PHOTO: A truck-borne missile in an Iranian military parade, September 22, 2015 (Raheb Mohavandi/Reuters)

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Iran’s Friday Prayer leaders devoted their sermons to the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program, maintaining that it will continue despite criticism from Western countries.

The Revolutionary Guards held the latest tests of the missiles last week, prompting warnings by the US that it will take the issue to the UN Security Council.

Washington says the testing violates a Security Council resolution. Iranian officials say that the launches are not banned by the July 2015 nuclear deal, and that the resolution only covers missiles which could carry a nuclear warhead.

The Tehran Prayer Leader, Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani, said:

We are equipped to defend ourselves, not to attack, but America says no, this is not right. Odd — we have no right to make ourselves stronger and better equip ourselves in order to defend ourselves?

In Tabriz, Ayatollah Shabestari said the ballistic missile tests were “a response to the threats of America and Israel”.

The Battle in the Seminaries

The clerics also upheld the Supreme Leader’s recent warnings about a loss of “revolutionary identity” in Iran’s seminaries.

The Supreme Leader and other regime factions are worried about the possibility of a proposal, advanced by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, for a fixed-term Council to replace the Leader after his death.

The concerns have been elevated by the centrist-reformist success in February 26 elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the body which chooses the Supreme Leader.

Rafsanjani, who chaired the Assembly from 2007 to 2011, is hoping to regain the position in an election in late April.

The Shiraz Prayer Leader, Ayatollah Emani, said the Supreme Leader is emphasizing the importance of remaining revolutionary “is that there is a group of simple-minded people in today’s society who seek to instill doubt in the revolution in different ways”.

The comments also appear to be a response to President Rouhani, who said in a televised speech last week, “What’s the use of saying I am a revolutionary?…Why don’t we seek people’s comfort and our country’s glory?”

(Hat tip to Iran Tracker for translations)

Oil Exports at 22-Month High But Well Below Target

Iran’s oil exports have risen to their highest point since March 2014, but are still well below the Government target for recovery.

Tehran shipped 1.55 million barrels per day in January, a 9.2% rise from December, according to the Riyadh-based Joint Organisations Data Initiative.

Production climbed to 3.37 million barrels a day, the most since February 2014.

Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and other Iranian officials have said that, with the removal of sanctions following implementation of a July 2015 nuclear deal, exports will reach 2 million bpd.

Before the impact of US and European sanctions in 2012, Iran’s exports were 2.2 million bpd and production was more than 4 million bpd. Shipments abroad fell to below 800,000 bpd before recovering to 1.4 million bpd during negotiation of the nuclear deal.