Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Al-monitor – Iranian social media has been buzzing about the news of the alleged arrest of Abdol Rasul Dori Esfahani, a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiation team. Conservative media outlets were the first to reveal the name after Tehran prosecutor said last week that a dual-national was arrested for spying for British Intelligence. However, no government official as of yet has confirmed the news.
When asked to confirm the arrest of a fellow nuclear negotiator Aug. 25, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi refused. “I have only heard rumors about this matter,” Araghchi said to Fars News on the sidelines of a conference regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is known by the acronym BARJAM in Iran. He added, “The [appropriate] officials should respond and explain if a spy has been arrested.”
Araghchi continued, “We cannot judge based solely on rumors. The security institutions should give answers, and I am not in a position to confirm whether someone has been arrested or not.” He also rejected any responsibility on the part of the negotiation team, saying, “Finding a spy is not our duty. The security and judicial authorities must tend to this, and I hope they answer soon.”
Dori Esfahani was in charge of banking affairs during the nuclear talks, the one area of the nuclear deal where problems continue to persist. Araghchi blamed the United States for these remaining problems. “A high number of sanctions have been [eliminated],” Araghchi said. “But there are others where we have encountered problems and obstacles, for which the prime reasons are the bad pacts and discreditable [acts] of the West, especially America.” The criticism of the United States stems from the US banking sanctions unrelated to the nuclear deal that have created problems for many European investors who wish to invest in Iran.
Araghchi’s use of the word “discreditable” comes from a term Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used in a speech Aug. 24 when criticizing the nuclear deal. In that speech, Khamenei said the deal was an experience that showed no single administration in the United States could be trusted. However, he added that the Iranian negotiators “worked night and day,” saying, “We are appreciative of these efforts.”
With the presidential election 10 months away, Khamenei also asked the president to focus on the economy rather than get embroiled in partisan bickering. “The administration must in no way make itself busy with election discussions,” Khamenei said. Rather, the administration must work toward solving problems of the country, Khamenei said, adding, “The best advertisement for an administration is the actions of the administration.”
Khamenei said economic problems are the first priority for the country, and they must be resolved through the use of resistance economy policies. The resistance economy is an economic policy that stresses domestic capacities and focuses on having a more knowledge-based economy and reducing Iran’s vulnerability of relying on oil and gas exports. Khamenei first issued the economic concept in a February 2014 decree.
Khamenei asked Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, who is the head of the Headquarters of the Resistance Economy, to monitor both government and private economic activities to make sure they are in accordance with resistance economy policies. He also urged Jahangiri to promote the correct discourse regarding what a resistance economy entails and its importance for the various Iranian industries.
