The Quds Day rally in Isfahan
1300 GMT: The Battle Within. Back from a Saturday break to find a further development in the apparent move to curb President Ahmadinejad's power....
Mohsen Rezaei, the Secretary of the Expediency Council, has confirmed that former Ministers have sent a letter to the Supreme Leader, proposing a council drawn from the Executive, legislature, and judiciary to run the Government. In a concession to the President, Rezaei suggested that Ahmadinejad could head the new council.
It may be of relevance that Rezaei ran for President in 2009 and is standing again in 2013. Moreover, his media outlet Tabnak has been notably critical of the Government on political and economic issues.
Earlier this week, it emerged that a number of ex-Ministers had approached Ayatollah Khamenei. They reportedly include Manouchehr Mottaki, the former Foreign Minister; Mostafa Pourmohammadi, former Minister of Interior; and Davoud Danesh Jafari, former Minister of Finance.
Meanwhile, Rezaei put out rhetoric on the international front, "Today, we are in the final [struggle] with the United States in Syria." He continued:
If Syria falls into the hands of the Americans, the Islamic Awakening movement will become American. But if Syria maintains its policies, the Islamic Awakening will take root in Islam.
Rezaei then linked his domestic and foreign policy statements, saying the proposed council is a strategy to bolster the "golden belt" of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan against US attempts at dominance.
0910 GMT: Trade Watch. Turkey's purchases of Iranian oil may have fallen by 60% since early 2012, but there is some good for Tehran --- traders say Ankara is selling more steel to the Islamic Republic, after a drop earlier this year amid the financial difficulties of US-led sanctions.
Turkey's exports of steel for construction to Iran rose to 15,500 tonnes in May, worth roughly $10 million, compare to 4300 tonnes in March.0600 GMT: We begin this morning with the surface story of Friday's ceremonies and marches for Quds (Palestine) Day --- the denunciation of the Zionist --- through an analysis, "The Real Danger of 'Ahmadinejad and Israel'".
The lasting story beyond the story, however, is of the regime and individuals within trying to bolster legitimacy through the rallying of the Iranian population. And this morning, there is no clear conclusion to that tale.
Iranian outlets headlined, even before the festivities began, "Millions of Iranians March in Solidarity with Palestinians", but there is a curiosity in the record of the events once they place. While there are vivid photographic specials, the shots are almost exclusively close-ups of groups within the marches --- the one exception that we have seen is an overhead shot of the gathering in Isfahan. State news agency IRNA has a short clip from one march in Tehran, picking out prominent figures such as Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei, but it is not possible to guage if this is testimony to "millions" on the streets.
Posted via email from lissping
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