Tehran’s Daily Newspaper Review

Ayatollah Khamenei yesterday called for a rational promotion of the Mahdaviat doctrine (link). He also rejected comparisons, calling it “a deviation”. Some believe that the Iranian Supreme Leader is the Seyyed-e Khorasani, known to be the leader who rises among Iranians and paves the way for the return of Imam Mahdi (AS). “Matching the signs of Reappearance with individuals is incorrect and a deviation” he said. His comment was the top headline of the majority of Tehran’s newspapers today.

Iran daily covered Ahmadinejad’s defense of his controversial plan to grant every Iranian household 1000 square meters of land as a replacement for their residence in cramped apartments. “Giving 1000 [square] meters of land to each household is achievable” the president said. The Supreme Leader of Iran is said by the media to be against the president’s plan, especially concerning its implications in the real estate market. The newspaper also highlighted a remark by the commander of Sepah aerospace division, who stated that, “US fleet in the region not a threat, but a target”.

As a complement to Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks yesterday, Jomhouri-ye Eslami quoted Ayatollah Va’ez Tabasi, a powerful cleric in Khorasan province, as saying “obscurantism, delusion and Taliban-like thoughts are a threat to Islam.” The newspaper also reported the “official’s silence against the chaotic market of housing rents”, and the restive situation in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Kayhan reported “Death to US and Death to Saudi Arabia chants in the million-strong demonstration of Yemenis”. It also covered the “unprecedented anti-government rally in the Malaysian Capital” and Egypt’s Tahrir Square gathering where the demonstrators said “Unite with Iran”.

“Iran’s missiles arrive at the Indian Ocean”, Resalat printed, quoting Sepah’s aerospace division. The newspaper also published two headlines on tenacious efforts to mould the Principlists –most likely minus Ahmadinejad- into one united slate for the ninth parliamentary election. Former Speaker of the parliament and now head of its cultural committee, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, demanded that “Influential figures in uniting Principlists should not be tarnished”.

Shargh’s top headline was “Rereading relations between the President and Principlists: The dilemma of challenge”. The president’s recent letter to the minister of higher education ordering him to halt the gender segregation of university classes-- which raised the criticism of well-known critics-- is the latest instance. Conflicts with the parliament –Majles- over merging ministries and with the Revolutionary Guards are two other major challenges recently taken place between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other power centers in the Islamic Republic. The newspaper also reported of the congregation of the Islamic Association of Iranian Medical Community –a Reformist group- and its Secretary General’s criticism of “misrepresenting Imam Khomeini’s approach”. The newspaper also quoted from Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech on Mahdaviat, that “claims about affinity with Imam Mahdi is are mostly lies or fantasies”.

Tehran-e Emrooz published a photo of the Malaysian police cordoning the Petronas twin towers, with the headline “Unrest begins in Malaysia, public demonstrations arrive in Southeastern Asia”. It also quoted Education Minister Hamid-Reza Haji-Babayi, who had called the airing of a controversial clip on internet websites on physical punishment of students in an Iranian school a “Zionistic-American scenario”, which of course does not belong to his ministerial term. The newspaper also ran a report on reactions to Ahmadinejad’s decision to grant Iranian households 1000 square meters of land to build villa houses and leave their apartments.

“Hundreds of thousands roar against the residues of Mubarak’s regime”, was Vatan-e Emrooz’s reporting of the “return of Tahrir intifada”. Muqtada Sadr’s warning to Mojahedin-e Khalgh to leave Iraq, and caretaker oil minister and OPEC Chairman Mohammad Ali-Abadi’s remark that the organization won’t increase its production level, were also covered by the pro-Ahmadinejad daily. It also quoted Sepah aerospace division commander who said that Israel’s “Iron Dome is a publicity project”.

* Note: Vatan-e Emrooz does not publish on Thursdays.

Trouble with understanding some terms? Check our Glossary of Iranian Political Terms.

Briefing

Hamshahri (Citizen) is the official daily newspaper of Tehran's Municipality. Its general directions in politics, culture and economy are determined by the mayor of Tehran, currently Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Iran is the official organ of the administration.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami (The Islamic Republic) was known as the official organ of the Party of the Islamic Republic, founded in 1979 and disbanded in 1987. Currently, it is an open critique of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies and is known to be a mouthpiece of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Kayhan (Universe) is a hard-line conservative newspaper. Its editor-in-chief –currently Hossein Shari’atmadari- is appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader. Shari’atmadari’s editorials often spark off controversy and debate inside Iranian political circles.

Resalat (Mission) belongs to the moderate wing of the principlist camp. Resalat’s best known analyst is Amir Mohebbian, its political editor.

Shargh (East) is a moderate reformist newspaper. It was the most popular and influential reformist newspaper in its first period of publication which lasted from August 2003 until September 2006.

Tehran-e Emrooz (Tehran Today) is a ‘principlist reformist’ newspaper, connected to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.