LATEST: Rouhani Government Bowing to Hard-Line Critics on “Culture”?

MONDAY FEATURE

Week Past, Week Ahead: Iran — Regime Talks Tough While Rouhani Keeps Low Profile

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has used a meeting with a French MP to woo Paris in the talks for a comprehensive nuclear agreement.

After discussions with Senator Philippe Marini, Zarif declared, “France, considering its position in the European Union, could play a positive and important role in nuclear negotiations.”

At the same time, the Foreign Minister reiterated that the Islamic Republic’s “peaceful nuclear program is homegrown and no one can take it away from Iranian scientists”.

France and the other 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, Germany, Russia, and China) resume negotiations with Iran on May 13 in Vienna. The two sides are seeking a final agreement before an interim deal expires on July 20.

Iran is also seeking the expansion of trade and investment with France, foreseeing the removal of European Union sanctions under a comprehensive agreement.

The Supreme Leader’s top foreign policy advisor, Ali Akbar Velayati, emphasized after his meeting with Marini, “The French senate delegation voiced readiness to enhance the volume of Tehran-Paris economic relations and also remove the monetary and financial obstacles.”

See Insider’s View of a Successful French Business Mission in Tehran

Zarif used a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz to emphasize that Iran’s military program cannot be on the agenda of the talks:

We do not use defense missiles to carry unconventional weapons. This statement is baseless and emanates from fabrication. The issue of Iran’s military activities has never been and will never be the topic of nuclear negotiations.

Although the 5+1 Powers have not publicly said that they want negotiations over missiles, Tehran’s officials have repeatedly declared them off-limits.

Rouhani Government Bowing to Hard-Line Critics on “Culture”?

Is the Rouhani Government joining the hard-line on “culture” of its critics or just putting out a bit of rhetoric for show?

Defense Minister Hossein Deghgan said Sunday that Iran’s enemies are “using every subterfuge to devise plots against the Islamic Republic”.

Addressing Ministry staff, Dehqan said “arrogant powers” have maintained their “animosity of enmity” toward Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

While appearing to endorse the cultural hard line, Dehghan maintained the Government’s approach of “engagement”, as it promotes the “valuable message” of the Islamic Revolution to the world.

Reformist Newspaper Ebtekar Shut Down Again

Iran’s Media Courts shut down the reformist Ebtekar newspaper on Saturday, the third closure in recent months.

Managing editor Mohammad Ali Vakili said the paper was suspended for “publication of rumours and falsehoods and distortion of other content”.

Vakili said the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office did not say which article had violated press guidelines.

Some observers have speculated that the shutdown of the daily is connected with its coverage of the removal of the Head of Prisons, following the beating of political detainees in Evin Prison.