The Guardian reported that a senior commander of Iran's revolutionary guards, who is subject to comprehensive international sanctions, has been nominated as the country's oil minister, a position that currently includes the presidency of Opec. The Iranian president sent a list of four ministers, including Rostam Ghasemi, commander of the revolutionary guards' Khatam al-Anbia military and industrial base, to the parliament for approval. Should the parliament confirm Ghasemi's nomination next week, the commander, who is targeted by US, EU and Australian sanctions, will be automatically appointed as head of Opec, giving the revolutionary guards access to an influential international platform. Under Iran's constitution the president is in charge of appointing cabinet ministers, who take office after the approval of parliament.
The same information agency published the article headlined “Iran releases prominent actor and filmmaker.” It says that Iran has released two prominent cultural figures from jail following intense criticism of its crackdown against artists and rights activists. Pegah Ahangarani, 27, a popular actor and outspoken supporter of the country's opposition green movement, was arrested two weeks ago en route to the women's World Cup. Mahnaz Mohammadi, 37, a documentary filmmaker, was detained by unidentified officials in June. The human rights website Rahana reported on Wednesday that Ahangarani has been freed from Tehran's notorious Evin prison on bail.
The Turkish information agency Hurriyet reported that Turkey’s new constitution will be shorter and much less complex than its current charter as it represents the people “using the language of the people,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday. The government expects opposition parties to help participate in the drafting of the constitution starting in October, Erdoğan said, adding that the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, was not trying to impose its own version of the constitution. The AKP has already begun “doing its homework” based on the recent developments the country has experienced, Erdoğan said. The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, however, criticized the AKP on Tuesday, saying it was not being inclusive in its constitutional works.
“Turkish PM seeks Armenian apology after Israel” is an article published by Hurriyet. It says that Recent remarks by the Armenian leader about “Western Armenia,” an area now in Turkey, were not suitable for a statesman and president, the Turkish prime minister said Wednesday, demanding an apology. In remarks over the weekend, Armenian President Serge Sarkisian called on Armenian youth to enable the return of “historic territories in Western Armenia” that are currently found in eastern Turkey, as his generation had done with the contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking outrage from the Turkish side.
The Iranian information agency Press TV reported that Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi has stressed the importance of improving relations with Iraq, stressing Tehran will spare no effort to help Baghdad to make progress. He called on Iranian and Iraqi officials to increase exchange of visits and implement agreements already signed between the two countries. The two countries should make the utmost use of opportunities and capabilities, Rahimi emphasized. The Iranian official pointed to Iraq's great oil reserves and expressed hope that the resources would be utilized to improve the living standard of the Iraqi people. The Iraqi oil minister, for his part, hoped the two countries would adopt constructive measures to enhance oil cooperation.
