LATEST:Reformist Editor: We Wanted President Who Would Solve Economic Problems, To Hell With Political Freedom!

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One line in a Reuters article on the global oil market stands out:

“Tehran needs an oil price of $140 [per barrel] in 2013 to balance the books, according to the International Monetary Fund.”

The significance? The price has just fallen before the $100 mark again. Even at its high point this year — $119 in February — it is far short of the return needed by Iran to finance Government expenditure.

And the Islamic Republic, when it can sell oil amid US-led sanctions, is not getting the posted price. Iran is giving discounts, especially leading customer China, both in open trade and in deals which are “off the backs”. Indeed, sources have said that, in order to get some return and to free up storage space, Tehran is moving oil at prices as low as $20 to $30 per barrel.

All of this highlights the economic challenge for President-elect Hassan Rouhani and, behind him, the Supreme Leader. Iran’s oil exports have been halved in the past year, and Washington and its European allies are offering no sign of an easing of sanctions — instead, the US Government imposed four new sets of measures just before Rouhani’s victory.

So, beyond his promise of better “management” in contrast to the Ahmadinejad administration, what can Rouhani and his team do?

Latest Updates, From Top to Bottom

Mohsen Rezaei on Women’s Rights

Mohsen Rezaei, who stood as an independent Presidential candidate in the recent election, has used his Facebook page to comment on women’s rights, saying that supporting women’s rights is one of his faction’s aims.

The image shows a man raising a sign that reads “Women’s Rights = Human Rights – freedom”.

Mashallah Shamsolvaezin: We Wanted President Who Would Solve Economic Problems, To Hell With Political Freedom!

Reformist editor Mashallah Shamsolvaezin said Wednesday that economic issues and not political freedoms drove Iranian voters’ choices in the Presidential election.

Shamsolvaezin told the Young Journalists Club that Iran’s economic situation and isolation because of sanctions influenced the vote.

“We wanted a President who would solve economic problems, to the hell with political freedom! Political freedom is usually demanded in societies where you have acquired 5 out of ten of your life’s needs, that is, you should have a healthy livelihood. The Prophet also said ‘One with no livelihood will not have a resurrection either’,” YJC quoted Shamsolvaezin as saying.

Shamsolvaezin was former editor-in-chief of the reformist dailies Asr-e Azadegan, Jameah, Tous and Neshat, has been arrested several times including in 2009 following the protests against the disputed Presidential election.

Reformist Aref: Free Political Prisoners

Reformist Mohammad Reza Aref, a candidate in the 2013 Presidential election, has called for cooperation to release political prisoners and detained journalists.

Aref said, “Some of those arrested had only service to their country in mind.”

Supreme Leader Sets Out Real Meaning of Presidential Election

In a series of Twitter messages, following Ayatollah Khamenei’s meeting with judiciary officials, the Supreme Leader’s office sets out the real meaning of this month’s Presidential election (hint: it’s not the victory of Hassan Rouhani):

The Supreme Leader did ask everyone to assist the President-elect and also put out some soothing words for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, “The outgoing Government has…many strngths. It would be great to mention the Government’s economic efforts along with its problems. That would be fair.”