Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani criticises State broadcaster IRIB

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.

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.”

Presidential Election Watch: Rezaei Edition

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:

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.