LATEST: US Adds 20+ Iranian Individuals, Entities, and Banks to Sanctions Blacklist

The Supreme Leader had a great deal to say to President Rouhani and his Administration on Wednesday about foreign affairs and negotiations with the US, telling them to take a “clear and resolute stance” for the Islamic Republic’s interests and demands.

However, Ayatollah Khamenei had an equally firm message about the line at home, pulling back any Rouhani thoughts about cultural openness and the freeing of political prisoners: “Issues pertaining to the sedition” — the mass protests after the disputed 2009 Presidential election and the rise of the Green Movement — “or seditionists are a red-line that officials should adhere to”.

The statement reconfirms Khamenei’s position that opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi — both candidates in the 2009 election “won” by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — and Mousavi’s wife, activist and academic Zahra Rahnavard, must remain under strict house arrest after 42 months.

The red-line warning also tells Rouhani that he could face further political setbacks if he pushes for political or cultural measures that antagonize hardliners. Last week Science Ministry Reza Faraji-Dana was forced out of office by Parliament, largely because of his reinstatement of professors who were dismissed and students who were expelled amid the post-2009 protests.

The hardline daily Kayhan rejoiced, “This is not just a political warning, rather it’s a recommended formula that will ensure the health and success of the Rouhani Administration.”

Head of judiciary Sadegh Larijani repeated the Supreme Leader’s warning on Thursday, saying that there should be “seditious” elements in government and that those who do not accept the “constitution and its major tenets” should not be given executive responsibilities.

Larijani continued, “Seculars have no place in an executive position.”

US Adds 20+ Iranian Individuals, Entities, and Banks to Sanctions Blacklist

The US has added eight Iranian individuals, nine entities, and five banks to its sanctions blacklists.

The Treasury issued a statement on Friday claiming the sanctioned individuals and entities are linked to the energy industry, “proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters”, and “support for terrorism”.

Grand Ayatollah: High-Speed Internet Is Against Islamic Law

Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi has issued a fatwa denouncing access to high-speed Internet as contrary to Islamic law.

Responding on his website to a question from “cyber-activists”, the cleric wrote that “all third generation and high-speed internet services…is against Sharia [and] against moral and human standards” until Iran institutes a State-controlled National Information Network.

Makarem Shirazi asserted, “Judicial officials must not remain indifferent about this vital issue.”

The Communications and Information Technology Minister, Mahmoud Vaezi, promised in December that a three-year plan would meet public demand for greater bandwith with Internet speeds doubling and tripling their existing rates.