuters, 2 May].

Inflation at 20%

Donya-e Eqtesad, Iran’s leading economic and business newspaper, said in its today’s edition that the official statistics released earlier on Monday by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) shows the inflation rate in the Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (which ended on 21 April) showed a 19.7% increase over the same period last year. The inflation rate for the year 1389, ending on 20 March, was reported at 12.4%.

Press TV: Israel Getting Ready to Attack Iran

Iran’s state-owned television network Press TV is reporting today that considerable number of Israeli fighter jets, including F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, and KC-10, have been conducing week-long night exercises at Al Asad air force base in Iraq for an imminent strike against targets inside Iran [Press TV, 2 May].

Lt. Gen. Anwar Ahmed, the commander of Iraqi air force, however rejected the Press TV report as “groundless.” An Israeli military spokesman also said she had no knowledge of any such report [Reuters, 2 May].

Bin Laden Killed

Osama Bin Laden during his heydays in Afghanistan where he led the terrorist organization Al Qaeda and its attacks on US soil, including the destruction of the Twin Towers, killing nearly 3,000 people in New York and Washington. Many more were killed in attacks on US Embassy in Kenya, on USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden, and other places across the globe. A CIA and US Special Forces unit took out Bin Laden during a raid on a safe house near Islamabad, Pakistan. His body was buried in the sea. 2 May 2011.

President Obama announcing the successful US operations at the White House

People gathered in front of the White House, chanting U.S.A. and waiving the American flags in simultaneous celebrations after the president made the announcement.

Photos: New York Times

Ahmadinejad Returns to the Cabinet, Refuting Reports on Pre-Conditions for His Return

President Ahmadinejad Presiding Over the Cabinet Meeting. Tehran, 1 May 2011. Ahmadinejad is Flanked by the First VP Rahimi (l.) and Mashaie

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today attended a meeting of his cabinet, breaking a boycott of cabinet meetings that lasted ten days and during which he was absent at three scheduled meetings of the Cabinet.

This blogger had reported that the president had set three conditions for his return to presidency, including the return of Mashaie to First VP post and the removal of the intelligence minister. Ahmadinejad’s return to the cabinet today may refute our sources and reporting on the subject. It could indicate that such preconditions never existed, or Ahmadinejad backed down from those preconditions. But we also need to follow political developments in near future to see if some form of agreements between the two camps were worked out that was persuasive enough for Ahmadinejad to return to presidency.

The pro-government media in Iran is reporting today that the reports about disagreements between Ahmadinejad and the supreme leader were the work of global arrogance (normally understood to mean the US and its close allies). The Iranian media however does not explain why the country's Majlis had to hold extraordinary closed-door sessions last week issuing what amounted to a strong warning to the president to end his boycott, unless it is claimed that the MPs were also victims of the global arrogance's propaganda.

Photo: AP Photo/IIPA,Sajjad Safari

Iran Marks Persian Gulf Day

Iran marked the national Persian Gulf Day on Saturday with festivities at Hormuz Island. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad released a statement praising the organizers of the festival, and expressing hope that such events would help protect the identity of the Persian Gulf [IRNA, 1 May].

Iran refers to the Gulf as Persian; the Arab states of the Gulf refer to it as Arab. 30 April is the anniversary of the victory of Shah Abbas in 1622 over the Portuguese forces occupying Bandar Abbas, now named after him, and territories around the Strait of Hormuz.